The Bulls were able to pick up the pieces after mourning Jordan’s retirement.
When Michael Jordan retired for the first time in 1993, many in and around the league expressed sadness. But if you’re wondering how his Chicago Bulls teammates felt at the time of his announcement, Scott Williams shared the atmosphere at the press conference during his appearance on the latest episode of Danny Green’s podcast.
“We had a press conference, and I think Jerry Reinsdorf was our president of the ball club, said it was a time of celebration,” Williams said. “But you look at the players’ faces – it was like a funeral. Ain’t nobody celebrating his retirement.”
Williams also empathized with MJ at the time
The retired big man had another reason to be sad about the news of Jordan’s retirement. As plenty of fans know, the six-time champ cited the loss of his desire to play along with the murder of his father as the primary reasons for him stepping away from basketball.
Williams empathized with his fellow University of North Carolina product because he knew what it felt like to lose a parent. In 1987 while staying at Tar Heels, Williams’ parents died as a result of his father’s murder-suicide. Fortunately, he had a solid support system at school that helped him overcome the loss and continue his basketball career.
On the other hand, MJ chose to give up the sport for a time. But it apparently wasn’t because the legendary shooting guard didn’t want to compete anymore. He sought to fulfill his late father’s dream of seeing him pursue a professional baseball career.
The Bulls still competed without their superstar
While Williams and the Bulls mourned Jordan’s retirement, they were able to pick up the pieces later on, thanks to Scottie Pippen’s superstar turn. The Bulls icon proved to be one of the best players in the league, finishing the 1993-94 campaign with an All-Star MVP, a third-place finish in NBA MVP voting, and a fourth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Several other teammates also stepped up, including Horace Grant and B.J. Armstrong, both of whom made it to the 1994 All-Star Game.
Still, Chicago couldn’t overcome Jordan’s absence, as its season ended at the hands of the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. As for “His Airness,” it wasn’t like he did any better because he struggled in his stint at Minor League Baseball.
It’s clear that MJ belonged to the basketball court. He eventually came back to life and returned to the Bulls to lead the franchise to another three-peat before retiring for a second time in 1998.
Source: basketballnetwork.net
