Of course, Jordan would make his return to the NBA in 1995 after a stint in minor league baseball. Though the Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs that year, Jordan and the team returned in 1996 to win their first of another three straight championships.
LeBron James — a three-time NBA Champion — has publicly spoken about how much Jordan has influenced his career.
“I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, just seeing what he was able to accomplish,” James previously said in 2017. “But I felt like Mike was so — you know, when you’re growing up and you’re seeing Michael Jordan, it’s almost like a god. So I didn’t ever believe I could be Mike. So I started to focus myself on other players and other people around my neighborhood, because I never thought you could get to a point where Mike was. So I think that helped shape my game.”
