LeBron James Reflected On Being Devastated When Michael Jordan Retired In 1993

When Michael Jordan retired for the first time in 1993, it was an earth-shattering event. After all, Jordan captained the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive championships and, unlike in 1998, there wasn’t any sort of public expectation that the best basketball player in the universe could even consider hanging up his sneakers. Jordan’s announcement caused myriad reactions, including his own coach saying he was “denying a gift to society” by retiring, but a nine-year-old LeBron James had a strong response of his own.

As the seventh episode of The Last Dance documentary aired earlier in May, James shared that he was moved to tears by Jordan’s decision and, like many, he was stunned by the news.

From there, James appeared on WRTS: After Party on Monday on his Uninterrupted platform and he was asked about his initial tweet and his feelings when Jordan unexpectedly stepped away from the game.

James notes that, like many youth, he looked up to prominent individuals for inspiration, citing athletes like Ken Griffey Jr. and Deion Sanders, as well as musicians of the day. Still, he makes it clear that Jordan was a different kind of admiration entirely, referring to him as an “angel sent from heaven” and speaking about Jordan in a way that could only be described as reverential.

Of course, James found enough inspiration to become an all-time great in his own right, and Jordan ended up returning to action less than two years later. In the end, though, it feels safe to assume that James wasn’t the only youngster that endured a similar feeling when his No. 1 idol chose to retire, and this is an interesting look behind the curtain to see the sincerity in which James discusses the situation, even more than 25 years later.