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NBA Legend Michael Jordan, NFL GOAT Tom Brady and Other Athletes Who Came Out From Retirement to the Sport They Love

Published 07/22/2022, 12:30 AM EDT

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NBA legend Michael Jordan was one of the most iconic athletes the world has ever seen. He was an incredible athlete with a great mindset. During his long and illustrious career, Jordan won 6 NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. And he did that in tremendous fashion by winning it with two different three-peats. However, the most fascinating part is MJ won the last 3 championships after coming back from retirement.

During his younger years, Michael Jordan established himself as the superstar of the game. He was great on both ends of the court and his athleticism was unmatched. His stardom grew as he won individual accolades, but he was unable to win NBA titles. Finally, MJ laid his hands on the NBA trophy in 1991.

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The Bulls and Jordan were unstoppable as they won the next 2 championships as well. The Bulls legend was at the top of the world. But everything came crashing down when Jordan’s father, James R. Jordan Sr. was killed in his car. At the peak of his career, MJ retired in 1993.

READ MOREEmotional Michael Jordan Confessed Regrets About Losing Father: “He Never Met My Fiancée. He Never Got to See My Kids Grow Up. He Died in ‘93”

Michael Jordan shocked the world when he retired from the NBA and take a break from basketball. He then tried his hands at baseball. Jordan would then come back to the Bulls in 1995 and won three more championships from 1996 to 98.

This was not the only time he came out of retirement, though. After retiring for the second time in 1999, ‘His Airness’ made a return in 2001. He joined the Washington Wizards, but this return wasn’t as successful as the previous one. MJ announced his retirement from the game in 2003.

Other prominent athletes who made a comeback like Michael Jordan

Over the years, many prominent athletes have come back from their retirement. Fans around the world consider NFL superstar Tom Brady the GOAT of the game. During his illustrious career, Brady has won 7 Super Bowls, which is the most ever in history.

After winning 6 rings with the New England Patriots, Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. He then brought immediate success to the franchise by helping them win a ring. Brady then announced his retirement in 2022, sighting multiple injuries. However, just 40 days after announcing his retirement, Brady declared that he would be back with the Buccaneers for the 2022 season.

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Fellow NBA legend, Magic Johnson also tried his hands at a comeback. Magic announced his retirement in 1992 from the league after finding out he tested positive for HIV. He would later make a comeback in 1996 since he was bothered by not retiring on his own terms.

While there were struggles on and off the court, the Lakers managed to have a record of 53-29 and sealed the #4 seed. In the first round of playoffs, the Lakers were beaten by the reigning champions Houston Rockets. After this, Johnson disclosed that he would be retiring permanently.

WATCH THIS STORYTom Brady Donned the Basketball Cap To Play Hoop With His Son

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Swimming legend Michael Phelps is widely accepted as the GOAT of the sport. He is the most decorated Olympian ever, with 28 medals. Among which 23 of the medals are gold. After the 2012 London Olympics, Phelps announced his retirement from the sport.

However, he made a U-turn in 2014 as he declared he would come out of retirement. Then in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Phelps brought home 5 gold medals and 1 Silver.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
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Edited by:

Arunaditya Aima