Examine Michael Jordan’s transition from baseball to the NBA. Did the father of the NBA legend shape him to follow the nation’s favorite pastime?

In the documentary The Last Dance, Michael Jordan recounts how his final chat with his father, James Jordan, eventually influenced the NBA legend’s choice to give up basketball and focus on baseball. A major backer of Michael Jordan’s NBA aspirations was his father. But James Sr., who loved baseball as well, had wanted to see the six-time NBA champion become a major league player.

Actually, Michael was originally introduced to baseball by James Sr. Things took a tragic turn in 1993 after James Sr. was killed. For the young Michael Jordan, this was extremely distressing. It seems that he discussed baseball with his father during one of their final exchanges. Michael was encouraged by James Sr. to pursue his childhood ambition of participating in the national pastime.

Thus, the evident took place. Michael began to doubt his dedication to basketball as a result of the anguish of losing his father and the incessant playbacks of his conversations with him over baseball. Jordan began to experience a sensation of separation from the game he once dominated.

Michael Jordan then shocked everyone in the NBA community by announcing his retirement from the league in October 1993. Michael decided to play minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons, a team connected to the Chicago White Sox, in order to fulfill his father’s desire. On the other hand, Jordan’s enchantment on the basketball floor was not nearly captured by him in baseball. It was evident that Jordan’s real love was basketball. With the Chicago Bulls, he made his NBA comeback in 1995, infamously declaring, “I’m back.” And with the Bulls, this marked the start of his second three-peat championship run.