15 Years Later: Remembering Jordan's Final Flight Out of Chicago

CLEVELAND - With a face filled with tears, I watched on television as the greatest basketball player in history walked away from the game that made him an international icon. This same exact event had also taken place nearly five and a half years before (he returned to pro hoops 17 months later) and both times, it was simply too much to bear.

Michael Jordan was retiring.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of Jordan's historic press conference which announced this horrible decision. At the time, the NBA had just resolved a contentious lockout which wiped out the first two months of the 1998-99 season. What resulted was a truncated, laughable 50-game schedule that featured a heavily dismantled Chicago Bulls team, who were the three-time defending champions for the second time in the decade, with MJ leading the way every time.

The lockout was finally lifted on Jan. 7, and tons of rumors had been swirling about the fate of Jordan as a player, since he had repeatedly mentioned the season before that he was strongly considering retirement. Then, on January 13, 1999, MJ showed up in a black suit with his wife to the United Center in Chicago to declare that, just one month from his 36th birthday, he was done with NBA hoops as its pre-eminent star.

This shook me to my core, and it sent the league into a tailspin of unparalleled parity. Almost immediately, the Bulls' two other star players, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were gone too. This left the team with Toni Kukoc as its best player and they stumbled to a putrid 13-37 record.

Yuck.

After having witnessed Jordan, just 7 months prior dominate the final minute of the 1998 NBA Finals, hit the championship winning jumper with 5.2 seconds left and walk off with his 6th NBA title and 6th NBA Finals MVP award, it was especially difficult seeing him leave all of that greatness on the floor once again -- the same way that he had done in the autumn of 1993, just three and a half months after Chicago's first 3-peat.

Jordan stayed retired for a little over two and a half years, then decided to come out of retirement just 5 months before his 39th birthday to play with the horrible Washington Wizards. He had become VP of basketball operations in January 2000, but by October 2001, he was back on the court as a much older version of himself.

But to many people, Jordan's two-year Wizards "experiment" was a mere footnote to a dazzling career that re-defined sports and marketing and made Michael Jordan a filthy rich cultural icon.

I will never forget that sad day in early 1999. Jordan's words felt even colder than they did in his '93 farewell speech, yet somehow...even though I had long known it was a strong possibility he would leave again, I was still shattered by the reality of it.

Looking back with the huge perspective of 15 years, I can appreciate Michael even more than I did then...and that is saying a whole lot because my appreciation for him was always enormous.

I am just happy that I got to witness the great Michael Jordan during his legendary career!

10 Years Ago Today: Air Jordan Flies Into Retirement...Again

CLEVELAND - Michael Jordan was very important to me, and still is. I cried my eyes out when he suddenly retired from pro basketball in the Fall of 1993, and cried my eyes out again when he returned 17 months later.

10 years ago today, Jordan retired yet again.

That's right. On January 13, 1999, the most indelible player in basketball history left the game on the heels of the conclusion to the controversial NBA lockout. He once again held a lavish press conference, this time clad in a black suit and again flanked by wife Juanita.

Jordan had led the Chicago Bulls to their 6th NBA championship just seven months prior and hit his legendary jumper over Bryon Russell in the closing seconds of that championship finale. With this retirement, that landmark moment was seen as the final punctuation to a truly storybook career.

I still blame that stupid lockout.

The 1998-99 season was delayed due to the aforementioned player lockout. The sports world had been abuzz wondering if MJ would return for a 15th season, since the 1997-98 campaign was constantly touted as his swan song. The lockout lingered into the new year, then finally ended a week into January. Jordan had been vacationing in the Bahamas and since that last championship had suffered a severed tendon in his thumb as a result of accidentally slicing himself with a cigar cutter.

The somber, dark tone and mood of the press conference coupled with the poignant memories of his illustrious career brought tears to my face as I watched on television. I was aware of the fact that Jordan prepared us for over a year for this moment, whereas we never saw it coming in '93. In spite of this, I was crushed. I remember being a bit stronger than the first time, but understand this: Jordan meant the world to me. So much joy he brought me and so many of my emotions went to him during games.

I was hurt.

The Bulls were dismantled as a result of this move by Michael. Coach Phil Jackson, rebound-robot Dennis Rodman and all-star Scottie Pippen departed, leaving Toni Kukoc to be the star of the weak defending champions who would finish the (lock-out shortened) 50-game season at a putrid 13-37.

Of course, Jordan stunningly resurfaced almost three years later playing for the Washington Wizards, but this 1999 retirement ended his historic Bulls run which is ultimately the true conclusion to his legacy.

Not to downgrade his time as a Wizard, though.

Nowadays, I look back on Jordan's breathtaking achievements with pride and nostalgia. I am also heavily anticipating his Hall of Fame nomination and induction this year, both of which have yet to be announced but he is a guaranteed unanimous, first ballot selection.

I love you, MJ.