NBA
Michael Jordan’s Retirement Pick-up Games Revealed His True Character
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished17 Jun 2020
When it comes to celebrity pro athletes, it’s tough to get bigger than Michael Jordan. Due to his incredible ability on the hardwood, His Airness transcended the bounds of sports; everyone, whether they liked basketball or not, was familiar with the Chicago Bulls star. But how much do we really know about MJ’s character?
During his first retirement, Jordan played pickup games with a group of average Joes in a downtown Chicago gym. Away from the cameras and the prying eyes of reporters, those moments revealed the true content of the NBA legend’s character.
Michael Jordan suddenly retired from basketball in 1994
For an entire generation of sports fans, Michael Jordan’s name became synonymous with basketball. In 1994, however, that reality changed.
After making a name for himself at the University of North Carolina, Jordan entered the 1984 NBA draft. The Chicago Bulls selected him third overall, setting the stage for sports history. MJ, of course, blossomed into a star and helped the Windy City club win three consecutive titles in 1991, 1992, and 1993.
At the height of his dominance, however, Jordan made a shocking decision. In October 1993, after the death of his father, His Airness retired from the NBA and embarked on a baseball career. While we can retrospectively debate the merits of that move, it seemed unthinkable at the time.
That reality, however, couldn’t keep MJ away from the basketball court. As documented by a SportsChannel Chicago video, he was known to head to the Athletic Club at Illinois Center and hit the hardwood.
Refusing to lose and talking trash, even against average Joes
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If basketball fans know one thing about Michael Jordan, it’s that he was incredibly competitive. Based on his pickup games at the Athletic Club, it’s safe to conclude that’s a reality.
Even though Jordan wasn’t playing against professionals at the gym, His Airness wasn’t going to take it easy. He was there to win and wasn’t afraid to break out some of his famous trash talk.
“There was a friend of mine, Dr. Rick Weber, he was in his 40s, and he played in a game where he called out Mike for cheating,” Tom Tuohy, a regular at the gym, told Dan Gartland for a Sports Illustrated oral history. “And I’m telling you, Jordan just about rode him and trash-talked him out of the gym. He said, ‘I don’t have to cheat, old man, to beat you.’ All the way to the locker room and taking a shower: ‘Now don’t slip, old man, and break a hip.”
Other players shared similar stories of Jordan’s competitiveness. David Boone, for example, scored a basket against the Chicago Bulls star; MJ promptly told him, “You will not score again today,” and locked him down for the remainder of the game.
Above all else, though, Michael Jordan simply loved basketball
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As the gym’s regulars learned, Michael Jordan didn’t lose any of his competitive fire when he retired from the NBA. They confirmed another truth, though: His Airness simply loved to play basketball.
“The dude just loved basketball,” Ben Terrell explained. “I played with a lot of other guys who came up there, but he was very engaging. If you played with him more than once, he would probably learn your name. He would know what you were good for. Like, oh, this guy is a rebounder, he’ll tip it back in, but I won’t pass it to him. You had to earn his respect if he was going to pass it to you. But he would definitely learn what you could do. He was very competitive. I don’t ever remember him losing a game.”
Alex duBuclet, however, said it best. Michael Jordan could have been doing anything, but he wanted to play basketball, even if that meant taking the court with a bunch of average Joes.
“He loved the competition, but there’s something special about playing with average folks that he liked. The reason I know that is because he played with us way too often not to like it,” deBuclet said. “Michael didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to do. He had enough money, he had enough people to chase down if he wanted to go out with women, he had everything you could want. Why would he, with all the money in the world, all the cars in the world, all the women in the world, want to spend three hours or four hours in a gym with a bunch of smelly, sweaty guys who just got off their 9–5 jobs? It’s the love of the game.”
