Former Chicago Bulls forward Scott Williams talked about what it was like when Michael Jordan retired in 1993 and why he empathized with MJ.
In a recent episode of Inside the Green Room with Danny Green, former Chicago Bulls forward Scott Williams discussed what it was like when Michael Jordan retired in 1993 and why he empathized with MJ.
“Well you know for me it was, we had a press conference, and I think Jerry Reinsdorf, who was our president of the ball club, said that it was it was a time for celebration, but you looked at the players’ faces it was it was like a funeral, like nobody’s celebrating his retirement,” Williams explained.
“I felt bad because I knew what the pain was to lose a parent that was murdered and I felt in my heart that MJ’s stepping away from the game didn’t have to do with him not feeling like he had anything else to accomplish like he had said, I don’t think it had anything to do with the demands from the fans. I think he he needed time to mourn the loss of his dad who was murdered.”
Williams’ time with the Bulls
Williams provided crucial minutes for the Bulls at power forward and center. He was a solid contributor for the Bulls’ three-peat from 1991 to 1993, averaging 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 13.6 minutes over 223 games from 1990 to 1994.
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During his 15-year NBA career, Williams also played for the 76ers, Bucks, Nuggets, Suns, Mavericks, and Cavaliers.
The three-time NBA champion attended North Carolina for four years before going undrafted. Williams acknowledged Jordan with opening the NBA doors for him, as he invited him to a scrimmage with Charles Oakley, Rod Higgins and other NBA players. This resulted in Williams being given the opportunity to prove his value and join the league. Williams reminisced about his favorite memories of playing with Jordan and his departure from the Bulls.
“I wish he would have told me he’s coming back. I never would have signed that eight-year deal with Philly. I loved playing with him and I knew the success that follows with the guy, guy refuses to lose at anything, so I always felt like we were going to a playoff series, we might not win every game of the series, but I knew we were going to win the series,” Williams said.
“My exit with with Jerry Krause and Phil Jackson after the ’93 season just did not go well. They told me they had no idea what kind of player I was gonna be and offered me another non-guaranteed contract, and I think guys that I was playing in front of were getting four and five-year deals.”
“So you know I played 46 minutes in game three of a triple overtime game, in one of the longest games in the history of the NBA Finals. I mean you had me out there for all three overtimes in the fourth quarter, so you obviously must think something of me as a player. I knew I needed to leave to get an opportunity to gain some respect elsewhere in the league, but I loved Chicago, I loved my teammates I loved the fans. That was probably the biggest takeaway from that 93-94 season that we just came up a little bit short to the Knicks that year, but I was proud of what we accomplished given that blow of losing the game’s greatest player.”
Source: si.com
