NBA fans were stunned after Michael Jordan announced his third and final NBA return at nearly 40 years old. As expected, people were curious to understand the motivation behind such a monumental decision.
On more than one occasion, Jordan publicly stated that he came back for the love of the game. Knowing how passionate and dedicated MJ was as a player, nobody questioned his answer.
However, in Michael Leahy’s book “When Nothing Else Matters,” the six-time champion came clean about envying younger NBA stars making headlines. In a candid admission, Jordan said he wanted to prove to everybody that he still owned that spotlight, and there was no better way to do it than to lace up once again.
“I read something about Kobe or Vince Carter and it gets the competitor in me going, you know,” Jordan said. “And you hear things that bother you. Somebody has a big game, Vince, Kobe, and people on television talk about them the way they would’ve talked about Michael Jordan. And that gets the competitor in me going because what they don’t understand is Michael Jordan did all these things and… I miss the insanity of being out there. The insanity, the wildness, everything on the line. I’d really love to play those guys.”
MJ wasn’t worried about his legacy
In a presser ahead of his highly anticipated NBA return and debut with the Washington Wizards, Jordan had to address even more intriguing subjects. Even though many weren’t questioning his resume, they couldn’t help but wonder how a 38-year-old retired MJ would fare against the likes of Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady.
True to form, fans began to worry that MJ might tarnish his legacy with his decision to return to playing. However, Jordan immediately shut it down. He pointed out that nothing could ever take anything away from his legacy, regardless of how he performed on the court.
“I’m not looking at this legacy thing as much as you guys may be looking at it,” Jordan told the reporters. “I appreciate it. I think it’s very caring of some of you guys. But believe me, I’ve thought about that well in advance of me taking this step and I don’t think that’s gonna dictate the way I’ll play the game of basketball.”
“I’m going to go out and try and play the best way possible,” he added. “You guys are gonna compare me to when I came into the league, taking off from the free throw line in 1988, winning championships; I know that coming in, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love the game and don’t want to play the game.”
The real challenge Jordan faced in his final NBA return
Taking a quick trip down memory lane, Jordan was far from the player he used to be when he returned in 2001. He had a hard time matching up with most of the stars in their prime, but that didn’t mean they were better than him.
In fact, performance-wise, Mike proved that he was way better than most guys in the league at the time. He averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game in two seasons with the Wizards.
However, the real challenge that Jordan faced was the unbeatable Father Time. Yes, his competitive fire was still burning, but his body could no longer keep up with the demands of the ultimate competitor in him.