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[edit] Offseason
[edit] Jordan’s Retirement
On October 6, 1993, Michael Jordan announced his retirement, citing a loss in his desire to play the game. Jordan later stated that the murder of his father earlier in the year shaped his decision.[1] James R. Jordan, Sr. was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery. The assailants were traced from calls they made on James Jordan's cellular phone,[2] caught, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Jordan was close to his father; as a child he had imitated his father's proclivity to stick out his tongue while absorbed in work.
Those close to Jordan claimed that he had been considering retirement as early as the summer of 1992, and that the added exhaustion due to the Dream Team run in the 1992 Olympics solidified Jordan's burned-out feelings about the game and his ever-growing celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.[3]
Jordan then further surprised the sports world by signing a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox. He reported to spring training and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994.[4] Jordan has stated this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who had always envisioned his son as a major league baseball player.[5] The White Sox were another team owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball.[6] He had an unspectacular professional baseball career for the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox farm team, batting .202 with 3 HR, 51 RBI, 30 SB, and 11 errors.[7] He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League.
[edit] Regular Season
Most experts did not predict the Bulls to even make the playoffs after winning their third straight championship the season before because of Jordan's departure. But the team, led by Scottie Pippen and an increased role from both Horace Grant and B. J. Armstrong were able to lead the Bulls to a 55-win season, only 2 wins less than the 1992-93 team, which had Jordan. The Bulls finished two games behind the Atlanta Hawks in the Central Division and earned the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Pippen and Armstrong were both voted to start in this season's All-Star game, and Grant was also picked as a reserve.
[edit] NBA Draft
[edit] Regular season
[edit] Season standings
[edit] Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
[edit] Playoffs
- Won Eastern Conference 1st Rd (3-0) over Cleveland Cavaliers
- Lost Eastern Conference Semifinals (4-3) to New York Knicks
[edit] Award Winners
[edit] NBA All-Star Game
[edit] References
- ^ Berkow, Ira. "A Humbled Jordan Learns New Truths", The New York Times, April 11, 1994, accessed January 16, 2007.
- ^ Mitchell, Alison. THE NATION; "So Many Criminals Trip Themselves Up", The New York Times, August 22, 1993, accessed March 23, 2008.
- ^ Thompson, Ian and Ted Rodgers. Europe loses a role model; even in countries where basketball is a minor pursuit, Jordan's profile looms large - includes related article on Jordan's stature in Japan, The Sporting News, October 18, 1983, available at findarticles.com, accessed March 7, 2007.
- ^ Michael Jordan Chronology, sportsillustrated.cnn.com, January 12, 1999, accessed March 15, 2007.
- ^ Michael Jordan A Tribute, sportillustrated.cnn.com, accessed March 7, 2007
- ^ Araton, Harvey. BASKETBALL; "Jordan Keeping the Basketball World in Suspense", The New York Times, accessed March 23, 2008
- ^ Michael Jordan: The Stats, infoplease.com, accessed March 15, 2007.
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