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POUR L'AMOUR DU JEU - Extrait du livre de M. JORDAN 1998
Interview de son ami AHMAD après la dernière finale
Le critique John SISKEL note les meilleures performances de JORDAN
L'interview pour les 50 ans de la NBA
Ce que Phil JACKSON pense de Michael JORDAN
Sa Majesté des Cieux pensait aux défis qui lui restait à livrer
JORDAN pouvait-il revenir au top de sa forme en 1996 ?
 

 

	An excerpt from Michael Jordan's 1998 book For the Love of the Game: My Story For 13 brilliant seasons Michael Jordan danced the dance of greatness across hardwood floors of basketball arenas from New York to Los Angeles to Barcelona and Paris. With a warrior's heart and an artist's grace, Jordan long ago transcended the sport to become one of the 20th century's global icons.   On the court, his almost mythic flair for the spectacular prompted former Los Angeles Laker superstar Magic Johnson to say simply, "There's Michael, then there's all the rest of us."  Off the court, Jordan's ability to alter markets and drive the business of his marketing partners is unprecedented.  Through it all, Jordan showed the world that greatness, true greatness, comes from the inside out. He remains perhaps the greatest practice player in the history of sports, his desire to improve upon his own example legendary. When critics questioned his all-around ability, he became the game's most dominant defensive player at his position. When teams decided to close down the lane and eliminate drives to the basket, he became a deadly jump shooter. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson had the most successfully teams of the 1980s but never won more than two consecutive championships. The Bulls won three straight--twice.  In For the Love of the Game, Jordan takes us through the wonder of his career on the court and away from the game. From the dream that preceded the game-winning shot against Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Finals to the methodical dissection of the Utah Jazz prior to his game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals, Jordan pulls back the curtain on one of the most remarkable lives this century.  In the following excerpt, Jordan talks of living in the moment, life after basketball and the evolution of the game's next great players.  Excerpt from FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME: MY STORY by Michael Jordan   Tomorrow I don't know what I'm going to do. I think about today. People don't believe I don't know what's going to happen next week, next month, or next year. But I truly live in the moment. That's what retirement means. You can design and choose your moment. I can design shoes one day and ski the next. I have created the opportunity to have a choice. That is how I am going to live. I am not going to determine what the moment is going to be a week from now. I've never done that and I don't like living that way. I would feel too confined. To me, retirement is having no restraints. I won't be retired fully until I don't have to do anything. One day I won't have to do commercials, or talk to a board, or help in the design of shoes. I will be able to wake up when I wake up. As long as I live in the moment I don't believe I will ever get bored. I am not going to mind being out of the spotlight.  There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, and I don't believe there is only one greatest player either. Everyone plays in different eras. I built my talents on the shoulders of someone else's talent. I believe greatness is an evolutionary process that changes and evolves era to era. Without Julius Erving, David Thompson, Walter Davis, and Elgin Baylor there would never have been a Michael Jordan. I evolved from them.  If I had been born on an island, learned the game all by myself, and developed into the player I became without ever seeing another example, then yes, maybe I would accept being called the greatest. But I have used all the great players who came before me to improve upon my game. I don't think I will live to see somebody score 100 points in a game again, but there will be players who evolve and move the game ahead. What could a player do to improve upon my example? They asked me the same thing about Elgin Baylor and Dr. J. And that's the beauty of it all. No one knows.  Somewhere there is a little kid working to enhance what we've done. It may take awhile, but someone will come along who approaches the game the way I did. He won't skip steps. He won't be afraid. He will learn from my example, just as I learned from others. He will master the fundamentals. Maybe he will take off from the free-throw line and do a 360 in midair. Why not? No one thought they would see a 6-foot-9 point guard or a 7-foot-7 center. But here we are. There are now more 6-foot-10 perimeter players than at any time in history. Magic would have been a center 30 years ago. Evolution knows no bounds. Unless they change the height of the basket or otherwise alter the dimensions of the game, there will be a player much greater than me.  I listened, I was aware of my success, but I never stopped trying to get better.
JORDAN LOOKS BACK ON THE CAMARADERIE HE ENJOYED WITH THE BULLS 1998 Finals: Ahmad Talks with MJ NBA Inside Stuff's Ahmad Rashad sat down with Michael Jordan before Game 5 of the 1998 Finals. The Bulls led the series, 3-1, and were getting ready to take on the Utah Jazz in Chicago that night. Ultimately, the Bulls would lose that game to a determined Jazz team, 86-82, and the series would return to Utah. There, Chicago would win the sixth and deciding game for their sixth championship of the '90s, 87-86, on a last-second shot from MJ himself. It would turn out to be the final, perfect shot of his NBA career. AR: Having that grueling series with Indiana, your confidence as a team really didn't wane going into Utah … where a lot of people thought a tough time with Indiana meant that you'd never get by Utah. MJ: Well, I correlate it with what happened in 1989, I think, when Cleveland beat us five games in the regular season … we never even came close, and then we had to face them in the playoffs. And their confidence -- or their over-confidence -- was our biggest positive, our biggest strength, going into that series.  Utah beat us home and away. But the thing we got out of it … first, we didn't have Scottie in one of those games, and another in Utah we were up so many points in the first quarter that we could only, you know, lose it instead of win it, which is what happened.  So our confidence never swayed at all. We felt we had the opportunities to beat Utah, we just never took advantage of it. Now, going into this Finals series, where they were expected to dominate us because of the many games and minutes that I played, and that Scottie played, and so on … I thought things were still in our favor. We had a rhythm, we were gaining momentum and improving as we moved deeper into the playoffs. And, sure, we went to a seven-game series with Indiana, but I think that was a plus instead of a minus. AR: It's interesting now, having been around those earlier championship teams, where it was more like you having to bring everybody around … bring everybody up. Now, it's "we" — you and Scottie — you guys have both gotten to the point with you have the experience, and you're definitely the team leaders. But it's got to be easier on the group to have two leaders to follow. MJ: Well, we have three, in that sense, in terms of Phil (Jackson), myself and Scottie. And I think we cover all bases. If I miss a step, they can cover my steps, if Phil misses a step, we both can cover it … making sure everybody is aware of the situation. That is a plus that people don't truly understand to be a factor in these circumstances. That was something that I was counting on, coming into this.  You know, it's not the physical advantages and disadvantages … Utah, I'm pretty sure they've got a stronger bench, more athletic players … but the mental toughness, and the mental adjustments that you have to go through during the course of a seven-game series was something that was being overlooked about us. I think that was a key component of our victory in that Pacers series.  AR: One of the great things in athletics is that every now and then, you are able to establish relationships with people that you would never establish anywhere else. And they become very close-knit, very strong, very important to you, not only on the court, but off the court. And you've developed this with the two people you just mentioned: Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson. What has that been like? MJ: Well, it's been a long road … but a long, prosperous road. Sure, there's been some bumps along the way, but you have so much respect for the people who have gone into the trenches with you, who have come from the bottom with you to the top. A lot of these guys that I'm playing with now never experienced when Chicago Stadium only had 6,500 people in it … and to some degree, Scottie and even Phil haven't experienced that. When I first started, that was the scenario.  When they came, there was pretty much 11,000 season-ticket holders, and we evolved from that point forward. And we've been through the roads of disappointments with Detroit, and the injuries here and there, and yet we've compiled an unbelievable record, and unbelievable success in the month of June. That builds camaraderie between friends and players and coaches to the point that to rebuild, or to start over, or to have that with someone else … you basically have to go through the same processes. You can't skip steps to earn that type of respect. You have to go through all the disappointments that a relationship has to go through. It's almost like a marriage. You learn certain tendencies about each other that you don't want to irritate each other, you only want to compliment each other, and that's the thing that we've gone through.  And (Assistant Coach) Tex Winter — I can't leave Tex out, he's certainly included in that scenario too — I think that's something that's very genuine and will be remembered no matter where this whole scenario ends up. And that's the beauty of it all.  AR: As you cherish championships, you also cherish these relationships. MJ: I do. You have to. And even though we may never cross paths as often in the future, you have so many memories and so many educational experiences between the four of us, you're going to utilize it for your kids or situations on other teams or with other players … there's been a lot of education going on between the four of us, you can't help but pass it along. It's all good.  AR: As I look back to you going through all these championships, you are as happy, as comfortable as I've ever seen you in a playoff situation, in a championship-run situation. What's the reason for that? MJ: I'm enjoying the moment. Enjoying the moment when you really view this as "the moment." In the past, I probably hadn't viewed it as closely as "a moment" as I probably should have. But now, with the end of the tunnel in view, every step I take towards it … I understand, I evaluate that step, I enjoy that step … and no one knows how far the end of that tunnel is away, but …  You are still trying to be the most complete basketball player you can be. I'm getting to my peak, my limit. Physically, I think I am at my limit. Mentally, there's a lot of empty space that I don't know that much about, but I keep forcing myself to learn more about the game. And I do learn more.    Is my mind getting cluttered, getting full? Probably so. As you get to the end of your career, you maximize … your brain, your education starts to get maxed out while you're playing. I'm pretty sure that once I get away from the game, and I see other players, and I see the eras starting to change, I'll learn more about the game from that perspective. But I am getting to a point where I'm maxing out my education about the game of basketball. And when you get to that point, it's a necessity to pass it to other people … to your teammates, to other up-and-coming stars …  Where Dr. J was when I came into the game … I feel like I'm looking in a mirror, and the face has changed from Dr. J to me, in some respects, and I'm passing it on to other people. And that's an amazing thing.  AR: You talk about the change, you talk about "passing it on." What kind of timetable to you have on your decision? MJ: It's not really … I don't want to put a timetable on it. I think that it will hit me. It will come to me and I'll think about all the things that have been done, and all the decisions that have been made, and it will tell me, "Hey, this is the time to say, 'I'm done.'" I'm sure there's going to be some disappointment, but I think this time is better than the first time, because people who've watched me, and liked the way I've played, will have some pre-warning, some preparation. Sometimes in death, you don't get a chance to make those kinds of preparations. This time, I'm pretty sure some people have made some preparations. I'm not correlating it to death, you know, but more like it's the end of something.  AR: So, Phil has worn off on you in this way, which I think is wonderful: that Zen philosophy of "enjoying the moment." That's the only thing that you are dealing with now. MJ: (laughs) Yes, that's the theme of Zen Buddhism, and I think we have all taken some of that with us in some respects. Not all of it … I mean, Phil is way out there, and we're somewhere closer to Earth, a little bit, but certain things you take, and you can evaluate, and associate it with you, personally. 'Living in the moment' is something that I will continue to always understand and associate with my life.  AR: When this series started, there were two things always said about the Bulls: that they were old, and that they were tired. Which obviously had nothing to do with what was going to happen … MJ: (smiles) Well, that's true! We are old, and sure, we're tired … it's been a long season. But mentally, we have a vision, we have a 'finish' that we have to attain. And sometimes you have to do it when you are old and when you are tired. And I think it's a test of your will to succeed when you have to deal with some of these negatives that are part of the game.  Yeah, we're old … we're probably the oldest team in the league. That means that we are the most experienced too. We know what to expect and how to get around some of the potholes. Sure, we're tired. Some of us have been playing heavy minutes for a long period of time. We had to overcome some injury problems, we've played extra games here and there in the playoffs … but that's more experience. So there's some positive ways of looking at those two negative things that people have been throwing at us, and I'm pretty sure by the end of this playoffs, you'll see that the old and tired people were very young and strong mentally.  AR: And I think the young and the rested are home watching the series on television. GENE SISKEL RATES MICHAEL JORDAN'S BEST PERFORMANCES IN NEW YORK Thumbs Up for Jordan Here's a formula for excitement: MJ + MSG = WOW. Translation: Michael Jordan at Madison Square Garden equals Major Thrills. More often than not, when Jordan plays the Knicks in their home arena, he turns Seventh Avenue into the Great Mike Way. In honor of Michael's visit to the Garden for the 48th All-Star Game, and in the spirit of the 69th Academy Awards to be held next month in Los Angeles, I have been asked by the NBA to select the best performance by Michael Jordan in a leading role in Manhattan.  The league selected five nominees and sent me the game tapes. I screened them at home. Here is my game-by-game analysis that leads to the way I marked my ballot. First, per tradition, Jack Valenti ... I mean David Stern, will explain the voting procedure:  "Whatever Gene votes for, wins." Thank you, David.  The nominees are:  November 8, 1984  Michael, a rookie, in only the seventh game of his professional career, drops 33 points on the Knicks, leaving midway through the fourth quarter to a standing ovation from an awe-struck New York crowd, as the Bulls cruise in a blowout, 121-106.  After missing his first shot, an easy lay-up, MJ cans his next five straight, including such highlight-reel candidates as stealing an inbounds pass and driving for a rim-rocking jam as well as driving along the baseline en route to a double-clutch, over-the-shoulder, reverse dunk. Jordan also drains open shots, including one in front of a frozen Bernard King at the top of the key. A game announcer mentions how impressed he is by Jordan's ability to hit open shots from about 15 feet, saying that his scouting report noted Jordan's athleticism but not his cool shot-making. The previous night in Detroit, Jordan had been held scoreless in the first two periods but finished the game with 25 second-half points.  Keeping his tongue in his mouth -- when did that start?-- he repeatedly evokes memories of Julius Erving, particularly when he elevates a foot inside the free-throw line, floats to the hoop, and jams hard.  NBA notables who saw the game up-close include muscular Knicks guard Ernie Grunfeld, who is guarded briefly by Jordan and is attending the 1998 NBA All-Star Game as the Knicks' general manager.  November 1, 1986  In the Bulls' first game of the year and Michael's first full season since his broken left foot sidelined him for 64 games, MJ shatters the Garden scoring record for Knicks opponents. He rings up a glittering 50 points, beating Rick Barry's and Quintin Dailey's 44.  Amazingly, Jordan doesn't shoot well from the field, missing his first eight shots and ringing up only three free throws in the first quarter. In the second period, Jordan gets creative, driving from the charity stripe and scooping the ball into the basket, prompting Madison Square Garden TV announcer John Andariese to ask partner Greg Gumbel a question that will vex play-by-play men for more than a decade, "How do you describe that?" TGFV, John. Thank God For Videotape.  Jordan nails a buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter from approximately the same spot as his NCAA Finals winner for North Carolina. During Jordan's 21-point fourth quarter, he begins toying with new defender Rory Sparrow, prompting the announcers to say, "He looks forward to playing here. This is his favorite arena, he says in the press book. He's a great showman and knows that the fans here are most appreciative."  One footnote. Jordan's competitive zeal is revealed with just two seconds left in the game as he shoots his final free throws. He makes the first, putting the game away as the Bulls now lead by four. But before shooting the second, he silently mouths to himself, "Let's go!" (I'm lip-reading). Let's go? He already had 49 points. Well, go he does, and he does get his 50.  April 19, 1988  Psychologists talk about two kinds of events in our lives: character-revealing and character-defining, the latter occurring far less often. One's response to receiving too much change is character-revealing; one's response to war is character-defining.  Without comparing sports to war, this would be a character- and career-defining game for Michael Jordan as he scored 47 points and led the Bulls toward their first 50-victory season, denying the Knicks a playoff berth, 121-118.  This year was a watershed year for Michael. He was named MVP for the first time for both the regular season and the All-Star Game, leading the league in scoring, and -- most impressively for a scorer -- also was named Defensive Player of the Year. This was his valedictory performance in front of the influential New York media who would vote for those awards.  Jordan put on a dunking clinic throughout the contest, reaching his apogee on a rim-rocking stuff as he hit a board -- crashing Patrick Ewing in the head with his knee and then his hip. ("Welcome to Air Jordan. We'll be cruising tonight at an altitude of seven feet.") How good was Jordan this night? Said Ewing after being poster-ized, "He was simply amazing. Nobody could stop him tonight."  MJ shot 18 for 27 from the floor, faking drives and hitting open 17-footers, flying over defenders to the hole, and whipping around others along the baseline as well. A particularly impressive hustle sequence occurred in the third quarter as Jordan drives toward the bucket, passes back to a wide-open Dave Corzine, who misses a 15-footer, which Jordan then rebounds in a crowd and stuffs. "He's just killing the Knicks," said announcer Marv Albert. After another flying dunk, Marv marvels, "He's angry."  Jordan poured in 11 points in just over three minutes early in the fourth quarter to guarantee the victory. "Michael Jordan was as great as I have ever seen him," said then-Knicks coach Rick Pitino. "You can't stop Jordan. He was like Superman, and I didn't have any Kryptonite." True that; all he had was Rookie of the Year Mark Jackson on MJ.  Character-defining? Before the Tuesday night game, Jordan had been sick since Friday with the flu, not practicing Monday and not falling asleep until four in the morning of game day. The pattern: When Jordan suffers before the game, his opponents suffer during the game.  June 2, 1993  In a critical Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, a game that the Bulls needed to win if they hoped to advance to the NBA Finals, Chicago faced a New York squad that had won 27 straight games in the Garden.  Jordan would have a mostly poor shooting night, making only four of his first 14 attempts, but his eventual triple-double, a playoffs rarity, is crucial to the Bulls' drive toward their third consecutive NBA championship.  Jordan had scored 54 points in Chicago in Game 4 against the Knicks and told reporter Ahmad Rashad before this game that he hoped to distribute the ball better, seeking to generate at least 10 assists. He ended up calling his shot, so to speak, finishing with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists -- pouring in 17 consecutive Bulls points during a 14-minute span in the second half.  This game, which four year later still has many die-hard Knicks fans, including Spike Lee, screaming, "Foul!," is most noted for Knicks forward Charles Smith missing four consecutive, potential game-winning layups at the end of regulation. Jordan swiped away one, and Scottie Pippen blocked the last two, during a series of "no calls" by the refs.  Regardless, Jordan never had a triple-double in a bigger game than this, and so despite his uneven shooting, it qualifies for consideration among his best Manhattan melodramas.  March 28, 1995 The famous "double nickel" game as Michael rolls a pair of fives, racking up 55 points, in only his fifth game and first Garden appearance after his 17-month retirement. Jordan scores nearly half of the Bulls' points in their 113-111 victory, getting the game's final assist by passing the ball to center Bill Wennington, who cruises unguarded to the basket for a stuff.  Jordan so demoralizes Knick guard John Starks, assigned to defend Superman, that Starks, following Wennington's basket, drops an inbounds pass with just three seconds left in the game and boots the ball back over the center stripe -- this less than a minute after Jordan dropped the game-winner, a fallaway jumper, over a befuddled Starks from about 16 feet.  Says Jordan boldly after the game: "I think he forgot how to play me. I got a lot of easy shots." Jordan breaks his own nine-year-old record (see November 1, 1986 game above) for most points scored by an opponent in the new Garden, hitting 21 of 37 shots from the field.  "Michael always gets pumped up at Madison Square Garden," said then Knicks announcer Marv Albert, after Jordan had hit his first six of seven shots, adding, prophetically, "He's going for the throat. He wants 50 to 60." Jordan typically distributes the ball early in games to his teammates, building their confidence. But on this night, in the off-Broadway opening scene of the second act of his basketball career, Jordan humiliates Starks early and often, driving around him with ease.  Can you tell where this is leading?  And the winner is ... the envelope please ... rip, rip ...  March 28, 1995  The 55-point game. In addition to all of the shot-making and that winning assist, what sets this game apart is that it alone restored confidence in the NBA among a fan base that had been mourning the passing of an era, with the retirements of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. So hungry was the public for Michael's return that the TNT broadcast of the "double nickel" became by far the highest-rated, regular-season game in TNT history. Michael was back in the house; all is right with the world.  And now, in his acceptance speech, Michael would like to thank all of the "little people" along the way who helped him get to where he is, particularly 6-5 John Starks, one of many players who couldn't guard him. NBA at 50 Interview Q: What was the feeling like to be eliminated each year by the Detroit Pistons in the late '80s? Jordan: Well, I felt it was a lesson being learned, with the team that was a little bit ahead of us. They were better than we were, more experienced. I felt it was very disappointing each and every time that we ended up getting to this hurdle and we couldn't get over it. But at the same time, I felt we learned. We learned that it took a little bit more than just desire, that you had to put the work on the basketball court, the determination. We had to use our minds, mentally we had to out think the other team. So it was like just education what it took to become a winner. For so many years, the Chicago Bulls had been a losing a franchise. Accustomed and acceptable to losing to where we had to go through a transformation of what it took to win. And I think that's what Detroit did for us. They taught us the attitude of winning and how to do that consistently. And so, the hurdles were very, very difficult. But we knew looking back, I'm very happy that we went through those circumstances because it taught us what winning was all about.    It was frustrating because you knew in my past, that I had always been on a winning team. And we always rose to the occasion. And now we were not doing that. And we were doing it in such small increments that it was hard to draw success from it all or any kind of positive motivation from it. So it was very difficult. And it was at a state where I felt that everybody wasn't on the same page in terms of winning. And what it took to win. So, it took a lot of soul searching for us to understand what was happening to us. And when we did realize what was happening, I think we had a better appreciation of what we were about to accomplish.  Q: Did you think that people doubted your ability to take a team to the championship level?  Jordan: Sure, I think that was a part of the challenge. No one really felt that a scoring leader could lead their team to a championship. But I think the scoring was a part of the team's situation or my responsibility to that team. It wasn't a selfish act. It was an act that I felt and everyone on the team really felt that was part of the team's system at the time. But it was also, when we heard those criticisms, it was a determination to prove them wrong. So, it was a game within a game almost. I understood that. I understood the motivation that came with that. So my purpose from that point forward was continue to be as consistent as I've been. But at the same time, lifted other players expectations and our success, as much as possible.  Q: Did you ever doubt it? Jordan: No, I never doubted it. I just thought that at some point in time, we had to believe in ourselves. And this team is a very good team but they're human. They had some flaws in their game. We just had to evaluate what their flaws were and attack it. So it was very disappointing for everyone. I could see it. And then finally, we all saw it. It was difficult at that point that you could see it but no one else can see it. And we couldn't execute it like we probably should have on the basketball court. That's when the frustration came. I remember in '89 when I was really frustrated, about how this team was playing from the "Jordan rules" -- to try and double and triple team me to try to get the ball out of my hands and make the other players hurt them. And we knew what was happening but we still didn't make them pay for that. It was such a frustrating thing for me and I was very disturbed by it. I think at some point in time, we really had to step forward and beat them at the game they were trying to beat us at.  Q: What was it about that Detroit series in 1990 that really helped set the stage for a championship run the following year? Jordan: Well, we had gone to Game 7. And we had shown heart. I mean, heart like we wouldn't have shown or we hadn't shown up to that point. And everyone knew and we all knew what their motives were in their game plan. So we seemed to be geared up mentally. Physically, was a whole different scenario. We went out on the basketball court and we knew what our jobs were. Yet, we didn't uphold that. And that was a very frustrating thing for me because at that time, I felt very secure with my teammates in what our understandings were and where we wanted to take this. When we lost that game, it was very disappointing for me because we really didn't execute what we wanted to. We made a statement, but it was a moral victory, and I didn't want to settle for a moral victory. I wanted us to win and take it further. I talked to the press very briefly because I was very disappointed because I thought that this was our chance to get past this team. We kind of stretched them to the limit. And we seemed to gain confidence by winning three games. It was three going into Game 7, and then anything can happen. All we had to do was come in with the heart and the determination. And that, the game plan was pretty similar to when we won the three games.    I thought it was a good opportunity to get over this mountain. This hurdle that seemed to be in the way for the last three years. And when we didn't, I really didn't want to talk about it because I was really frustrated, I was very hurt. So, I went in on the back of the bus and it was a very emotional time because I wanted to win so much, so bad. I put forth so much effort and I think we all did. I guess it was so much of a thing with me that I didn't want this team to constantly beat me. My ego was involved because I don't want a team to seem like they could dominate me, or dominate us as a team, and Detroit didn't have any leariness to playing against us. They felt so confident playing against us that, I didn't want that type of dominance over us. So I was really frustrated and angry that they once again had done that to us. When we seemed to have put ourselves in the position to get over this hump and we fell short again. I vowed from that point forward that ... when we get put in this position again, we will not fall short of what our motives were: which is to get past Detroit and get into the Finals.  Q: Could your teammates sense your frustration?  Jordan: I think they did once they came on the bus. When I walked out of the media room so quickly, when normally I am the last one to leave. I tried to answer as many questions as I could. I was really disappointed and I got tired of the questions. They were so redundant. They started to leary on the fact that, you never can get over this hump. And .. I didn't want to believe that. I didn't believe that. So I wanted to walk out of that situation and get away from it before I really showed so much emotion, so much anger that they would take this totally the wrong way. So I walked out and I got on the bus. And I remember my father coming on the bus. And I'm in the back, yelling and screaming at him, more or less and really frustrated and angered about what just happened. And he's doing his best to calm me down and say, "It's only a game. You'll be given another opportunity." And I'm saying, "We've been given so many opportunities. We're not going to get as many as you may think."    I found myself debating with him about the situation. And he was trying to calm me down and get me focused on how to get over this disappointment that I was going through. Similarly to when I first got cut from a basketball (team). Which you never really want to think about the ... the bouncing back and getting passed it. You just think about the situation at hand. And, for whatever reason, we sat on there for 30 minutes, 35 minutes just trying to get past this amazing disappointment that I was going through. In the midst of all that, players started to file on the bus and I think they started to get a feeling of what type of competitive drive and competitive attitude I had. And I was hoping that that would feed off into them and we were all having the same type of attitude, this disappointment. We did it in a sportsmanlike way. We shook hands and said congratulations and moved forward. But that was a burning situation. I hated doing that because, I felt that they should have been doing that to us. But, it was a situation, it was a learning experience, all of it was. And it was so gratifying when we came back and did it to them the next year.  Q: Was that a major turning point in your career?  Jordan: I would think that I would look at it from a Chicago Bulls' standpoint, from an organization standpoint. That was the turning point of our losing mentality, more or less, adapted into a winning mentality. I thought that the organization gained so much from that from a momentum in a sense. Me individually, I felt that I had that winner mentality instilled in me way before that moment. Maybe I became more of a team leader at that time. Not verbally, but more emotionally and by example then ever. But for the organization, I felt that was the major turning point for me.  Q: When you came into the league in 1984, did you foresee the attention that was to be going around?  Jordan: No, I don't think anyone would have projected that. By no means, not even myself. I was looking at being as successful as I can on that level. How quickly or how big no one really knew, which is a part of the fun aspect and probably part of the phenomenon that really truly happened. I went to a major market coming straight off the Olympics, which has a lot to do with it. The next thing you know, a lot of things surrounding the game elevated the persona of Michael Jordan, which in essence gave me the confidence as a basketball player to excel. But this is something that I truly, truly never expected. I viewed it as a business, but I always viewed it as a game. An opportunity to show my skills, my basketball skills, amongst the best in the world. But outside of that, I couldn't even fathom what possibly could have happened.    As I said, it was a very opportune time for me to come into the league. I mean, especially in Chicago where they didn't have a winning tradition. Of coming off the '84 Olympics, I came from a college that was pretty well publicized and noted. What changed the game to some extent and what really propelled me to where the kids can relate with me was the marketing of an athlete. At the time, I really can't say that you could think of an athlete other than Dr. J, maybe a little bit of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson that was really truly marketed away from the game of basketball. That's when it all happened for me. I think that really got me in the households to where kids can relate and families could relate. It seems so normal, I seem so normal that they could associate with me. My game was that I was a 6-6 guy, not a 7-footer that normal people could relate to. The style game that I played was not different but was a breath of fresh air to the league. A lot of things that were happening -- Magic Johnson and Larry Bird started it all with their versatility that they brought to the game of basketball. I expanded off the ground, in a sense. Which gave a lot of the public some admiration, some desires and wants that they lived through me as a player. And being from such a normal area -- small town, not from a big city like New York, not overly hyped at the time -- it sort of fell in place and it was something that the league was really looking for. But the credit goes back to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird before me. I just took it to a whole new level in the sense of marketing. From McDonald's to Gatorade to Wilson to Nike, all the different companies that tried to show the different personalities of me away from the game of basketball and tie that back into basketball to where the public can be attracted by it. Those things you really can't predict. It happens when you least expect it and that's one of those situations that happened.  Q: How did you cope with all that attention early on?  Jordan: Well, it was a trying situation, I wouldn't say trying, but it was an educational situation. For so many years your parents teach you about success happening and maybe changing you, or you'll hear rumors how some guy got the big hit because he had been successful and you start gearing against that. You start listening and learning some of the basics that your parents have taught you about. You know, you're no different than the next person. You're just lucky or whatever. So you start kind of trying to keep your feet on the ground and do it in a very normal way so that it doesn't appear that, you have an attitude or cockiness about you. Your game was maybe really creative and maybe had the cockiness in terms of the way you played, but that never had to carry over to once you walked off the basketball court. So I think a lot of that success that I had to deal with, was based on the upbringing that I had from my parents and realizing that I'm just a normal guy. I've been lucky thus far.  Q: As you made your strides during the playoff climb, what did you learn during that time?  Jordan: Well, I think that you have to learn and it's a lesson that I learned that I tend to use quite often now. Mentally, you know how to apply and when to apply those skills to where it doesn't depreciate your team's overall objective within a system. When you see that certain players or the team don't seem to be in a great rhythm, you apply your individuality to that point, your skills and see if you can kind of carry the team until we can all get back on the same page. And that's been done before. I'm not saying that I initiated or that I started -- other players have done it -- but you gain the knowledge of how to do it and how to do it in certain situations and how to keep everybody involved within the structure situation so when you need everybody on all cylinders, you can do that and still maintain the type of effectiveness that you want to maintain. That's the mental aspect of playing on my level of basketball, in the NBA. Physically, there's so many great talented players in the league, but mentality, how do you apply those talents in game situations and successful situations so that your team can maintain the focus and success that they want? Over a period of time, that's the most important thing. That's something that I learned from the Magic Johnsons and the Larry Birds and the disappointments...and later through the successes over some of the greater teams.  Q: Shifting gears a little bit, can you talk about those situations in your career where you're going to take the game-winning shot and everybody knows it. Jordan: Well, it's a sense of responsibility. I mean, earlier in my career, I was never really a vocal leader. I didn't feel comfortable in doing so, but I do think that the way that I spoke up in terms of leadership was in my play. When I felt the responsibility to step in and lead from a physical standpoint, from a basketball standpoint, I always felt confident in doing so. I had confidence in my skills on that level in how to apply that within a game, within the team concept. So it was very easy. I didn't have the threat of disappointment. I didn't have a fear of embarrassment. I had a total confidence that if you need something done, I'll do it. Defensive, passing, scoring, whatever. That was the challenge that I took. Now I think a lot of that has to do with my personality as well. And you can see that with the way that I play.    There were so many situations that aroused that kind of gave me the separation from a normal or good player to a better basketball player. To a player that's not afraid to take on a challenge and turn that challenge into a successful situation. Those are fun situations. I think those separate the good and the great players, and that's what I really wanted to do as a basketball player. To do it consistently, really, really shows the type of talent and level of competition and challenges that you tend to face.  Q: Talk about how you popularized the All-Star Weekend which included the Slam Dunk Competitions. Jordan: Well, yeah I think it was an opportunity to show creativity which was a part of your game that people tend to adapt to pretty quickly and yet it separates you from a lot of the other players. At the time of the dunking contest you had two individuals that were masters of creativity that kind of hyped the whole situation and it was a part of the enjoyment of the fans for that weekend. With Dominique Wilkins and myself and maybe a couple of other guys who ... excelled on or expanded on what Dr. J, David Thompson, Darnell Hillman and all those great dunkers originated back in the early days. And yet, we were taking it to a whole new level, especially with Dominique Wilkins and myself, in a one-on-one confrontation, quite often in the dunking contest. It was a great pride, a great thrill just to compete, and yet, we were expanding the game and creativity with things that we were doing in the dunking contests. So when fans came to All-Star weekend, there was no telling what you would see.    That's what creativity is all about. It was fun with us. We didn't know what we were going to do. We drew so much from each other and motivated each other to a point where we were past the extreme of what we thought that we could do. And we were making up stuff as we went along, which is what creativity is all about. That was a part of the fun for the whole weekend. Then, you throw in Larry Bird with his shooting techniques from the three-point shot and his expertise at that and you had a heck of a weekend. And Magic coming in at the All-Star Game with his smiles and his passing and his court leadership. The weekend was unbelievable. Fans would go there with the idea of being in an entertaining situation, but not knowing how they were going to be entertained, at what form or what fashion because you had so much creativity that could happen over that weekend. That's when you felt pride in being a part of it. Q: What was it like heading into the 1990-91 season knowing that the Bulls couldn't get past Detroit is the playoffs? Jordan: Well as you know, in 1989-90, mentally we were gearing ourselves up to get past this hump. But once again, we got to the hump and really couldn't get over it. In 1990-91, we vowed amongst ourselves that our whole focus was only Detroit. No one else made a difference and we had to play other games quite naturally. But each and every game that we played against Detroit, we considered it a war. This is a war against Detroit and Chicago. It was a rivalry that is being created. It's like, they had a standoff and they stepped over the line that you drew. And now, it's a matter of putting 'em back in their place and stepping over their line and controlling the situation. And we knew in 90-91, if we didn't do it then and we felt that we had the talent to do so, then we'd probably be fighting a mental challenge.    It's not really physical, it's mental because we had been knocked down so many times. So this was the year, this was a pivotal year for us to get over this team. We had success all season long. We seemed to be bonding together and getting stronger because of our disappointments. We felt that this is the chance to make them back down and shake our hands or gain some revenge from that. So it was an unbelievable feeling. But then, when the games came, it was an unbelievable nervousness because we were at the ultimate goal that we set forth for ourselves at the beginning of the season.  Q: When you beat Detroit, the Lakers were there waiting for you in the Finals. What was the feeling like?  Jordan: Well, I think we geared so much energy getting past Detroit that everything else was, at that time, secondary. Yeah, we were playing against the guy who's had the most success in the 80's and 90's in a sense, in the playoffs, which was Magic Johnson. You heard all of the conversations about it (being our) first time to the Finals, that we have to go through a learning experience and that no one goes in there and wins a championship the first year. So we didn't feel like the pressure was on us, but the challenge was there, especially for myself. Here, I'm going against one of the greatest players in the game. I had to guard him on the defensive end, and I want to beat him. I want to go against all odds and all odds were to win a championship.     Well, at the time we were faced against a team that was very experienced. They had James Worthy, Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, Sam Perkins, who was my teammate in 1982. Things were stacked against us, but we didn't feel that we had anything to lose. We got past the biggest hurdle that we felt was in our way, which was Detroit. When we lost the first game, we figured that was just off of nervousness and being in a situation. But yet, we still had a chance to win. So we drew energy from that. Hey, this team was supposed to be so dominant and yet more experienced, but they barely beat us. From that point on, we just had so much confidence. We just wanted to go out and make a name for ourselves and make a statement. We wanted to get ourselves into that elite class which is what Chicago has always wanted, but always had to settle to, well, wait until next year. That was the whole theme in Chicago and we wanted to erase that as quickly as possible. This was our opportunity to do so. Q: Was that series against the Lakers a sort of passing-of-the-torch from Magic to you?  Jordan: In looking back, yes it was the passing of the torch of the eras in terms of L.A. controlling the 80's. We were (now) headed in the right direction. We could basically put ourselves in the predicament to be a dominant force in the 90's. We gained confidence from winning the championship being in the first year, but nothing was a given. We just had to maintain the consistency and the determination that we have had up to that point. In looking back, I think that was the time that the torch was being passed on and we were finally getting our diploma from that school of hard knocks and moving to the point where we were finally graduating into one of the elite classes in the game of basketball.  Q: Once the first championship was out of the way, what did the second championship do for the Bulls?  Jordan: We put a stamp from an organization standpoint that it wasn't a fluke the first time. But from an individual standpoint, I vowed to show to everyone that a scoring leader could also be a successful team leader. I vowed to maintain that type of consistency for this organization in winning championships. To do it twice showed...it gave us validity as an organization and gave us motivation to have an opportunity to do something Magic Johnson didn't do, Larry Bird didn't do and no other team has done in some time. We wanted to really solidify where this organization was headed, and where Michael Jordan as a leader was headed. So I drew motivation from that, that back to back. And it was a hard fight but I never doubted that we couldn't do it.  Q: That summer, you were part of the original NBA "Dream Team" that participated in the Olympics in Barcelona. What were your expectations heading into the Olympics? Jordan: I don't think anyone knew what to expect. This was the first time that this was happening, and there was a lot of anticipation and a lot of hype. But yet, there was a lot of interest because the NBA is going abroad in a sense, international. There were so many people that watched us, that stayed up till 2:00 or 3:00 at night just to watch the playoffs. But now, they were going to get a good glimpse right up front. But we never really knew how big that was going to become until we started traveling around and we'd see helicopters and motorcades all over the place. That was bigger than we ever anticipated, and it's a thrill to be a part of because we were in some ways making history being the first professional basketball team to play in the Olympics. At the same time, we had to represent the game of basketball because so many people had heard so much about the NBA and some of the great players that played. We felt an obligation, an ambassadorship, about the game of basketball -- not just the NBA, but from college through high school, all the way down. This is our chance to export the game that we have kind of perfected. It was fun, and yet, we didn't know the hype that was in store for us.  Q: Can you talk about the drive for a third title and the rigors that you went through?  Jordan: Mentally, I was getting exhausted. But yet, physically was way past exhausted. I think when you try to do something repetitively, you lose some of the hunger and some of the edge of what that accomplishment means. It was if we were being tested more so mentally than physically. Scottie Pippen and myself were just coming off almost a nine month season with two months or three months rest. (The challenge) was getting ourselves right back in the battle, against a lot more hungrier people and teams and organizations who wanted to get to where we were. We were on top, and the toughest part was trying to stay on top. It was a burden. It was a burden that weighed on us all season long, but we knew that all we had to do was sustain the regular season until we get to the playoffs and hopefully our experience and desires and what we had experienced in the past would be enough to fuel us to our third championship which would separate us from the Lakers and Pistons.  Q: Were the Bulls shooting for history with that third title?  Jordan: No, not really because the Boston Celtics won 11 so that wasn't really what we really geared up for. But in this era, and when we were playing for this organization, we felt that this is a chance to really put ourselves ahead of everybody else. That was a motivating factor for us. It was tough and you had a lot of problems from personalities either growing and improving and egos getting bigger. We had to contend with all that to where we had a common goal once we stepped on the basketball court -- and that was to win a championship.  Q: Talk about how you felt after you won...how the game started to wear you down. Jordan: Well, it started wearing me down mentally because of all the things that were happening and some of the responsibility that I was gaining, and not just basketball but away from the game of basketball. For every individual who goes through something for that period of time and not really truly having a break, our breaks were not really breaks. My breaks were not really vacations. It was just a timeout. Mentally, I was exhausted. The expectations, the whole work ethic that we were involved, was wearing me down, and my father and I had a conversation of just stepping away because I forgot where I was. I forgot how I got there because being on top for so long, you forget about a lot of the stages and the steps that it took to get to that point.     I knew mentally that I was getting worn down, and I was looking for a change. We talked many, many times about playing baseball. This would be an opportune time. "You just separated yourself away from all of the other players and more so. Let's walk away," he said. "Let's go and do something else." And I always said that once I walk away from the game, no one is going to know. It's just going to be something that I do. It's going to catch everybody by surprise, and this would be right down that alley. So when I walked away and I finished playing my last game in Phoenix in 1993, I knew that this was my last game and my father knew and most of my family and my friends knew. I was really emotionally drained at the time because of all the things that I had to carry from a mental standpoint of what was happening for me. When it all happened and it came to a conclusion, I felt relieved. I felt, that I had accomplished what I could accomplish for this moment, and I needed a break, seriously. That was the reason that I chose to walk away.  Q: Was there one factor that influenced your return to the NBA? Jordan: The love for the game. The love that I truly felt when you get away from something and you have time enough to reminisce about the joy that it had brought to you and you experienced it a little bit with. I experienced it a little bit with my minor league teammates. Every Sunday they wanted to go play basketball and I'm saying I want to go play baseball. I want to learn what you guys have to teach me in baseball. But yet, you guys want to go play a pickup game which is something I've done many times. Once I got out there, it was a true love that I had for the game that started to lead me back to the game of basketball. With the disappointment and all of the politics that were happening in baseball, it was like a signal being sent to me, like, "Well, you've had your thrill. This is a good time to walk away from it because you're being thrusted into a position that you shouldn't get yourself involved in."      The next thing you know, I was out of baseball and leaning towards getting back into basketball after talking to Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, who I really and truly care for because of the experiences that we had, and B.J. Armstrong. I felt, let's make a shot at it. Let's make a run at it. My father, at the time, was not around, and he always wanted me to be happy in whatever choices I made. Q: What type of encouragement did he give you, and how did it effect your decision to return?  Jordan: His motive and his encouragement was always that you want to have a freedom of choice, and if you ever have a freedom of choice, you make that choice, whatever the freedom may be, whatever the choice may be. Here I am in a position to exercise that and I had some reservations about it, especially initially of what people may think in terms of a credibility standpoint. But, the answer to that was that I truly loved the game. It wasn't for the money. It wasn't like I was broke. I truly love the game and I missed it and I needed the break.  Q: When you came back, there was a new breed of players that had not tested themselves against you.  Jordan: Well, it was a challenge. One of the reasons I left was because I didn't have as many challenges as I did previously. Now I had all the challenges in the world. People were presenting different challenges to me and that's something that I was really thriving about. Young kids were talking trash to me. Some of them were physically, athletically a lot better than I was. But I think another championship -- to do what hadn't been done as far as I could remember. What separated me from them was I knew more. I knew how to win. I knew what it took. So that was a challenge to prove and see if you could teach these kids what it takes about winning. Not just physical skill but how to apply that in similar situations. The same thing that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did to me in the 80's basically. It was my responsibility to teach these young whippersnappers how to do that, and in the midst of all that, it was a challenge to come back and win.  Q: Can you talk a little bit about winning 70 games in the 1995-96 season? Jordan: No one anticipated or no one even thought of 70 games. That came within the whole works of trying to get to a championship. So all the team accolades started to come about because the teams taking on a different change with Dennis (Rodman), with Luc Longley, with some of the other players, Toni Kukoc, which I never had the opportunity to play with and now I was playing with. Scottie was and Phil were the only constant reminder to what happened in 1993. I felt compelled each and every day when I got up to go out and somehow tune up and get back to where I was. So I was that much more motivated to prove to the world that they shouldn't write me off yet. Even though we were not successful in 1995, I don't think physically I was prepared for it. In 1996, we're going to come back and we're going to show that the organization is right back where we were. And the '90s is our era. We want to continue to keep it going in that way, as long as I'm playing the game of basketball. It was more gratifying but more determination because of all the eyes that were dissecting the game or dissecting the team or the organization. So, I felt compelled to try to take it an extra mile so that we could cover those loop holes. Q: What did you miss most being away from the NBA?  Jordan: Competing at the highest level of competition. You have a challenge each and every time that you step on the basketball court, not too many situations provide that for you and enjoy it at the same time. Here we are playing a game, and it's considered a job. It's the easiest job in America, where you could go out and play for two hours and gain all the notoriety and respect of millions and yet, be the best at what you do. That is the dream and enjoyment that I get out of the game, and that's what I forgot or lost along the way of getting to the top. Q: What are you most appreciative of at this point of your career?  Jordan: Appreciation of the opportunity. A lot of people never get an opportunity to express themselves or succeed or have the opportunity to succeed. I'm very appreciative of the opportunity to see the best, play against the best and hopefully evolve to be one of the best. And very few people get that opportunity and the desire to do so. Q: It must make all those hours in the gym worthwhile.  Jordan: Well, I think what you initially do is you learn this about the whole season from start to finish. And all the work and all the times that you didn't want to do it or you didn't feel up to it and you pushed yourself to do it because of that moment. That moment that you're about to experience of winning a championship and being the best in the world. It was many days that you felt, "Well, is it worth it ? Could you just somehow take a day off and get by and yet still achieve what you want." Those are the moments that you push yourself to get to that ultimate goal. Now, that you've gotten to it, you take a moment for reminiscing to understand the gratification that came out of that push and that desire and that determination that you questioned so many times over the length of that year. And yet, it was finally accumulating to what your motives and your ulterior motives were from day one and that was to win a championship. PHIL JACKSON AIRS HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN Michael and Me MOST PEOPLE APPRECIATE MICHAEL JORDAN as a premier athlete who can run fast, jump high and routinely deliver in the clutch. To them, he's simply physically superior to his contemporaries.  All this is true, but there are other truths about Michael that are not so easily seen: his understanding of team concepts, his competitive drive and his compassion. It's these hidden truths that form the deepest bond between Michael and me.  I must confess to being spoiled by Michael's leadership and by his ability to rise to every competitive occasion. He could easily average around 30 points a game, but he's committed to team goals and to making his teammates more effective.  After coaching him for eight seasons, I still marvel at how much Michael's enthusiasm energizes us, even at practice. I mean he never takes a day off. As a player, I had only modest skills, so I always had to operate at a maximum effort to compete. His work ethic is an important personal bond between us.  The thing about Michael is, he takes nothing about his game for granted. When he first came to the NBA back in 1984, he was primarily a penetrator. His outside shooting wasn't up to pro standards. So he put in his gym time during the off-season, shooting hundreds of shots each day. Eventually, he became a deadly three-point shooter.  Playing outstanding defense didn't come automatically to him, either. He had to study his opponents, learn their favorite moves and then dedicate himself to learning the techniques necessary to stop them. He's worked extremely hard to perfect his footwork and his balance.  Nowadays, so many kids come into the league with arrogant attitudes, thinking that their talent is all they need to succeed. By contrast, there's a certain humility in Michael's willingness to take on the difficult work of making himself a more complete player. For me, one of the signs of Michael's greatness is that he turned his weaknesses into strengths.  Another of the qualities I most respect in Michael is his demeanor on the court. There are so many young players who play with anger, taunting one another and beating their chests after a dunk. These guys are chiefly interested in ego gratification.  Michael's model for on-court decorum was Julius Erving. The only time I've ever seen Michael go jaw-to-jaw with another player was in a 1992 playoff game against the Knicks. Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Xavier McDaniel were trying to knock the stuffing out of Scottie Pippen, and Michael got into Ewing's face about it. Michael wasn't crowing about a spectacular play or trying to build himself up by tearing someone else down. He was just standing up for a teammate. It was a courageous act of leadership.  Being Michael's coach has been an unmitigated joy. But even more important than our professional relationship, I consider Michael to be a friend. It's undeniable that Michael has been elevated to an exalted status in our culture - you can hardly turn on the TV without seeing him endorsing some product or other. But through it all, he remains an authentic person, not taken in by his own celebrity.  Every season, he makes himself available to dozens of children who belong to the Make-A-Wish foundation - children with fatal diseases. Imagine how difficult it is to approach these kids with cheer and goodwill. Yet in a totally sincere way, Michael puts them at ease, lets them have a laugh and makes it possible for them to enjoy basketball.  After Michael retires, I only hope that the young players who will come to the fore - players like Grant Hill and Kobe Bryant - will be influenced by Michael's demeanor and by his sense of unselfish competitiveness. More than his championship rings, I hope this will be Michael's legacy. HOOP MAGAZINE: APRIL 1997 - MJ REFLECTS ON THE CHALLENGES AHEAD Jordan on Jordan That shocking day in October 1993 seems very far away now. Michael Jordan retired, but he made up for it by coming back. As someone said when he first left, "Michael Jordan can't quit yet. I wasn't finished watching him."  Jordan laughed when told of that line. He's been back for more than two years now, and he's added another ring, increasing his collection to four. On this off day, he was sitting behind his desk in his office in downtown Chicago, where he graciously agreed to spend some time pontificating on the state of Michael Jordan. And he even offered a few glimpses into the future. Q: Have the last two years been more fun, less fun, or about the same as it was before you retired?  Jordan: It's been a different fun. It's a mature fun. You find a way to make it fun because you know you're on the downside of your career. Before it was fun because it was a lively situation. We were young, crazy, adventurous. But now it's more of a smart fun where you go out and do your job, get your rest because you know you're on the downside of your career. You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that. Q: Do you think, looking back, that you had to retire just to get away from being Michael Jordan for awhile because of the demands by fans, teammates, the public and also the pressure of just being Michael Jordan?  Jordan: I wouldn't say just being Michael Jordan because I knew when I went back to playing baseball that it was still going to be the whole thing associated with the persona of Michael Jordan. I just needed to change. I was getting tired of the same old activity and routine and I didn't feel all the same appreciation that I had felt before and it was tiresome.       A lot of things correlated with that -- my father dying, the opportunity to play baseball, my desire to make a change. I look back on it and it was perfect timing to break away from it and see what I was missing, to see what it meant to me, to see the enjoyment that I got from the game. Q: Is life now as crazy as ever with the adulation from fans and the way that you attract crowds wherever you go?  Jordan: When I was playing before I retired, I never really understood the appreciation and the respect that people gave me. People had treated me like a god or something, and that was very embarrassing. I only played the game of basketball. I never really knew that the talent that I possessed meant so much to people until I walked away. Phil [Jackson] would tell me that. He said, "You don't know the talent that God has given you and what you are going to deprive people of." And I said that may be true, but I can't think about that right now. He understood it from that point. I received a lot of letters from fans saying that they were very disappointed that I chose to do that. Some of them were harsh and said I was being selfish. But there were a lot of supportive letters too Q: What challenges do you think you have left?  Jordan: My challenge when I came back was to face the young talent, dissect their games, and show them maybe that they needed to learn more about the game than just the money aspect. This is a business and you get paid well, but you have to earn respect. You have to do your job every day. It doesn't matter whether you are getting paid $2 million or $30 million. It shouldn't change the way you play the game of basketball. And they can see that. They can see that you are making a lot of money, but they also can see that you have a love of the game. Q: If you win the championship, what's your next challenge?  Jordan: The next challenge is to constantly find some kind of motivation to keep growing. If we win a championship, we will have to see if we can keep the team together. Jerry Reinsdorf had to pay me a lot of money for one year, and I don't know what is going to happen next year. A lot depends on Phil, and on Dennis [Rodman]. I'd like to keep us together. Phil is most important to me, but Dennis is also important. There are some things Dennis does that I don't particularly like, but I still respect him as a player because he makes us a better team. I don't want to be a baby sitter for anybody, but if he can come in and do his job, his talent makes us a better team. Q: What does Michael Jordan want to be doing at 40?  Jordan: Playing golf every day. Overseeing all of my business affairs. And more or less living my athletic dreams through my kids if they choose to play athletics. I'd like to be settled into somewhat of a normal life. Somewhat. I know it's never going to be completely normal. But I'd like to move around and do other things because I won't be the focus as much as I am now. I'm pretty sure that it is still going to be there because of all the obligations I have with endorsements. But I guess the main thing is I want to be playing golf every day. Q: What about Michael Jordan at 50?  Jordan: Gray hair. Or gray beard, I guess. Not really doing anything. I don't know what I want to do. I want to wake up every day and do whatever comes in my mind, and not feel pressure or obligations to do anything else in my life. Q: But your competitive instincts will force you do compete in something.  Jordan: I won't have any competitive instincts in any sports, other than golf. I can't see being competitive in sports any more. Q: What about the Senior Golf Tour?  Jordan: No. Takes a lot of work to do that. I've experienced how much work it takes to succeed in my own profession. I'm not willing to do that in other fields. Q: What about acting?  Jordan: Takes too much time. I have a great deal of respect for it. When we were making Space Jam, we had actors came out and played in [pickup] games. I was talking to Dean Cain [who plays Superman on TV], and I couldn't believe what he had to do. He would come and play basketball with us from 7 to 9 at night, and then go back and work all night on the TV show. And then he had to work with weights all day to keep his body fit so he could get in those tights. I couldn't do that. And most of acting is hurry up and wait. You wait while they set up the lighting, and then you get excited and do something, and then you wait again. It's like starting a game and stopping, starting and stopping, starting and stopping. It takes so much time, I could never do that. Q: You have acted and you have played basketball against actors. Which is worse? A player trying to act, or an actor trying to play?  Jordan: Depends on the actor or the player. Dean Cain had talent, and he knew when to get out of the way. Some guys don't and they are surprised at how good NBA players are. If they don't get out of the way, you can get hurt. But he knew when to move. Dean Cain was good, but when compared to people in your field, other players, there is no way he could play in the NBA. It is obvious that he could be very good in a YMCA, just like I'm pretty sure I'm good in a drama class. But that's it.  Q: Will you go to Europe to play after you permanently retire from the NBA?  Jordan: I always said I wanted to do that, go over and play for a European team, just to see what it's like, just to see what they understand about the game of basketball. But I don't want to do that any more. I see a lot of Europeans come over here and play, so I understand their game, so I don't feel like I'm missing anything. Q: There has been a theory expressed that the young, high-flying Michael Jordan had such a great influence on kids that shooting skills and fundamentals aren't as strong any more. Kids tried to imitate your jumping and dunking, rather than your shooting and defense, and as a result, the shooting skills of young players isn't as great as it used to be. What are your feelings on that?  Jordan: I don't think it was Michael Jordan. I think it was the exposure of Michael Jordan; the marketing of Michael Jordan. Everything was marketed towards the things that people wanted to see, which was scoring and dunking. That Michael Jordan still played defense and an all-around game, but it was never really publicized. I think if you want to blame me for some of that, you have to blame a lot of people. We have the dunking contest at the All-Star Game and things like that. That was the type of thing that was promoted then, unlike now, when the league is promoting a lot of other aspects of the game. I think we all have to take a little credit for the way we promoted the game. I think it was the same way with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, but it increased when I came in because of my ability to jump. I have to admit that it had an effect on the game, but we all have to take a little credit. Q: It has to be amazing for you to watch some of the young players trying to imitate some of your dunks.  Jordan: The thing about those dunks is that they were never really planned. It was more or less created instinctively once I got up in the air. But those were the things that people focused on. It's like my logo. I wasn't even dunking on that one. People think that I was. I just stood on the floor, jumped up and spread my legs and they took the picture. I wasn't even running. Everyone thought I did that by running and taking off. Actually, it was a ballet move where I jumped up and spread my legs. And I was holding the ball in my left hand. Q: How did you feel about being named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History?  Jordan: It's a tribute, but it is so debatable who should be in the top 50. I don't know that I could pick a top 50 myself. I think it was great that it brought a lot of attention to older players. That part was neat. Q: Who were your basketball heroes growing up?  Jordan: David Thompson and Walter Davis. They were both from North Carolina. But we didn't have a lot of access to games and we couldn't identify with the players. Everything was local. We only got ABC and NBC on our TV sets; we couldn't even get CBS.  Q: You have said that if you could have a fantasy matchup with a former player, it would be Jerry West.  Jordan: I would love to play against Jerry West. Actually, there are two. Jerry West and Jerry Sloan because [Bulls GM] Jerry Krause swears Sloan could shut me down. Jerry West because I just want to see how great he was. They called him Mr. Clutch; it would have been a pleasure just to see how you could play against him. Q: Your Michael Jordan cologne has been one of the best sellers since it came on the market last year. Why?  Jordan: I think it's more or less a collector's item. I think Bijan did a great job researching it. They wanted a product that could sell itself rather than just having something with Michael Jordan's name on it. They devoted a lot of dollars to investigating opportunities and desires to see whether men would buy Michael Jordan cologne before they actually put the product on the market. And I also think it's a collector's item. It's amazing. People go in and buy 12 bottles at a time and that's the limit. Q: Do you think the ultimate test of your marketability would be a line of Michael Jordan hair products?  Jordan: I did that a long time ago with Johnson Products here in Chicago. But when I lost my hair, I had to get away from it. You won't see any Michael Jordan hair products anymore. HOOP MAGAZINE - FEBRUARY 1996: MJ STRIVES TO BE LIKE MIKE OF OLD Can Jordan Rule Again? Michael Jordan's long frame was draped down and over the folding chair, his suit crisply pressed, the colored tie knotted perfectly. Like the eye of a deadly storm, Jordan's calm belied the madness around him.  On this night, less than an hour after a sometimes brilliant though often bizarre comeback from professional basketball ended in a playoff defeat, something he hadn't experienced since 1990, Jordan seemed as intrigued by the questions as by his own answers. Within 24 hours, Jordan would start running a trail he had traveled a decade earlier and then forgotten. But first, he had to walk.  "I did question myself," Jordan says now. "And that was something new for me, something I hadn't experienced in the game of basketball in a long time. I found out being in baseball shape wasn't the same as being in basketball shape. And I found out being away from the game for 18 months is a long time. Even though I had some success and I felt confident about what I was able to do and how I could help the team, I did have questions."  For nearly two hours, long after Chicago's United Center had emptied and the Orlando Magic had turned their attention toward the next round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs, Michael Jordan sat amid a swirl of notebooks, microphones and minicams. There had been a 55 point eruption against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, a last-second, end-to-end dash and buzzer-beating jumper to dump the Hawks in Atlanta and the vintage, 48-point performance in a playoff-opening overtime victory over Charlotte.  But the rust born during months away from the game showed through as well. And when it did, Jordan, for the first time in his professional basketball career, found himself confounded by his own skills, something only opponents had experienced previously. Though questionable passes and poor shooting were explained away by the layoff, there were other elements of Jordan's performance that not even he could explain.  Momentary mental lapses produced sometimes embarrassing moments, including one last-minute turnover that led directly to defeat against Orlando. Even more troubling, however, were the physical changes many noticed but most tried to ignore. For the first time since he picked up a basket ball, Jordan's ability to rise up and soar over opposing defenders was largely absent. One of professional basketball's greatest finishers, Jordan's lightning drives to the hole rarely ended with the attendant thunder.  That he adjusted only underscored Jordan's rare physical and mental gifts. That he had to adjust from quarter to quarter only illuminated the depth of the challenge he had undertaken. In the end, the only constant seemed to be Jordan's inconsistency.  "I had been gone 18 months, and I got a taste of what it was like to struggle last year," Jordan reflected. "I wasn't really physically prepared from a basketball standpoint. But I knew what I had to do."  For Jordan, the answers were where they had always been. From the time he was old enough to go off on his own, trials and tribulations has been dealt with on a basketball court. Playing the game, whether back in North Carolina as a child or in an impassioned pick-up game as an adult, Jordan found calm amid the chaos of competition. By the time he walked out of the United Center last June and drove past the statue of himself outside the main gate, Michael Jordan had decided to rebuild--immediately.  Tim Grover, Jordan's personal fitness trainer for seven years, would be the architect.  "I've never seen him work harder than he did last summer," said Grover. "The very next day after the Bulls were eliminated, Michael started working out. It was the earliest I have ever seen him start. I used to have to schedule his workouts during spare time away from a golf game. But for the first time, golf took a set back."  As did just about everything else. Though Jordan's summer schedule remained packed with commercial shoots, one of which included two days in the desert, and charity work, basketball, for the first time since the summer before his rookie season in 1984, became the top priority.  On the Warner Brothers lot in California, where Jordan spent much of the summer on the set of Space Jam, his first feature-length motion picture, the studio built an enclosed gymnasium it dubbed the "Jordan Dome." The "bubble" as it was affectionately known, included a full-length basketball court that Jordan and a few of his NBA friends nearly wore out. For weeks, he stuck to a grueling schedule that started early in the morning and ended late at night. Around work on the film, there were highly charged evening pick-up basketball games featuring NBA stars such as Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Dennis Rodman, Reggie Miller, Juwan Howard and Glen Rice to name only a few.  "A typical day for Michael would start with about 30 or 40 minutes of conditioning in the bubble," said Grover. "This would include stretching, running, and various basketball stuff, nothing long distance, to get his wind up. Then he'd go to the movie set for some shooting. At lunch time, he'd work out with weights for about an hour and a half. Then he'd go back to the set from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. From 7:30 p.m. to about 10 p.m., he'd play basketball in the bubble. One night there were 22 top NBA players on different teams playing games."  By the start of training camp, Jordan's 6-6 frame had been reduced to 216 pounds of muscle with just 4 percent body fat. The fire that had always boiled just below his smooth exterior returned. So, too, did Jordan's ability to dominate games. Coach Phil Jackson reminded skeptics just how easy it remains for Jordan to string together 30-point nights. Others, including Denver's Bernie Bickerstaff and Indiana's Larry Brown, predicted a season in which the new Michael Jordan would look a lot like to old one.  "He's put in a lot of preparation," said teammate Scottie Pippen. "He really worked hard getting himself ready and trying to get back to the top of his game. I think we're going to see an entirely different player."  Even Jordan, who had any lingering questions answered during those private yet fiercely competitive all-star pick-up games, knows how far he has come from that late night question-and-answer session early in June. By the time Chicago opened the regular season, with defending rebounding champion Dennis Rodman now a part of the Bulls' show, the questions suddenly had a familiar ring. Can the Bulls win another championship? Will Jordan, who won seven straight scoring titles before departing after the 1993 season, add another?  "Physically, I feel stronger," said Jordan. "I feel that I can do basically the same things, but I'm more knowledgeable about myself and about the game. I feel better about myself than I did last year. Last year, I came back not knowing exactly how I would fit in and if I could live up to the standards that I have set for myself. Now I think I can.  "I think I will be able to play the same way I have always played. I can certainly score in the 30s. Is that enough to win another scoring championship? I don't know. It depends on what the other players in the league do. I have always tried to be consistent in the way I play the game. And I have the feeling now that I'll be able to play that way again. I want to be productive every night I step onto the court.  "People may look at the statistics and make their decisions or opinions based on numbers. But we have a different team and we may have different requirements for what my production should be. But I don't think what I'm asked to contribute will be much different from what it's been in the past." Indeed, the results could be quite similar as well. Rules changes implemented during Jordan's absence should more than cover for what time has done to dull his skills. When Philadelphia 76ers coach John Lucas learned of Jordan's return a year ago, he predicted 50-point nights and 20 free-throw attempts every game. Others, including Houston's Clyde Drexler, who has also benefited from the new rules, think any chance of stopping Jordan has disappeared.  With the tighter restrictions on hand checking, Jordan's strength and quickness, even minus a half-step, make him virtually impossible to defend. Add to that the shortening of the three-point arc from 23-9 to 22 feet, a distance much more in line with Jordan's natural range, and Rodman's ability to keep the ball alive, something Chicago hasn't enjoyed Horace Grant departed prior to the 1994-95 season, and it's not hard to imagine a season full of 30- and 40-point nights.  If that's not enough, defenders can no longer use a knee and open hand to move defensive players out of position. After Hakeem Olajuwon, is there anyone more dangerous on the block than Jordan?  All of which had Jackson and everyone else in Chicago thinking about another title. With Jordan back, Rodman on board and Pippen in his prime, the Bulls have three of the greatest defensive players in history at their respective positions. And with Jordan in the starting lineup, Chicago also has one of the league's most versatile, if not best, sixth men in Toni Kukoc.  "We made a surge at the end of last year, and it was not a combination of them starting to play well together and Michael Jordan coming back," said Jordan. "We were in a position where we were comfortable thinking about making a run at the championship. But in the end, we just didn't have enough experience together as a team.  "We had a group together for a couple of years before we ever won a championship. We had to experiment, and we had to adjust. I think we can bring this team through a little quicker than that."  Jordan expects nothing less. Though he plans to play beyond the 1995-96 season --"I don't consider this to be my last season"--time is clearly no longer on his side. Pippen was 30 in September, Jordan will turn 33 in February and Rodman 35 in May.  And that's only the beginning of what could be one of the last runs for these Bulls.  Rodman can become a free agent after the season, and Pippen, who has been at odds with Chicago management in the past, could be the franchise's only real commodity on the open market if the Bulls decide to rebuild.  That leaves Jordan, who is focused on the present and nothing more.  "I have always played because of my love for the game," he said.  "That hasn't changed. That's why I'm back playing. I'm not back because of the business aspect of basketball. That's never been the reason I've played. I play because I love the game. As long as I feel that way, I'll play. Right now, I feel good. I'm in basketball shape, probably the best shape of my life. So we'll se where that takes us."  "I think it's going to be a fun season. So stand back and watch."  For Jordan, now it's time to run. UNITED CENTER, CHICAGO ILLINOIS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1999 Michael Jordan Retirement  Press Conference Opening Statement:  Well, we do this again for the second time. I was telling my wife [Juanita], coming out I felt like I was getting married. The first and foremost thing that I want to do, and I think everybody here and, today is not just a day for Michael Jordan. I think there is a lot of other serious things happening in the world. I think that I wanted to take time out to, from my family and hopefully from you guys, to give condolences to the officer (John C. Knight, Chicago police officer who was shot on Saturday, January 9) that was killed in action who so happened to have his funeral presentation today at the same time, which is kind of unfortunate. I think that puts a lot of things in perspective in terms of what life is really about. My responsibilities have been to play the game of basketball and relieve some of the pressures of everyday life for people who work from nine to five. I've tried to do that to the best of my abilities. I think what's happening with his family and the unfortunate circumstances that have happened, I would like to pass on my condolences from my family to his and I am pretty sure that you guys mean the same thing.  I am here to announce my retirement from the game of basketball. It won't be another announcement to baseball or anything to that nature. I think everyone has their own reasons. There has been a lot of speculation in terms of why. I am pretty sure I will get to that point once you guys get the opportunity to ask questions. I want to say thank you to both of the gentleman here, Mr. Stern and Mr. Reinsdorf, for presenting me with the opportunity to play the game of basketball, and certainly to give me an opportunity to come to Chicago and meet my beautiful wife and build a family here. My family in North Carolina and a lot of my friends who have come up to support this day and support me, who've always supported me once I stepped out on the basketball court and even when I didn't play on the basketball court. I want to say thanks to both of those gentleman and to all the fans in Chicago for allowing me to come here and they have adapted me to be one of theirs and in response I tried to step on the basketball court and get rid of the gangster mentality that Chicago was known for for a long time. I think successfully, myself and my teammates and the whole organization has made an effort to change the perspective about Chicago. We are hopefully going to be known as a championship city and I hope it continues on even when Michael Jordan is not in uniform.  I will support the Chicago Bulls. I think the game itself is a lot bigger than Michael Jordan. I've been given an opportunity by people before me, to name a few, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dr. J, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West. These guys played the game way before Michael Jordan was born and Michael Jordan came on the heels of all that activity and what Mr. Stern and what he has done for the league, gave me an opportunity to play the game of basketball. I played it to the best that I could play it, I tried to enhance the game itself, I've tried to be the best basketball player that I could be. Next thing you know, here we are as a league. I think the league is going to continue on, although we've had our troubles over the last six months, I think that's a reality check for all of us. That it is a business, yet it is still fun. It is still a game and the game will continue on.    Once again, I have had a great time and can't say enough for the people who've supported me and my life will take a change. People say, 'Well Michael Jordan doesn't have any challenges away from the game of basketball.' I dispute that. Being a parent is very challenging. If you have kids you know that and I welcome that challenge. I look forward to it. I will live vicariously through my kids if they play the game of basketball or if they don't. I will support that and my wife and I will do the same. We will do what we can as parents to make sure that happens and that's the challenge that I have in front of me. I look forward to that.  Unfortunately, my mother and my family, my brothers and sisters could not be here, but as you see me you see them -- my father, my mother and certainly my brothers and sisters. They are here through me and they want to, along with myself, want to say thank you for taking me in and showing me the respect and certainly the gratitude that you've shown me over the years that I've been here. I will be in Chicago for my career and hopefully for the rest of my life -- my wife won't allow me to move nowhere else. So I will be in Chicago and I will support Chicago teams.  That's all I really, truly had to say. I thought about saying just two words, 'I'm gone', but I figured I owe the fans and certainly the media a little bit more than that. So that's one of my reasons for being here. I guess Jerry wants to speak first before David and I pass it over to Jerry. Jerry Reinsdorf, Chairman, Chicago Bulls:  This is a day that I had hoped would never come. It has to be the toughest day in the history of the Chicago Bulls. It's a tough day for Chicago. It's a tough day for the NBA and it's a tough day for basketball fans all over the world, and for Michael Jordan fans all over the world. Standing here in the United Center where Michael Jordan has given us so many wonderful moments, performances and championships, it's hard to imagine games being played here without him. Michael is simply the best player who ever put on a basketball uniform. He has defined the Bulls, the city and the NBA for more than a decade. He will always represent the standard of excellence. His statue out in front of the building will greet everybody who ever enters this building again. When Michael retired in 1993, we retired his number 23 and hung it in a position of prominence from the rafters. When Michael came back from baseball, he asked me to take it down. He felt funny about playing when his number was hanging up above and so we took it down. Today Michael, we are returning your number 23 to its rightful place of honor where it will forever serve as a reminder of your dominance on this court and your dominance of this game. (Banner is now unveiled in the rafters.)  And someday Michael, the White Sox might retire 45.  To my leader David Stern, the truth is that for what Michael has meant to the NBA, this number could very well be retired in every arena in the league. Certainly, we in Chicago think that anybody who wears number 23 with a basketball uniform, would look like a pretender.  Finally Michael, I have one thing to present to you. For the last season, for the last game, for the last shot, I would like to present to you, the 1998 World Championship ring, which certainly means a lot to all of us. So Michael, thank you very much for what you have meant to all of the world. There will never be another one like you. David Stern, NBA Commissioner:  Michael, I get to say thank you for 29 teams and hundreds of millions of fans around the world. Thank you for what you've meant to our game. Thank you for being who you were, not only for your leadership and greatness on the court, but for who you were and who you will continue to be off the court. Your contributions to the NBA are immeasurable despite the fact that every newspaper in the country has an insert to detail those today and every network has a series of programs to do it. I don't think they could ever capture all that you have meant to us. Thank you for gracing our court for 13 seasons and I disagree with Jerry, this is not a sad day, this is a great day because the greatest basketball player in the history of the game is getting the opportunity to retire with the grace that described his play.  So, to you and to Juanita and to the challenge that you define of parenthood, I wish you nothing but continued success and hope that you continue to have the good health that goes with it.  Thank you very much. Q: When did you decide to retire and why did you wait until today to announce it? Jordan: (Microphone was out) Maybe I am not supposed to answer that question. Actually, I talked to Jerry last year once the season ended and I told Jerry at that time, mentally, I was a little exhausted. I didn't know if I would play next year. I wanted to put him on awareness so that he could possibly prepare going into next season.  Jerry, once we had our conversation, wanted me to take time as I did in 1993, to make sure that it was the right decision because it was going to be the final decision. He encouraged me to wait until the time came to where I made that announcement. In the middle of that process, with the lockout, I wanted to support the players. I wanted to be there and voice some of the opinions of some of the players and give my input, because I felt that as an obligation to the players of tomorrow, just as the players before me stood up and supported the Collective Bargaining Agreement for me to utilize in my negotiations, I felt obligated to do the same.  So when the lockout ended, I felt appropriate to, at this particular time, to announce my retirement so that it could give the Bulls an opportunity to do what they have to do in terms of getting their future on and utilizing the financial gains of my contract being renounced or terminated, to where they can rebuild or build another structure amongst the team. That is one of the reasons I waited until this point. Q: Can you compare the reasons why you retired this time to the reasons why you retired in 1993?  Jordan: Well, it's very similar. Mentally, I am exhausted. I don't feel I have the challenge. Physically, I feel great. The last time in 1993 I had other agendas. I felt that I wanted to play baseball and I felt that at my age it was a good opportunity and time to do it. With the death of my father, I was basically trying to deal with that. This time, I am at peace with a lot of those things. I know from a career standpoint I have accomplished everything that I could as an individual. Right now I don't have the mental challenges that I have had in the past to proceed as a basketball player.  Sure I am pretty sure that a lot of people will say, 'Well there is a lot of different challenges that could evolve.' For me, to start something and then in the middle of the season lose interest and then lose motivation, it's unfair to the people that I am working with and working for and to the fans. So, I elevated that opportunity by saying that this is a perfect time for me to walk away from the game and I am at peace with that. Unfortunately we had some problems with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but I think those situations are solved and we have to get past that. Q: Did the differences between you and management have any influence in your decision? Would you have not retired if Phil Jackson had agreed to continue coaching Chicago? Jordan: That's a big if. You know, I retired the first time when Phil Jackson was the coach and I think that even with Phil [being] the coach I would have had a tough time, mentally finding the challenge for myself. Although, he can somehow present challenges for me. I don't know if he could have presented a challenge for me to continue on to this season. Even though midway in the season I wanted to continue to play a couple of more years, but at the end of the season I was mentally drained and tired. So I can't say that he would have restored that.  In terms of my disagreements with the management, about some of the decision making, that's always been my opinions. It hasn't been ultimatums or twisting the arms. The good thing about all of it is, the good thing about any team, is that you may have disagreements but that doesn't mean that the focus is not there in terms of trying to achieve what you are trying to achieve. Management may take a different approach in terms of rebuilding or whatever, and that's their prerogative. I would never say that that's wrong. That's their prerogative to make that statement or make that notion to do that. I support them, even though I am not playing. A matter of different opinions I don't think would have changed my mind in terms of my retirement at this stage of going into the next year.  Q: How difficult was this decision? Jordan: It was difficult because you are giving up something that you truly, truly love. My love for the game is very strong, and it's hard to give up that love. For the sake of the mental challenges that Michael Jordan needs to drive himself to be the best basketball player he can be, I don't want to fool myself going into the situation knowing that I am not 100 percent challenged mentally. Physically, I feel fine, but then the unfortunate thing with my finger, but other than that I am fine. Mentally, I just felt like I didn't have the challenges in front of me. Q: What do you see next for the Bulls and how do you see them competing this year? Jordan: Well, I think it presents a challenge for them. To live up to the standards that we brought here to the city of Chicago. I think it's part of the challenge for Jerry Krause, Jerry Reinsdorf and Tim Floyd to maintain that. I think they welcome that challenge, and that's good. It depends on how they take that in action. I don't know what decisions they are going to make in terms of free agency or, I would like to see them keep Scottie Pippen around and give him the just due that he is very deserving, but that's just my opinion once again.  We set high standards here and the pressure is on them to maintain that. Now, how long will that last? Will it be next year? I think that's hard for me to say, but I am pretty sure that they have to live with that as they move further. I am pretty sure that they want that, they want to live up to the standards and that's a part of the challenge and I support that. Q: Was the second three-peat more precious than the first three-peat? And are you leaving with absolutely no more desire to play? Jordan: The second three-peat, by far, is the one that you have to cherish the most because it's the hardest. I felt it was the hardest to achieve, especially when the team was dismantled to some degree and then brought back with different talent. Players from programs that never really experienced the expectations that we had experience here in Chicago. I felt it was harder and we overcame that and we won three in a row. I would say that's better than the first three.  Which team is better? I would think the first team is better than the second team that won three in a row, but it was definitely harder to win the second three in a row than the first three. In terms of desire, desire is always going to be there. If the desire is not there, the love was never there. I have to make a judgment in terms of the desire all the times that I step onto the basketball court, not one-fourth of the time, but every time I step on the basketball court. I can't honestly say that's going to be there every time I step into this building for 82 games or 100 and something games that we play in the course of a year. I've always been sure about that, and now I am unsure about that. So, with that doubt I chose to make my own decisions about retirement. Q: Is it a true story, that one reason why you came back is that your son Jeffrey told you that he thought Shaquille O'Neal was the greatest basketball player? Jordan: No, that's not true, but my middle kid loved Dennis Rodman and he wants red hair. I mean, I don't think that's going to drive me back. That is not a true statement and I am not against my kids idolizing other people. That means they see me as their father and they really don't see me as a basketball player. That means my wife and I are doing our jobs in terms of being the great parents that we have to be. So, if they see other players as idols, I don't have a problem with that. Just no red hair in my household. Q: Are you more proud of your athletic skills or your mental skills? Which was harder to maintain? Jordan: Well, I came in here with the physical skills. To some degree I was built with appetite to enhance it as I got older and as I played the game. The mental skills came with the education of the game, that either I learned from Coach Smith or I learned in the course of the coaching staffs that I've been endeared with. Tex Winter being the most because he was probably the one who would criticize my game more than anybody, and to me that's a plus and driving force for me. The mental part is the hard part because you have to really learn, taking everything you have learned over a period of time, and apply that to your game and tie that into the physical aspects of your game and make the complete basketball player that you try to become. Physically is a little bit easier, but the mental part is the hardest part and I think that's the part that separates good players from the great players.  Q: Is there any chance that you will change your mind about this decision? Jordan: No. I never say never, but 99.9 percent I am very secure with my decision. Q: What kind of emotions do you have as you make this announcement? Jordan: It's tough. I am doing a good job trying to hold back the emotions because it's like taking away something that I have truly loved for the last, I started when I was 12 years old and now I'm 36 next month. So 24 years I have been playing the game and it's part of both. It's just sad that I am leaving the game, but it's happy because my life is starting to go into a whole other stage. Basketball for me was the first stage. It got me to this point in my life and I knew it had to end. My life takes on a different stage now and it's a different challenge now and I welcome that and I knew it was coming. I am happy that it is has gotten to this point. I am happy that you guys didn't run me out of the game. I chose to walk away knowing I that I could still play the game. That's what I always wished for my career to end. That's exactly the way I wanted to end it. Q: What's next? Jordan: The next step is, there is a lot of different components. I enjoy taking my kids to school, which I did that this morning. I will enjoy picking my kids up from school, which I look forward to doing. Watching my kids play. My wife and I have a fun time watching our kids play one-on-one, which is very entertaining. Those are things that seem so simple in a lot of peoples lives and have never really been enjoyed by me because of my schedule and the things that I have done over the last 14 years. Now I get to dissect some of those simple things to enjoy and I look forward to that. Sure there is a lot of business opportunities there and that won't consume me, but that certainly will take away some of the competitive juices that will be left over from not playing basketball. For the most part, I am just going to enjoy life and do some of the things that I've never done before. Q: Is there a record that you wish you could get that you now will not be able to achieve? And, are you at all worried about the spirit of the young players in the game? Jordan: No, there is not a record that I didn't get that I would have loved to have gotten. I am pretty sure people would say, 'I would have like to lead the league and score the most points in history of the game.' But, I would rather give that up to get six titles. It's a compensation there. In terms of the youth of the game, I think we really have to be very patient with them and empower more guidance to them to still enjoy the game and play the game with a lot of energy. The unfortunate thing, either myself or some of the other players before me, has brought more to focus is the financial aspect of the game. I think that is going to have to dissipate a little bit and get more back to the love of the game. The love of the game is what you do on the basketball court and I am pretty sure David wants that to happen. I am pretty sure that every owner wants that to happen, but no matter what happens in this business of basketball, if you didn't get paid a dime you still would play the game of basketball somewhere. That love has to be illustrated in the way that you play the game and the way that you carry yourself on and off the court. I think that's something that we all, as athletes, not just professional basketball players but all professional athletes, have to take into account when they are stepping out in the public eye.  Q: You've had so many thrills in your career, can you perhaps point out one or two of them that stand out in your mind that stand out above the rest? Jordan: Well, the first and last shot. Those are two that you just can't erase because it started and ended my career to some degree. The year we got past the Pistons, because that was getting over the hump. We got to the hump, but we really could never get over the hump. I think the year we beat Cleveland, when no one thought we could beat Cleveland. I think that gave the city or got the city behind the Chicago Bulls and if you put your mind to something you can accomplish what you believe in. A lot of people didn't give us a chance and we went out and we beat Cleveland and I think that showed to the public here in Chicago that either you are with us or you're not. We've got to make a change here in the Chicago Bulls organization and we are going to have to do it with the belief starting then and then hopefully extend it outside of that. I think that was a major step that ended that whole thought process.  Q: Do you have any interest in coaching the game of basketball? Jordan: Not right now. I can't say I will, never say never. I want to get away from basketball a little bit and look at it from afar. If the interest evolves somewhere down the road, that's fine. I wouldn't mind that, but right now the only coaching I can do is at home and I am having a tough time doing that. I would rather get away from the game a little bit. Q: If Phil Jackson ended up somewhere else, let's say Madison Square Garden, would you play for him again? Jordan: That's not even envisioned in my mind right now. I don't think that's going to happen. I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. If Phil ends up in New York, I'm happy for Phil. Although I love New York, I can't see myself coming out of retirement and playing in New York Q: [Question not heard] Jordan: No, but it kind of looked that way. Up until that point all my shots were short because I was getting tired. I guess, the lessons that you learn over the years is that stick with the shot a little longer, make sure you get that extra little bit and that was my thinking, was to make sure that I extend and go through the necessary fundamentals, to get the ball to the basket and try not to look as if I was posing for all of the photographers, but that was not the case. Q: If the season had started on time would you have played? What happened to you finger while you were away on vacation and was that a factor in your decision? Jordan: Well, it was an unfortunate thing, [it was] an accident trying to cut a cigar and I severed a tendon which I have to have surgery on in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully it won't alter my golf game, but my decision was made before this happened. If, from what doctors told me, even if I chose to play that I wouldn't be able to play for two months, but that never had any factors in terms of my decision. Q: You have been able to transcend geographical, racial and social barriers with your stature and respect, do you go into seclusion now or do you try to solve some of the world problems? Jordan: Two big no's. I don't think I can go into seclusion and certainly I can't solve the worlds problems. There is a lot of problems out there, there is a lot of things that I can lend my support to and I will do that. Seclusion is for me, I will back away from the public eye to some degree. I still have obligations with endorsements which will require me to be in the public's forefront for a little while. I, hopefully, will be on a minor scale in terms of, I will still be doing commercials, that's simple, but I can't save the world by no means. Q: Do you look at some of the people around you surrounding you telling you not to give it up, as motivation to give it up? Jordan: No. When I heard people saying that, they didn't know Michael Jordan. It's mostly speculation and I try not to let that influence my decision in terms of what I know what's best for Michael Jordan. In conversing with my wife and my friends, and once I get feedback from them, I make my own decision. Not based on what I read or what I hear. There is a lot of speculation that was totally untrue, but I am pretty sure people had a chance to read it and enjoy it. It didn't influence my decision, by no means Q: Last time you used the terminology, 'not slamming the door shut.' You're not using it this time, does that mean you are still not slamming it shut? Will you still show up for the ring ceremony even thought Jerry gave you your ring today? Jordan: I'll ask Jerry if there is going to be a ring ceremony night and I would love to still come and support the rest of the players and see some of the players that may not be here. I look forward to doing that and if that happens. Ninety nine, point nine is how you read it. It's not really 100 percent, but it's close. So, that is where I stand. I am not going to say never, never. I'm saying 99.9 and you take it for what it's worth. Q: Is it safe to say that there is never going to be another Michael Jordan? Jordan: There is never going to be another Michael Jordan. There is never going to be another Dr. J., I knew that. There is never going to be another Elgin Baylor, I knew that. So the kids of tomorrow, there is never going to be another Michael Jordan. It can be a Grant Hill, it can be Anfernee Hardaway, it can be Kobe Bryant, but Michael Jordan is Michael Jordan. You may pick bits and pieces of his game or his personality and somehow correlate it to yours, but either way you have to evolve to be the person that you are. Sure, you are going to use comparisons as a standard of measurement, yes that happens, but it's different circumstances that you have to deal with in each era. I didn't have the same things Dr. J had in his era and I'm pretty sure Kobe and some of the guys who are coming behind me is not going to have the same. So, they have to evolve to be the players that they are or they are going to be, with maybe my influences and other influences, but you're right, there is not going to be another Michael Jordan and I wouldn't advise the other guys to be that or do that. Q: What was some of the most difficult things for you to deal with in your career? Jordan: Losing early on. I guess, part of losing that you had to change your game to. To the criticisms that you were receiving, well Michael Jordan doesn't make his basketball players around him better. There is some truth to that because I really didn't know how and I had to learn to do that. That was a challenge, but yet it was a negative toward Michael Jordan and I used that negative as a positive. There is a lot of negative things that happened to me in my life, within the game of basketball and outside basketball, but I've always been able to take that negative and turn it into a positive as a learning experience, but yet move forward from. I wouldn't change anything. I wouldn't change any of the lessons that I've learned from the negative and then the positive because I think they helped me evolve to the person that I am. But there is a lot of negative things that enhance me as a person and me as a player.  Q: Did you anticipate the lockout taking this long and did you think that it is a fair agreement? Jordan: I didn't anticipate it being this long. I think the players were willing to sit out for the best deal that they felt was fair. I am in favor of what the majority says. If the players and everyone feels this is a fair deal, I'm happy. I always felt, and I've said it before in the last Collective Bargaining Agreement, I can be pleased by any Collective Bargaining Agreement, but the majority has to be pleased with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and it was very evident that they were. Patrick Ewing and the whole negotiating team as well as myself when I tried to contribute, we were fighting for the best deal that the majority would accept and the majority accepted it. In terms of fairness, we'll see. We'll see how things happen and see if some of the awareness of some of the things that the owners wanted to address is addressed, but yet the players they felt were the sticking points and it turns out to be a fair deal for the game, I'm happy with that. That's all I ever wanted from both sides. Q: It will be hard not seeing you as a part of this organization, could you see yourself helping the Bulls out in any way in the future, whether it is a marketing role or helping them to rebuild this club? Jordan: I am not against that, but I think the best way to survive without Michael Jordan is to somehow start to live without him in some respects. I'm always going to support the Chicago Bulls because it's given me a great joy to be a part of the organization, but life without Michael Jordan somehow and sometimes has to be without Michael Jordan's input. I will, if need be and they need my support in anything, I will certainly consider that and would lend my two cents to it. Q: Is there anything that you had to give up during your career that bothers you or you have resentment toward? What do you think the future life will be in terms of public life vs. private? Jordan: There are a lot of things about my lifestyle that I truly don't like but I've come to accept, because I've stepped into the forum that I have to deal with it. There is so much speculation about things that are totally untrue, but you have to deal with it and you have to let it roll off the back and deal with it. You learn not to bring it too much into focus because it's not worth the headache. Hopefully that will subside some as I step away from the spotlight. It may not, but I have to deal with it. That's one of the unfortunate things that a celebrity has to deal with, the speculations and some of the untrue things that are printed about them. It's unfair, but it's part of the whole picture I guess to some degree. Q: Some of your friends in the game can't take the championship away from you now that you're retired. Jordan: I like that because I've talked to Patrick [Ewing], I've talked to Charles [Barkley], I've talked to Karl [Malone], I've talked to all of them. I'm pretty sure that they all feel the same. They all wanted me to come back just so that if they win a championship they could say that they've gone through Chicago or Michael Jordan to win it to give the meaning of taking a title away from Chicago. That's the good thing about it, that they don't ever have a chance to say that. That's why I was so glad that Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird played when I won my titles, because I had to go to some degree through Boston and L.A.  Patrick, I don't know, he won't be able to live with himself if he can't beat Michael Jordan in a series and Charles Barkley I told would never win because he doesn't dedicate himself to winning. All of them joked with me and hated to see the possibility of me retiring just because they didn't have an opportunity to beat me in the Finals or get past me. That is a cute thing about retiring and I will always hold that in high respect when I see these guys socially. Q: Juanita, what are your feelings about the retirement and how will this change your life? Juanita Jordan: Actually, my life won't change at all. I see Michael doing more carpooling. That's about it.  Q: What was Phil's Jackson's role in your decision and do you think that if the season had started on time you would have been more inclined to play? Jordan: Phil and I talked all season long about what the possibilities might be at the end of the season and once he made his decision, he didn't want his decision to influence mine, and I said it wouldn't. And I didn't want my decision to influence his. And it didn't. True I've said I would rather still play with Phil Jackson here, but that is just my opinion but that doesn't tell me, or that shouldn't have him, make a decision unless it is best for Phil Jackson because that is what is first and foremost important to me, making sure that he is happy (with his decision).  So no, he didn't have any influence in this decision and in fact, he didn't even know. I haven't talked to Phil since somewhere midway last summer and if the season had started in October, I'm pretty sure I would have still made this decision and I don't think that would change based on my feelings now. Q: One last time for the record, why do you have to walk out of here with that one percent in your pocket?  Jordan: Because it is my one percent and not yours. That is why. Q: Michael, you used to consult a lot with your father about decisions. What would he say to you now? Jordan: I think it wouldn't have been any different. What you see from me, is what you would have seen from him. He would have done the same thing, you know, he would have probably answered the questions before I answered the questions. He would have probably told me that this is the perfect time, the writing's on the wall, take it, walk away with it with your head held high and enjoy your kids and move on. So it wouldn't have been any different from what I am doing. My second father, Gus [Lett], wherever Gus is, he has been saying the same thing for a while. I guess he just likes to get out of Chicago for the warm weather. So, it is no different than what has happened, my father basically would have given me the same advice and my mother basically did.  Thank You. Thank you Chicago.     BLACKTAG MAISON