In 2003, the world of basketball lost one of its greatest gems as the legendary Michael Jordan retired from the sport. Jordan built an empire with the Chicago Bulls that will never be overshadowed for all eternity.

However, Jordan had actually retired once before as well, way back in 1993. In fact, today, the 6th of October marks the 28th anniversary of Jordan’s first retirement. It was the first of his three eventual retirements during the course of his career.

After the legendary red devils completed their three-peat in ’93, NBA fans around the world were rejoicing. What followed, though, was a shocking decision that shook the world of basketball.

Michael Jordan, who led the Bulls to their titles and was still in his prime, called it a day on his career. However, later on, ‘MJ’ returned again, and his ‘last dance’ took place much later in ’03. Let’s take a look at when the now 58-year-old made his official retirement announcement close to three decades ago.

Looking back at when Michael Jordan first retired in 1993

Just after Chicago made history, the eventual 14-time All-star sadly lost his father. This left him in a difficult situation financially, and he opted out of the league.

He self-admittedly had nothing to prove anymore and went off to the minor league baseball. However, his love for the game drew him back in 1996, and he went on to complete yet another three-peat. Have a look at the initial instance when ‘His Airness’ hung up his boots.

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“When I lose a sense of motivation and a sense of proving something as a basketball player, it’s time for me to move away from the game of basketball,” said an emotional Jordan in his retirement interview.

“It’s not because I don’t love the game, I love basketball, I always will. I just feel that at this particular time in my career, I’ve reached the pinnacle of my career, I’ve achieved a lot in that short amount of time. But I just feel that I don’t have anything else for myself to prove.”

In hindsight, we can only feel grateful that we got to see the great Michael Jordan post his first retirement. Today, he is a living example for the generations to come. On this day, a very happy first retirement to the biggest Bull of them all!

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