Michael Jordan shares winning eight straight NBA titles would have been very difficult given the team’s dynamics.
People often argue that had Michael Jordan not retired in 1993 to try his hand at professional baseball, the Chicago Bulls might have gone on to win eight straight NBA titles. Jordan was at the peak of his powers in 1993. Still 29 years old, Jordan was a dominant force on both ends of the floor, leading the league in scoring and steals in his final season before his first retirement.
Despite being an intense competitor, His Airness admitted to Rick Telander that he doesn’t believe the Bulls could have pulled off winning eight straight NBA championships, explaining the team’s dynamics weren’t conducive to pulling off such an incredible but difficult feat.
The team wasn’t the same
Winning an NBA title takes everything out of a team, and it’s hard to imagine how exhausted the Bulls were after winning three in a row. It’s no surprise that Jordan and the Bulls experienced facing more obstacles from within and from opponents during the 1992-1993 season. It eventually took its toll on Jordan, who retired for the first time after the Bulls dispatched the Phoenix Suns for their third title in a row.
Jordan’s absence paved the way for a new powerhouse squad to rise up—the Houston Rockets. Led by Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets won two straight NBA titles before Jordan reclaimed the throne in 1996. Many opined that had Jordan not stepped away, the Bulls would have kept on winning. Jordan, though, rebuffed such statements, saying:
“People say if I hadn’t played baseball for a year and a half, we would be going for our eighth championship in a row. But I don’t think so. After our three-peat, the atmosphere on the team wasn’t the same,” Jordan said.
Team dynamics matter
Jordan isn’t the most popular teammate; his intense competitiveness and drive to be the best often rubs players the wrong way. However, even he admits how crucial it is for a team to get along.
“On this team we love each other. No jealousies, no animosities, no nothing. Is there another team like that?” said Jordan of the 1998 squad—his so-called “Last Dance.”
“On our team, everybody gets along with everybody, everybody can go out with everybody. And we’re not afraid to criticize each other.”