Was Michael Jordan’s first retirement a cover up?

By: Kaitlyn Goodall 2/27/2022

Have you ever thought about why Michael Jordan retired in 1993, when he was doing so well playing? Well if you have, it could be due to his past gambling problems. The NBA might have suspended him for gambling and used the retirement as a cover up for him getting suspended and here is why.

Just months before his retirement, the NBA had launched an investigation on his gambling problem. Also according to buisnessinsider.com, this is what he said after someone asked him if he was going to come back , “ If David Stern lets me back in the league.” He was one of the best players during this time, so there was no reason for David Stern to not let him back into the league, unless he was suspended and there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to come back.

According to buisnessinsider.com, “After the Bulls won their third championship, the NBA launched an investigation into Jordan's gambling problems to check whether he had violated any league rules. Then, four months later Jordan stunned the world by suddenly retiring from professional basketball.” This shows that there were rules in the league for gambling, Jordan did a lot of gambling so there is a good chance he violated those rules. It also says, “In 1992, after winning his second championship, Jordan was called to testify in the criminal trial of James Bouler to explain why Bouler, a convicted drug dealer, was in possession of a Jordan-signed personal check for $57,000.” If this was from gambling, then it was most likely a violation of the rules in the NBA.

Kelcey Thacker says, “ I think that he was suspended because it was very suspicious that he would retire when he was like the best player and he did have a gambling problem, there were also rules for gambling in the NBA so I think that he broke the rules and got suspended.”

In conclusion, Michael Jordan's first retirement in 1993 was most likely a cover up for getting suspended. He gambled and there were rules in the NBA for that, he probably broke them and that is why he got suspended.