After watching and reflecting on episodes seven and eight of "The Last Dance," episode seven dives much more in-depth as to why Michael Jordan retired in 1993 to play baseball. From his mental exhaustion from the media to his tragic and unexpected loss of his father, Jordan wanted a new start and needed to leave his beloved sport of basketball to fulfil not only his dream but also his father's. Michael Jordan being the icon he was, shook the world with this news considering how he was the most talked-about athlete in the world as a whole! The entire media was on a mission to capture Jordan's reason as to why he left the game in the first place. Jordan meant everything to the fans of Chicago and the world as the world viewed him as a superhero with no weakness. Yet, when his father tragically passed away due to murder, the world witnessed their sports icon left in shock with tears running past his face. It made sense as to why Jordan left the game considering how close he was with his father. The documentary further examines their relationship and is described as a friendship between father and son. James Jordan (the father of Michael Jordan) would make it a habit to watch every single game that Michael played in his career and was the most significant supporter Jordan ever had. Retiring from basketball seemed right as Jordan had to accept his tragic loss in pain and move forward to his next chapter in his career.
The documentary beautifully explores and sheds light and respect as to why Jordan retired from basketball in 1993. With him being a three-time champion, multiple time all-star, defensive player of the year winner, and a multiple-time MVP, Jordan was already regarded as one of the greats and did more than enough to earn the respect in the city of Chicago. Michael Jordan was 30 years old at the time, which was an awkward age to leave basketball due to him being in the middle of his prime. Nonetheless, Jordan would leave this game as one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
When reflecting on this period of time, the first name that popped up in my head was Lebron James. In my head, I was thinking, If Lebron James followed the same path and retired from basketball at the age of 30 in 2014 and played in the NFL instead of joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, would he have received similar if not more reception from the media to when Jordan retired?
In the summer of 2014, Lebron James was a free agent and would be known as a two-time champion, four-time MVP, multiple-time all-star and a player who has made it to four straight NBA finals! Although Lebron would have retired after losing the finals against the San Antonio Spurs, it would have been an exciting concept to think about if Lebron retired to play in the NFL. In terms of motive to play football, James was a top wide-receiver during his tenure with his high school team and made the first-team all-state! However, in his junior year, he would focus primarily on basketball and put football aside. Lebron excelled in basketball and made the right decision in focusing only on it; however, James would have most likely excelled in football if he didn't injure his wrist in an AAU game. Even though James loved playing football as well, basketball was his real passion.
When Michael Jordan first initially retired from basketball in 1993, one of the reasons for his decision was due to fulfilling his dream. Although James has never mentioned that he would have liked to play in the NFL, Lebron was a star recruit in his high school days and would have been a terrific prospect for any NFL team. With James being a 6'8 wide receiver, he would have stamped himself as an all-time great in the NFL as well. However, if Lebron retired from basketball in 2014 at 30 years of age to play NFL, the media would have been on a rampage.
With the growth of social media, every platform would have had Lebron James's retirement as the top headline in the summer of 2014. When Michael Jordan retired in 1993, there was no such thing as social media as people across the globe relied on television and newspapers. In the modern world, people have the privilege to bounce from network to network to receive their news. Even though Lebron James's retirement would have had more media outlets and personal to cover the exclusive story, Jordan's impact on the game itself is what separates these two basketball icons. Jordan was the first significant icon basketball has ever seen as he created a culture unlike no other. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were his previous successors in basketball; however, they had a different type of mission, which was to save the game from all the preceding violence and drug abusers the NBA had. Magic and Larry paved the way to the next generation of stars, including Michael Jordan and proceeded to pass their responsibility in restoring the NBA to Michael Jordan. Jordan took that responsibility to heart as he not only brought greatness to the city Chicago but also single-handedly made basketball a top sport in the world. Even though soccer is the most popular sport in the world, Michael Jordan was by far the most prominent sports icon the world has ever seen since Mohammed Ali. Jordan brought culture to the game and inspired millions of people to be like Mike.
Lebron James was a different type of icon to the basketball world. Even though he dominated the game in his right, the aspect that makes James so great is his personality and lifestyle off the court. James is one of the most coveted and respected athletes the world has ever seen as he worked his way up and remained humble during the process. Even when he was labelled as a villain with the Miami Heat, he still kept his respect and tried to be the best basketball figure and father he could be. James has also done more for the community than Jordan as he opened up a school to help the less fortunate and gave the next generation a fuel of hope and motivation. Even though that was after his tenure in Miami, James would have still done similar things if he retired to play football. Jordan brought culture to the game, but Lebron has done more in giving back to the basketball community. Even though everyone wanted to be like Mike and exhibit his work ethic during the '90s, Lebron James has done things beyond basketball and impacted this game in ways no other star has ever done.
In the end, it would have been an exciting story-line to see Lebron James retire from basketball in 2014 to join the NFL. Despite James receiving this reputation when he re-joined the Cleveland Cavaliers while giving back immensely to not just the basketball community but the world, I believe that James would have done the same if he joined the NFL. Furthermore, Lebron would have most likely been a star in the NFL as he would have been a juggernaut on the field. If Lebron James retired in 2014, he would have been labelled as a sore loser due to Lebron retiring in his prime after losing to the Spurs in the NBA finals. Lebron would have had a much bigger audience than Jordan due to the evolution of social media; however, the response that James would receive would be entirely different than Jordan. Jordan retired as a winner while Lebron would have retired as a loser, which would have destroyed his legacy. The reception would have been bigger for Lebron; however, his legacy and reputation would have been tarnished.
