Let's take a look back at the glorious and exemplary career of great basketball legend Michael Jordan, especially his unforgettable second return to the court.
In his illustrious career, Jordan twice resolutely chose to leave the court and bid farewell to the basketball stage.
The first retirement occurred during the 1993 NBA Finals. At that time, Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to defeat the Suns in the finals, successfully winning the Bulls' third championship trophy and achieving the first three-game championship feat of his career.
However, at this moment full of honors, Jordan suddenly announced his retirement, which shocked the entire basketball world.
However, Jordan's first parting was only temporary. Just three years later, in 1995, he returned to the Chicago Bulls. Over the next few seasons, Jordan teamed up with Pippen and Rhodes to create the most powerful trio in history, winning three championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998, making Jordan a second career triple.
In the last game of the 1998 finals, Jordan gave the famous "Pitch of the Century" performance. With 5.2 seconds left in the game, he hit a crucial two-pointer with a pinpoint jumper to help the Bulls win their sixth championship in Bulls history over Ewing-led Utah Jazz.
And at this glorious moment, Jordan announced his retirement again.
Imagine a superstar who has won all the accolades to be able to return to the court in just three years? This deep love for basketball is truly admirable! Jordan's second return has breathed new life and vitality into the entire NBA, and we have every reason to believe that it will undoubtedly be the most exciting chapter of his career.
Jordan's second return journey began with the time he spent with the Washington Wizards after retiring in 1998. Although he has become the team's small owner, owning 10% of the shares, his deep passion for basketball has never been extinguished.
At that time, the Wizards' roster was not outstanding, and their record was quite dismal, with only 19 wins last season. As a team manager, Jordan's draft vision has also been widely questioned and criticized, especially in the 2001 draft, when he personally selected the top rookie Kwame Brown, who was nicknamed the "parallel champion", and became a joke after dinner.
In the beginning, Jotun seemed to have the ability to shift his focus from management to fitness, temporarily masking his eagerness to compete in basketball.
However, it didn't take long for him to realise that being a spectator and watching others sweat on the pitch and being part of it were two very different feelings.
When he saw his teammates doing their best on the court, Jordan's inner fighting spirit was instantly ignited and his blood boiled.
Soon, the media caught Jordan in the training gym and began to devote himself to high-intensity training day after day.
He even invited a number of NBA players to participate, a move that sparked heated discussions about Jordan's imminent comeback, and even his friend Charles Barkley joked that he would be willing to follow in Jordan's footsteps if he did decide to make a comeback.
This joke undoubtedly strengthened Jordan's resolve. At the same time, he also hired Doug Collins, who once coached him with the Bulls, as the head coach of the Wizards.
Just as Jordan's comeback plan was gradually becoming clear, the 911 terrorist attacks in September 2001 brought an unprecedented impact to the entire United States and even the world.
In order to cope with this sudden disaster, Jordan had to put aside his personal comeback plans for the time being.
However, this did not shake his unwavering determination. After months of careful preparation, in October 2001, at the age of 38, Jordan finally officially announced that he would return to the court as a player and write a new chapter in his basketball career.
After half a year of hard work, Jordan finally took the stage again in October 2001, wearing the No. 23 Wizards jersey and stepping onto the familiar court. As one of the most outstanding players in league history, Jordan's second comeback debut naturally captured the global gaze.
However, like all legends who have returned to the top, Jordan's opening game was not as good as it could be. He made only 7 of 21 shooting attempts in the game, and in the end he scored a modest contribution of 19 points, and the team also failed.
For a while, doubts arose, and people speculated whether Jordan could regain his former bravery.
However, this is just a small episode. Soon, the legend once again showed his unrivalled prowess.
So far this season, Jordan has once again demonstrated his unrivaled basketball skills to a global audience with his impressive stats of 25.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
Such an outstanding performance undoubtedly proves Jordan's supremacy in the basketball world once again.
Under his leadership, the Washington Wizards, who had only 19 wins, were reborn and quickly set off a nine-game winning streak. The entire NBA league seems to have been injected with new vitality, and Jordan's glorious footprints can be seen everywhere.
However, just when everyone thought Jordan was about to return to the top, the shadow of injury fell on the legendary star again. After All-Star Weekend, he unfortunately sprained his knee in a game against the Sacramento Kings, and his pre-existing knee injury was once again an obstacle in his path.
While Jordan was sidelined due to injury, the Washington Wizards' record took a sharp turn for the worse, and they missed out on the playoffs with a 37-45 record.
After a long summer of reflection, Jordan finally made the big decision to execute his final year with the Washington Wizards and bring his career to a successful conclusion.
Although Jordan has entered middle age at this time and has reached the age of 40, he is not afraid of it. On the contrary, he played all 82 regular season games and delivered on his promise to the fans: "There are a lot of fans who give a lot of time and money just to be able to see me play in person, and this is probably the only chance they have in their lives.
However, this season has still been challenging for Jordan. At the beginning of the season, head coach Collins actually arranged for him to start as a substitute, a decision that attracted a lot of attention from the outside world.
However, it wasn't long before the Wizards' poor record forced Collins to readjust Jordan to the starting lineup.
However, a huge problem has always plagued Jordan – and that is the shadow of injury. This season, he has suffered from the recurrence of old injuries several times and has not been able to fully show his former style.
On the court, Jordan had to be more cautious, with only his trademark step-back jumper still shining with the occasional miracle.
Among the many stats of this season, there is no doubt that Jordan's stats are undoubtedly the lowest of his career. Internally, his scoring contribution has been limited to just 20 points, the first time that he has been surpassed by Stackhouse with a whopping 21 points, and Jordan has scored in double digits in just seven games league-wide, setting a record for the lowest single-season scoring of his career.
However, even in the face of such a predicament, Jordan's never-say-die fighting spirit is still extremely tenacious. In a fierce overtime game against the Pacers, he fought tenaciously for 53 minutes to score an astonishing 41 points in a single game, and against the Nets, he scored 43 points to claim the victory.
What's even more memorable is that Jordan failed to be selected for the starting lineup of the All-Star Game for the first time in this season's All-Star Game, but he witnessed an eternal classic moment - Kobe Bryant paid tribute to him, scoring 55 points in a single game, and Jordan missed the All-Star Game MVP award.
At that moment, the former master-apprentice duel seemed to have become a pinnacle duel, allowing people to be immersed.
April 16, 2003 is a day that is destined to be remembered in the history of basketball. Inside the MCI Center arena in the heart of Washington's capital, the game went into garbage time after a seemingly uneventful regular season.
The Washington Wizards, who are already the home team, have a score gap over their opponents, and head coach Collins has decided to give the aging veteran Michael Jordan some precious time to leave the court early to recuperate.
However, at this moment, a deafening shout suddenly sounded in the entire stadium: "We need Michael! We need Michael!" Tens of thousands of fans chanted in unison, the cry was shocking, and the atmosphere of the scene instantly boiled.
Everyone knows that this will be the last battle of the basketball god's career.
In the face of such enthusiastic calls from the fans, Jordan had to put on his equipment again and slowly walked onto the court. When he took off his coat and stepped back on the familiar field, the audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers and thunderous applause for half a minute.
At this moment, all eyes are on the basketball superstar whose career is about to come to an end.
In the blink of an eye, the game was rekindled, and Jordan at that time still showed his unparalleled ball skills. Towards the end of the game, Jordan received a crucial free throw.
In an instant, the whole court fell silent, and everyone was nervously looking forward to how Jordan would operate this huge decisive moment Jordan held his breath, inhaled deeply, and then jumped steadily, throwing the basketball in his hand to the basket What is amazing is that the basketball fell from the air, followed a perfect arc, and fell into the net with unmistakable accuracy!
And this goal became the last point of Jordan's career.
When Jordan turned around and was about to leave the court, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers, and everyone burst into tears. In this way, the career of a generation of basketball superstars came to a successful end at this moment.
Looking back at Jordan's legendary life, it was undoubtedly shocking that he suddenly announced his retirement for the first time after leading the Bulls to a three-game winning streak in 1993.
However, just three years later, he returned to the Ring, and then won three consecutive titles between 1996 and 1998, and in the final game of the Grand Finals, he staged what is considered the classic "Throw of the Century".
At that time, who would have thought that the king of the court would choose to leave peacefully in 2003, like a wise elder, waving goodbye to the field in a chic manner.
After leaving the court, Jordan had an equity dispute with Pauline, owner of the Washington Wizards. Under the previous agreement, Jordan sold his stake to Pauline during his comeback, with the agreement that he could buy it back at the original price after retirement.
However, with the Wizards' market value rising sharply, Pauline reneged on his promise and refused to sell his shares.
However, for a person like Jordan who strives for excellence and is never satisfied, these turmoil are just small episodes in life. Finally, in 2010, he fulfilled his dream of becoming the owner and became the de facto owner of the Charlotte Hornets.
Although Jordan is no longer personally clothed in the field, his love and pursuit of basketball has never stopped.
Today, Jordan no longer competes in the arena himself, but his love and pursuit of basketball has never stopped. As a generation of court superstars, Jordan's name has long been deeply imprinted in the hearts of countless fans.
Although the Charlotte Hornets have not been able to meet expectations under his leadership, Jordan has not given up on his dream. According to rumors, he even began to consider the possibility of selling his stake in the team.
However, for an old naughty boy who has been obsessed with basketball for decades, leaving the business is simply unimaginable.
If you look back at the career of the great Flyer Jordan, you will find that the miracles he created on the court are so dizzying that it is difficult to describe in detail.
Every time he returns, every wonderful goal, and every shocking dunk has long been deeply imprinted in the hearts of hundreds of millions of fans around the world and turned into eternal classic moments.
People will always remember that on the night of the 1993 Finals, he scored 33 points like a god of war to help the Bulls defeat the Suns in a devastating force and successfully achieve the feat of three consecutive championships, and in 1998, he displayed a magical skill in the "Pitch of the Century" to win the Bulls the sixth championship trophy in franchise history with a whistle-blowing stunner, which will go down in history forever.
In 2003, after retiring, when Jordan stepped on the familiar court again in the last regular season game, the audience shouted in unison, "We need Michael", which was not only admiration and love for idols, but also endless love for basketball.
And when he hit the last goal of his career, countless fans at the scene were moved to tears, and this moment seemed to freeze time and become an eternal memory.
Whenever we look back on those classic moments that make people boil, we will always be moved by Jordan's never-give-up and perseverance.
This firm belief and persistent pursuit of basketball is undoubtedly the most precious spiritual wealth left to us by the god of basketball, which will be inherited forever and never forgotten.
As Jordan himself said, "I don't give it my all to please others, but to make myself better." This wise quote profoundly reveals his love for basketball and his relentless pursuit of self-worth.
This spiritual power is destined to be passed down from generation to generation, inspiring those who come after to keep moving forward.
Now, let's look forward to Jordan's new chapter in the future. Maybe one day, we'll see his own Hornets reinvigorate;
Or, he will continue to move forward on the road of basketball with a new role and write his own legend.