NBA legend Michael Jordan is arguably the best basketball player ever. He has won six rings, six Finals MVP awards, and five NBA MVP awards during his illustrious career. However, one of his most unexpected moves came in October 1993 when he announced his retirement after winning three straight titles.

Jordan then went off to play minor league baseball. He then did the unthinkable by coming back to basketball in March 1995 with the iconic statement “I’m back.” Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. is a huge fan of ‘His Airness’. And he wanted to emulate the Chicago Bulls legend’s move.

Jones Jr. is undoubtedly one of the best boxers ever, winning multiple world championships in four different weight classes. He is the only boxer in history to begin his career at light middleweight and go on to win a heavyweight title. He also won a silver medal for the U.S. in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Jones Jr. also plays basketball whenever he can. In 1995, Jones Jr. played in a charity basketball game against a team led by another boxing legend, the late Pernell Whitaker.

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Whitaker was a four-weight world champion and won the gold medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. All-time great Evander Holyfield also played in the charity game for Whitaker’s team.

Roy Jones Jr. wanted to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan

Before the charity basketball game, Pernell Whitaker stated that he would score 50 points against Roy Jones Jr. and his team. However, he ended up scoring just six points and lost the game. On the other hand, Jones Jr. scored 26 points and led his team to the win. After the game, Jones Jr. disclosed he might pull a Michael Jordan move. He stated that he was considering retiring from boxing and then playing professional basketball instead. He added that he was serious about trying out for a spot with the London Towers, a team in the British Basketball League in England.

Jones Jr. talked about beating Whitaker and his team in 1995. ?We?ll never know who the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world is,? Jones said. “But now we all know who the better basketball player is.”

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Jones Jr, also known as ‘Captain Hook’, disclosed that New York Knicks head coach Don Nelson even invited him to practice with the team. Jones Jr eventually retired from boxing after his match-up against Merqui Sosa. He won the fight against Sosa in the second round by knockout. Even though he did not retire from boxing to pursue basketball, he did continue to play basketball.

Do you think Roy Jones Jr. would have made it as a professional basketball player? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.