We’re all driven by something. This is particularly true of those able to crystalize their loftiest aspirations and begin a single-minded quest to achieve them. Such as the elite athlete.
Has this world known anyone who fits that description better than Michael Jordan?
Jordan is, indeed, defined by his ruthlessness. It was formed during childhood, when he desperately sought to please his father, a desire that was at the root of his decision to walk away from basketball to go play baseball.
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Baseball was not choice. It was not a vacation from the NBA. It was not a wink and nudge “suspension” from then-commissioner David Stern, said to be displeased by Jordan’s gambling.
By the fall of 1993, baseball was, for Jordan, a calling. Reeling from the death of his father, James Jordan, a former semipro baseball player, baseball is where MJ’s heart was and it’s what he had to do.
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That his decision was at least as much for his dad as himself was made abundantly clear in Episode 7 of “The Last Dance” on ESPN.
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Michael had received every available honor in the NBA. He had fed his insane desire to win and filled his father with pride. While earning six NBA championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards and five regular-season NBA MVP awards, MJ also made a long list of enemies. Opponents were to be despised, even if he had to fabricate slights to stoke the inferno already in his gut. He pushed and jabbed teammates, sometimes literally. MJ was a walking snarl.
Much of MJ’s grit was formed during childhood, when he desperately sought to please his father; some say he was driven by the thought that his dad favored Larry, Michael’s older brother. And now he had one more chance, this time with his father living only in his soul.
James Jordan was murdered on July 23, 33 days after he had watched his son lead the Chicago Bulls to the 1993 championship. His body was discovered 11 days later, and positively identified 10 days after that, on Aug. 13.
MJ announced his retirement seven weeks later, on Oct. 6, followed shortly by his decision to try baseball. On Feb. 7, he signed a baseball contract.
No matter how it turned out, Michael knew playing baseball would bring a smile to his dad’s face. He has long acknowledged that his detour to the diamond was inspired by his father, who after witnessing the Bulls win their third consecutive NBA Finals in ’93 kept “hinting” his son should try baseball. MJ told writer Bob Greene that he each time would get into the car for his predawn drive to the ballpark, he imagined his father riding with him.
[RUNNIN' PLAYS PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]
It was his father who introduced Michael to baseball, played catch with him in the backyard and – taking note of the two-sport lives of Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson – suggested his son could do the same.
“We were debating, me and him, we were debating about me playing baseball,” Jordan said, recalling his last conversation with his father.
Judiciously involved parents can have incredible positive impact. The perceptive child realizes the dreams of the parent. I’ve seen it before, in December 2001 to be exact.
For nine years, Jason Giambi had been a member of the Oakland A’s organization. His trip from the minor leagues – where he played against Jordan in the minor leagues – included a move from third base to first base, where he became an MVP and five-time All-Star. He was the team leader and centerpiece of the franchise when he became a free agent after the ’01 season.
Giambi was lured out of Oakland by a seven-year, $120 million contract offered by the Yankees. His departure from the A’s was bittersweet because he loved leading that team. The only thing that kept him from re-signing a year earlier was Oakland’s unwillingness to include a no-trade clause. But the money was too persuasive and New York was, well, a calling.
Jason’s father, John, was a Yankees fan. He idolized Mickey Mantle and had hoped one of his sons might someday wear the pinstripes. How could Jason say no? He couldn’t. And during his introductory news conference, Jason was handed No. 25 and struggled to fight back tears because he knew how much the moment meant to his father, who was in the room.
“Well, pop, it’s not No. 7,” he said, referring to Mantle’s retired number. “But it’s pinstripes.”
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Michael Jordan knew he wouldn’t have reached the NBA without the lessons and messages from his dad. He also knew his dad really liked basketball – but loved baseball.
He was pulled toward baseball in no small part by memories of James Jordan, and now he was reconnecting with his dad in the purest way he could.
MJ had to go where his heart took him. His only wish might have been that his father would be there, in the room, to see him become a baseball player.