Michael Jordan was known for his unbelievable drive and hunger for success, an unmatched desire to be the best and to prove it every night on the court, no matter who the opponent was. The six-time champion with the Chicago Bulls simply had a mindset in which he constantly set new challenges for himself.
When he entered the league, he ran into the Detroit "Bad Boys" Pistons , who eliminated him three straight seasons in the playoffs, until MJ got his revenge in 1991, when the Bulls swept the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.
That same year, he defeated Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals as he was slowly etching his name in the history books.
Everything culminated with an Olympic gold medal as part of the Dream Team in Barcelona, when, alongside Magic and Larry Bird, Michael, the alpha and omega of the group, showed everyone he was the best player in the world.
His ultimate goal was realized the following season, when he completed a three-peat with the Bulls, an achievement neither Thomas, nor Johnson, nor Bird had accomplished. In many ways, he had conquered everything the game had to offer, leading to burnout and a shocking retirement in which he decided to pursue baseball.
"Now you've got to remember, Jerry was tremendous with Michael. He paid Michael his full salary every day he was with the White Sox — his full basketball salary. Michael was good about it, Michael enjoyed himself. I felt he was going to come back to basketball," Jerry Krause said in an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski.
It was a highly unusual situation at the time, as Mike was still under contract with Chicago and was unquestionably the best player in the world. But once a mentality like his hits a wall and sees no more obstacles to overcome, it's clear why Jordan needed a break.
At the same time came the tragic murder of his father, James R. Jordan Sr., which ultimately pushed Michael fully toward baseball, his father's great passion, something the two had shared since Michael was a child.
Jordan was away from basketball for a year and a half and Jerry Krause and Jerry Reinsdorf did not panic, even though the decision shook the franchise to its core.
Reinsdorf made a brilliant call, believing deep down that the day would come when Jordan would return and he maintained a strong relationship with him throughout.
The fact that he placed MJ directly into the Chicago White Sox's minor-league affiliate, the Birmingham Barons, where Jordan proved to be a surprisingly solid player, while still paying him his NBA salary, says everything about the organization's approach. Jordan, however, still had to be on a baseball contract and according to " Heritage Auctions ", the Bulls icon earned a minor-league salary of $850, below the league average of $1,100 at the time.
Of course, this made sense, considering MJ was earning around $4 million per year from his Bulls deal. His baseball career was far from successful, but that time away allowed him to fully rebuild his competitive fire.
After his return, the Bulls went on another three-peat, six titles in six NBA Finals appearances, with Jordan winning Finals MVP all six times. Reinsdorf showed remarkable vision, accepting essentially two years of "failure" while paying a player who wasn't even on the court, but securing three more titles in the long run.
As for Jordan's salary, once that contract expired, he signed a one-year deal for $30,140,000, followed by what was then the largest contract in NBA history, $33,140,000, in his final season with the Bulls.
By the end of his career, after two more seasons with the Washington Wizards , His Airness earned around $97 million from NBA contracts alone, a figure that looks small compared to today's superstar deals, but at the time was astronomical.
Related: How a 12-year-old negotiated free Air Jordans from Michael Jordan himself
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
