The biggest question surrounding former NBA and Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan is how many more championships he would have won had he not retired to play baseball in 1993 and s was sidelined for the second time in 1998.
According to Drew Hanlen, who is one of the best basketball coaches having trained Zach LaVine, Joel Embiid and many others, His Airness would have won at least two more rings. Hanlen took to Twitter and wrote:
“What are your craziest sports moves that you actually believe in? I’ll start. Michael Jordan and the Bulls would have won 8-10 titles if MJ had never retired and kept the same group together. “
Jordan retired in 1993 after winning his third championship with the goal of playing professional baseball. He returned to the NBA 18 months later winning three more consecutive championships. The superstar retired for the second time in 1998 when the Bulls organization wanted to dismantle the team and bring in a new coach to replace Phil Jackson.
What are your craziest sports moves that you really believe in? I’m going to start. Michael Jordan and the Bulls would have won 8-10 titles if MJ had never retired and they had kept the same group together
Would Michael Jordan have won 8-10 championships if he hadn’t retired?
One of the main reasons Michael Jordan retired in 1993 was because he was exhausted from appearing in three consecutive NBA Finals and winning them all. The wear and tear of the league was taking its toll on the big man and he needed a break from it all.
Arguably the only reason he retired for the second time in 1998 was because the Bulls organization, led by general manager Jerry Krause, wanted new blood on the team. The organization wanted to make changes to the coaching staff and bring in new players. Jordan made it clear he wouldn’t play for any coach other than Phil Jackson, but Krause and Jackson’s relationship was so toxic at the time that there was no way the Zen master would return.
🗓 This Day in Stats, 1998: Michael Jordan becomes the first @NBA player to score 50+ in consecutive playoff games when he drops 55 for the @ChicagoBulls in Game 2 against Cleveland after turning them on for 50 in Game 1. https://t.co/HFfk3bQrzz
What also needs to be considered is the competition he would potentially face during the years he was away from the game. The likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and his Houston Rockets peaked during Jordan’s retirement. His Airness would also have faced the San Antonio Spurs managed by Tim Duncan in 1999 and the Los Angeles Lakers managed by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
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It’s one of those questions we’ll never know the answer to, but it’s an interesting topic of conversation as fans everywhere debate the greatness of His Airness.
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