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"I think about him every day" - Michael Jordan reveals what he remembers most about his father
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- "I think about him every day" - Michael Jordan reveals what he remembers most about his father
In mid-1993, Michael Jordan was at the top of the world.
Not only was he the greatest athlete on the planet after winning his third championship and completing a successful three-peat with the Chicago Bulls , but MJ also began to reach all-time celebrity status and impact.
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On July 23 of the same year, however, Mike's father, James R. Jordan Sr., passed away after being shot while sleeping in his car at a highway rest stop near Lumberton, North Carolina.
As expected, the tragic murder of his father had a strong effect on Jordan, leading him to retire from basketball less than three months later in October, just before the start of the 1993-94 NBA season.
After stepping away from basketball, MJ transitioned to baseball to honor his father, who always had a passion for the sport he loved most.
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When Mike was a child, James wanted him to pursue a career on the field, something that always stayed in the back of MJ's mind, ultimately coming to fruition as a result of his father's passing.
MJ always remembers his father's words
Two years later, Jordan returned to basketball after an underwhelming baseball stint. Not long after he stepped on the hardwood again, MJ proved why he is the GOAT, accomplishing yet another three-peat with the Bulls and adding two more MVPs to his resume.
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Despite his unprecedented talent and greatness, Jordan's success has always been a result of his father's foundation. Whether it was during or after his career, Michael's decisions were a byproduct of James' life advice.
"The thing that I remember most about my father," said Jordan. "Obviously, he was murdered and rarely do I get the chance to talk about him, you know. But the thing I do remember all the time, I think about him practically every day, is for a person like myself, who lives in the spotlight and is so critical from people all the time in terms of what I do and say, where I go, the thing he's always said, 'Take a pause before you make a decision and say, 'What if.'"
"The purpose for saying, 'What if,' is that whatever decisions you make are always gonna have consequences. Either pros or cons," he added.
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Thanks to his father's advice, MJ never folded under pressure. No matter which decision he brought on himself, Mike was prepared for any outcome due to the thoughts James instilled in him.
MJ and his father had a close bond
James wasn't just a father to Michael but rather a best friend and an anchor throughout his life, especially when he reached superstardom, protecting him from the overwhelming nature of fame. With that, MJ's father always attended his games, both before and during his NBA career, constantly cheering him on and celebrating every single accolade.
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With that, MJ's infamous "tongue" habit came directly from his father, who was the pioneer of the Jordan family tendency while he worked on cars in the backyard.
One of the reasons why Jordan was so tough and great at performing despite public scrutiny was that James taught him how to be grounded, not letting intense pressure from the media get to his head, which followed him for the rest of his career.
During his Hall of Fame speech, Jordan vividly expressed his father's undying impact on his life, citing his words by saying that "it's never too late to do anything you want to do. You never know what you can accomplish until you try."
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jul 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
