The MLB and the NBA world are united by one man on Thursday: Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, is turning 59.
Jordan, who won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in the nineties, also had a stint in professional baseball, as fans will probably remember.
In October 1993, a few months after the death of his father, he said he lost the desire to play basketball and announced his retirement.
He was fresh off winning three straight titles with the Bulls in 1991-1993.
That was when Jordan decided to try baseball.
He signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox and played the 1994 season with the Birmingham Barons, their Double-A affiliate.
That’s why the White Sox are celebrating his birthday today, as they greeted Jordan with a short video and a tweet to say happy birthday to their former player.
Happy birthday, Michael Jordan! 🐐🎂 pic.twitter.com/qxNOqLi9aA
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 17, 2022
Jordan’s Stint In Baseball Wasn’t So Smooth
Jordan’s short stint in the minors didn’t go to well, as he hit .202/.289/.266 with three home runs and a .555 OPS in 436 at-bats.
Later that year, he also played in the Arizona Fall League against MLB’s top prospects, and he hit .252.
He wasn’t good with the White Sox, but some people who saw him play say that he was good enough to make the big leagues eventually.
In any case, Jordan didn’t last long in professional baseball.
With the baseball strike looming, Jordan announced his retirement from baseball in March 1995, and shortly after that, he was famously “back”.
The rest is history: he helped the Bulls win three more championships, between 1996 and 1998, and then he would retire for a second time.
Baseball is so great and cool that fans can say they had the basketball GOAT playing in the minor league system.
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