Chicago Bulls: Takeaways From The Last Dance Documentary

4. Jordan’s return brought a renewed MJ that the Bulls needed.

This one is controversial but let’s consider something: Jordan decided to retire and play baseball after the mysterious death of his father. In his absence, the Bulls were led by Scottie Pippen and once Jordan decided to come back during the 1994-1995 NBA season.

During his absence, it’s no secret that the Bulls would be led by Pippen. But once Jordan came back, it was clear that the entire franchise, as well as the city of Chicago had a renewed energy in the air.

While the Bulls wouldn’t win the championship in either 1994 or 1995, we all know what happened during the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons. What’s clear is that losing for two straight seasons fueled Jordan even more.

The key thing that motivated Jordan was when the Bulls lost to the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals and Orlando’s Nick Anderson would be quoted as saying: “45 didn’t look like 23”, citing Jordan’s decision to wear number 45 instead of his original 23, the number that he had dominated the NBA in for many years.

A newly motivated Jordan would eventually lead to a second three-peat that would be the icing on the cake, creating one of the greatest dynasties ever in the history of American sports. Jordan’s first retirement will always be talked about because of who he was and what happened afterwards.