Chapter 28

Steel

Steel

"I have already achieved everything I could in the NBA; I have no regrets left."

On October 6, 1993, the day the Chicago Bulls training camp opened, Jordan, as the NBA's top player, dropped this statement and chose to leave the NBA. Jordan was resolute, and for him, it was true that he had already achieved everything he could in the NBA—three consecutive championships, a dynasty, MVP, scoring titles, everything. As long as he was willing, he had already achieved it all.

So, it seemed that Jordan no longer needed to stay in the NBA; he had no more goals to pursue. If such a statement had come from a 36-year-old player, perhaps everyone could accept it. However, Jordan was clearly not a 36-year-old veteran; he was only 30 years old this year. At this age, he was still at the peak of his career, not even on the decline. Was there really nothing left for him to live for?

Obviously, this was impossible. From Jordan's expression at the press conference, which was filled with reluctance and pain, it was clear that his expression was not just about the loss of his father, who had died two months earlier. More likely, it was about the helplessness and the futility of his decision.

Jordan was the NBA's current star and one of the top figures in American sports, and even one of the top figures in global sports. As such a player, the pressure he faced was something others could hardly believe. He had gained a lot from his fame, and what he gained was not just money but also a significant amount of criticism.

In 1992, the focus of basketball fans worldwide was on the U.S. Dream Team, and even the focus of the global sports community was on it. Perhaps because of the Dream Team's brilliance and overwhelming charm, people somewhat forgot that 1992 was also the year Jordan faced the most criticism and abuse.

Jordan was a god on the basketball court, a consensus that had been reached long ago. After Jordan defeated Magic Johnson to win the NBA championship, he was already called the "God of Basketball" by many. At that time, everyone in the U.S. used the phrase "like Jordan."

What does "like Jordan" mean? Children learning to play basketball were becoming more and more like Jordan. Players already in the league were mimicking Jordan. Even NBA superstars, when criticized, would be told, "Why can't you be like Jordan?"

At that time, Jordan was a god. The media, fans, and players, whenever basketball was mentioned, would think of "like Jordan." He was the only standard in the basketball world and the NBA, and everyone hoped to reach that standard. Jordan might not have wanted this, but the entire nation had already participated in the league's god-making movement, and in the end, Jordan really became a god.

The NBA was a place of debauchery, especially at that time. Even some media and journalists had a consensus that few NBA players were clean. Drugs, gambling, and other vices were always present, especially when the always elegant Magic Johnson was diagnosed with AIDS. Who could believe that there were any truly "high, big, and noble" players in the NBA?

Of course, no one in the NBA had ever believed there was a "high, big, and noble" player in the league, but that did not stop people from hoping for such a player. The only one who could play this role was Jordan, who had already been deified. Everyone called him the "God of Basketball," and he was a god, whether he liked it or not. However, Jordan was not a "high, big, and noble" god of basketball.

He was just a normal person who played basketball better than anyone else. His temper was not good, his personality had flaws, and his private life was not sunny. If this had been before Jordan was deified, no one would have cared, as NBA players were all like this. But after Jordan was deified, people would not allow Jordan to be like this.

This directly caused all the pressure Jordan faced after winning the championship. People hoped he could be a perfect god, but he could not, which led to the tumultuous year of 1992. Jordan's check was found in the home of a drug dealer who had died under suspicious circumstances, causing a shock across the U.S. Finding Jordan's check in a drug dealer's home? What was Jordan doing? Anyone with a brain would suspect Jordan of drug use.

In the end, it turned out that Jordan was not using drugs but gambling. The drug dealer was just his gambling buddy. Jordan had always been a card player and a gambler, something many players in the league knew. Many rookies would be dragged by Jordan to play cards with him, a well-known secret. Before Jordan was deified, no one would have said anything, but after he was deified, this became a big problem.

After this incident, Jordan was attacked across the U.S. Eventually, the Chicago Bulls fans could not stand it and put up a sign at a Bulls home game that read, "Michael is not a god!"

Even so, Jordan was not let off. If it were not for the Dream Team's championship in 1992, which shifted everyone's focus, Jordan would have faced even more pressure. However, with Jordan's personality, even if the whole world was pressuring him, he would not care, as he did not think he had done anything wrong. He had never wanted to be a perfect person or a perfect god.

In the end, after Jordan led the Bulls to their second championship, he was supposed to be received by the President of the United States in Washington, D.C., according to the rules. When the President received the Bulls, everyone was there except Jordan, who was gambling.

Of course, such a thing could not escape media exposure. When the incident was exposed, Jordan initially tried to explain himself, but seeing the evidence, he did not bother to explain, seemingly giving up. It seemed like Jordan was saying, "What I do is my freedom, and you can't control me."

The final result was that in the 1993 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals, the Chicago Bulls were down 0-2 to the New York Knicks, and Jordan was still seen in a casino. This led to the "God of Basketball" being completely deified by all U.S. media and fans. The famous phrase "like Jordan" was turned into "like Jordan, the gambler." A small casino owner and Jordan's gambling buddy even claimed that Jordan owed over a million dollars, which further damaged Jordan's image.

Despite facing such pressure, Jordan still won his third championship. However, the U.S. media no longer congratulated him as they had before. Instead, they used the NBA draft to promote other perfect players like Anfernee Hardaway and Grant Hill, hoping that they could achieve what Jordan could not.

What the media and fans did not expect was that Jordan's father was kidnapped and shot. This became the final straw that broke Jordan, and the basketball legend who was reluctant to leave the NBA ultimately chose to leave the NBA and this place of controversy at the start of the new season.

This was something that the major U.S. media and global fans found hard to believe and accept. They had created a god, and they had also destroyed the god they had created.

Of course, Jordan's departure was a significant event, one that could affect the Jazz team where Lin Han was currently. At least at this time, although the Jazz team was already in training, neither the coach nor the players were focused on the training, as everyone knew what Jordan's departure meant.

The new NBA season would be a true battle of the titans, and no one wanted to miss such an opportunity. The next NBA season would be the most intense in history.

Steel

Steel

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