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1993
In September 1993, Jordan shocked the world when he announced he was retiring from basketball at age 30. “When I lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player,” Jordan said, “it’s time for me to move away from the game.” There were other factors too. Although Chicago was coming off a third straight title, it was a difficult time in Jordan’s life. His father James had been murdered that summer, and rumors of Jordan’s compulsive gambling were dogging him. His decision quickly rippled across the globe; Romanian state television aired a program in his honor, and Israeli radio carried the retirement press conference live. During his time away from the the court, Jordan played minor-league baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization.