Editing Michael Jordan (section)

==== First retirement and stint in Minor League Baseball (1993–1995) ====
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name = Michael Jordan
| image= Jordan Scorpions.jpg
| caption = Jordan in training with the [[Scottsdale Scorpions]] in 1994
| team = Birmingham Barons
| number = 45, 35
| position = [[Outfielder]]
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| bats = Right
| throws = Right
| debutleague = [[Southern League (1964–2020)|Southern League]]
| debutdate = April 8
| debutyear = 1994
| debutteam = Birmingham Barons
| finaldate = March 10
| finalyear = 1995
| finalteam = Birmingham Barons
| finalleague = Southern League
| debut2league = [[Arizona Fall League]]
| debut2year = 1994
| debut2team = Scottsdale Scorpions
| stat2league = Arizona Fall League
| statyear = 1994
| statleague = Southern League
| stat1label = [[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
| stat1value = .202
| stat2label = [[Home run]]s
| stat2value = 3
| stat3label = [[Runs batted in]]
| stat3value = 51
| stat21label = Batting average
| stat21value = .252
| stat22label = Runs batted in
| stat22value = 8
| teams =
* [[Birmingham Barons]] (1994–1995)
* [[Scottsdale Scorpions]] (1994)
}}
On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement, saying that he lost his desire to play basketball. He later said that the murder of his father three months earlier helped shape his decision.<ref>Berkow, Ira (April 11, 1994). [http://partners.nytimes.com/library/sports/basketball/041194bkn-jordan.html "A Humbled Jordan Learns New Truths"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226044737/http://partners.nytimes.com/library/sports/basketball/041194bkn-jordan.html |date=February 26, 2013 }}. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved October 30, 2023.</ref> [[James R. Jordan Sr.]] was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway [[rest area]] in [[Lumberton, North Carolina]], by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, who carjacked his [[Lexus]].<ref>Martin, Andrew (January 4, 1996). [https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/01/04/i-believe-we-killed-jordans-dad/ "'I Believe We Killed Jordan's Dad'"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407092822/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-01-04/news/9601040169_1_daniel-andre-green-larry-martin-demery-defense-attorney-angus-thompson |date=April 7, 2014 }}. ''Chicago Tribune''. Retrieved October 30, 2023.</ref><ref name="charged">Janofsky, Michael (August 16, 1993). [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/16/sports/two-men-are-charged-with-murder-of-jordan.html "Two Men Are Charged With Murder Of Jordan"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160723/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/16/sports/two-men-are-charged-with-murder-of-jordan.html |date=February 11, 2017 }}. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved October 30, 2023.</ref> His body, dumped in a South Carolina swamp, was not discovered until August 3.<ref name="charged" /> Green and Demery were sentenced to life imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Deb |first=Sopan |title=The Death of James Jordan: What We Know |url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/james-jordan-death.html |access-date=October 30, 2023 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 18, 2020 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506090458/https://www.nytimes.com/article/james-jordan-death.html |url-status=live}}</ref> However, in ''[[The Last Dance (miniseries)|The Last Dance]]'', Jordan stated that he retired due to physical and mental exhaustion from basketball and superstardom.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aldridge |first=David |title=When Michael Jordan walked away from basketball in 1993, the recoil was seismic |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4905700/2023/10/06/michael-jordan-retirement-anniversary-1993-bulls/ |work=The Athletic |date=October 6, 2023 |access-date=October 18, 2024 |archive-date=September 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909031650/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4905700/2023/10/06/michael-jordan-retirement-anniversary-1993-bulls/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Jordan was close to his father; as a child, Jordan imitated the way his father stuck out his tongue while absorbed in work. Jordan later adopted it as his own signature, often displaying it as he drove to the basket.<ref name="nbah" /> In 1996, Jordan founded a Chicago-area [[Boys & Girls Clubs of America|Boys & Girls Club]] and dedicated it to his father.<ref name="WP">Walsh, Edward (January 14, 1998). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nba/longterm/jordan/articles/chicago14.htm "On the City's West Side, Jordan's Legacy Is Hope"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107080346/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nba/longterm/jordan/articles/chicago14.htm |date=November 7, 2012 }}. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved October 30, 2023.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kjgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA51 |title=Michael Jordan, family attend groundbreaking ceremony for James Jordan Center |date=August 14, 1995 |magazine=Jet |pages=51–53 |volume=88 |issue=14 |issn=0021-5996 |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |access-date=April 7, 2022 |via=Google Books}}</ref> In his 1998 autobiography ''For the Love of the Game'', Jordan wrote that he was preparing for retirement as early as the summer of 1992.<ref>Jordan, p. 100.</ref> The added exhaustion due to the "[[1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team|Dream Team]]" run in the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] solidified Jordan's feelings about the game and his celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Europe loses a role model; Even in countries where basketball is a minor pursuit, Jordan's profile looms large – includes related article on Jordan's stature in Japan |last1=Rodgers |first1=Ted |last2=Thomsen |first2=Ian |date=October 18, 1993 |magazine=The Sporting News |page=35 |volume=216 |issue=16 |issn=0038-805X}}</ref>

Jordan further surprised the sports world by signing a [[Minor League Baseball]] (MiLB) contract with the [[Chicago White Sox]] on February 7, 1994.<ref>''The Sporting News Official NBA Register 1994–95'', p. 334.</ref> He reported to [[spring training]] in [[Sarasota, Florida]], and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31.<ref name="chronology">[https://web.archive.org/web/20010518205857/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/1999/01/11/jordan_chronology/ "Michael Jordan Chronology"]. CNN/''Sports Illustrated''. January 12, 1999. Retrieved May 9, 2017.</ref> Jordan said that this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who always envisioned his son as a [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) player.<ref>[https://archive.today/20030220104125/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/jordan_retires/news/1999/01/12/jordan_legacy/ "Michael Jordan: A Tribute"]. CNN/''Sports Illustrated''. Retrieved May 9, 2017.</ref> The White Sox were owned by Bulls owner [[Jerry Reinsdorf]], who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball.<ref>Araton, Harvey (March 10, 1995). [https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/10/sports/basketball-jordan-keeping-the-basketball-world-in-suspense.html "Basketball; Jordan Keeping the Basketball World in Suspense]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114115220/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/10/sports/basketball-jordan-keeping-the-basketball-world-in-suspense.html |date=January 14, 2022 }}. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved October 30, 2023.</ref>

In 1994, Jordan played for the [[Birmingham Barons]], a [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, [[Batting average (baseball)|batting]] .202 with three [[home run]]s, 51 [[runs batted in]], 30 [[stolen base]]s, 114 [[strikeout]]s, 51 [[bases on balls]], and 11 [[error (baseball)|errors]].<ref>Zillgitt, Jeff (May 11, 2020). [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/05/11/michael-jordan-baseball-career-the-last-dance/3105947001/ "Day 61 without sports: Revisiting Michael Jordan's baseball career with fresh eyes"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210163535/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/05/11/michael-jordan-baseball-career-the-last-dance/3105947001/ |date=December 10, 2020 }}. ''USA Today''. Retrieved October 30, 2023.</ref><ref>Shaikin, Bill (May 10, 2020). [https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-05-10/michael-jordan-baseball-tim-tebow-last-dance-charles-barkley "That .202 hitter Michael Jordan was a better MLB prospect than, say, Tim Tebow"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209172544/https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-05-10/michael-jordan-baseball-tim-tebow-last-dance-charles-barkley |date=December 9, 2020 }}. ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved October 30, 2023.</ref> His strikeout total led the team and his games played tied for the team lead. His 30 stolen bases were second on the team only to [[Doug Brady]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1994 Birmingham Barons |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=dfd224a8 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704015542/https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=dfd224a8 |url-status=live}}</ref> Jordan also appeared for the [[Scottsdale Scorpions]] in the 1994 [[Arizona Fall League]], batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball.<ref name="chronology" /> On November 1, 1994, his {{abbr|No.|Number}} 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as ''[[Michael Jordan statue|The Spirit]]'' outside the new [[United Center]].<ref name="MJS">{{cite web |url=http://www.unitedcenter.com/venue/statues/ |title=Michael Jordan Statue |publisher=United Center |date=June 2013 |access-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-date=April 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403234528/http://www.unitedcenter.com/venue/statues/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="JTLTL">{{cite news |last=Artner |first=Alan G. |date=November 2, 1994 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/11/02/jordan-truly-larger-than-life/ |url-status=live |title=Jordan Truly Larger Than Life: Sculpture Shows Spirit Of The Man, But Little More |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006125827/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-11-02/sports/9411020285_1_sculpture-clay-model-girls-club |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |access-date=September 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/11/08/bye-bye-no-23-buzz-went-to-see/ |title=Bye-bye, No. 23: Buzz went to see Michael Jordan's Chicago... |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 8, 1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812031850/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-11-08/features/9411080073_1_swamp-thing-bobby-knight-fans |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=September 11, 2024}}</ref>