Michael Jordan had a bunch of iconic moments over the course of his basketball career.
There was his game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament championship game, as he gave UNC the lead - and the ultimate win - with a jumper with 15 seconds to go. There was his game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, as he crossed over Jazz guard Byron Russell before rising up, sinking a jumper and giving the Bulls the win.
Jordan, now 63, has a resume longer than just about anyone else in the basketball world. But there is one underrated - and perhaps under talked about - moment in Jordan's career. And it happened 31 years ago today.
Michael Jordan on the floor. Credit: Mike Powelll/Allsport
On this day in 1995, Jordan returned to the NBA floor, following a 21-month absence. Jordan, who had last played in the 1993 NBA Finals, returned to the Chicago Bulls, after leaving the team to pursue minor league baseball following the death of his father.
Jordan and the Bulls took on the Indiana Pacers in an NBA regular season game airing live on NBC. Bob Costas and Marv Albert were on the call for NBC.
The game is viewed as arguably the most "anticipated" regular season game in NBA history.
Jordan and the Bulls took on the Pacers that night. Jordan scored 19 points in an overtime loss, just one day after a simple "I'm back" press release.
The iconic Chicago Bulls star, wearing number 45 instead of his famed No. 32, played 43 minutes and shot 7-of-28 from the field. The Bulls would go on to lose in the NBA Playoffs that year, falling to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
But beginning in 1995-96, MJ and the Bulls would rattle off three straight NBA championships, giving the North Carolina legend six total championships.
Why did Jordan leave the Bulls in the first place?
In October of 1993, Michael Jordan shocked the sports world by announcing his retirement from the NBA at age 30. He cited that he was burned out and emotionally drained following the death of his father, who was killed in a random carjacking in July of that year.
A few months later, Jordan signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan said that playing baseball was his father's dream and he wanted to honor him.
Jordan showed some promise in the minor leagues, playing for the Birmingham Barons, before ultimately returning to the NBA less than two years later.
Barons announcer Curt Bloom still thinks about the MJ days.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about that '94 season," Bloom said in an interview with ESPN in 2019. "I spent 150 days with Michael Jordan. I played basketball with him -- I remember trying to set a pick for him in a pickup game, only to have him tell me, 'I don't need that.' Our daughter Chloe will turn 25 this August -- she was born right after Michael rubbed my wife's belly for good luck. I saw him struggle for a few months, but I also saw him become a ballplayer right before my eyes. He worked his butt off, but he enjoyed himself and bonded with the team.
"I swear, he was going to the majors."
The basketball world was of course very happy to have Jordan back, but it's fun to think about what could have been with his baseball career, too.
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