I’ve heard countless times that there was a secret suspension of Michael Jordan from the NBA when he decided to play baseball. Usually the reason given is association with gamblers.
I think this is some sort of tin foil hat conspiracy nonsense. But, I’ve heard it often enough.
So, secret deal or Michael being Michael?
Did the many people who told you this tell you how they knew?
Were any of them abducted by aliens? :eek:
The rumor is that he was caught getting involved with some very shady people and the league agreed to accept his retirement rather than discipline him. It’s not a secret that he likes to gamble, or did, seeing as how he has more money than he could ever spend. But these theories never made sense - of all the times for the league to force him out, would they have done so at the height of his popularity, right after his first three-peat? The theory that he was just tired and needed to do something else after his father was murdered makes a lot more sense.
That theory has been around for years, along with the crackpot theory that David Stern rigged the first lottery to get Patrick Ewing on the NY Knicks, and that NBA refs are fixing games. Who’d ever believe any of those?
Oops.
Sure that’s the truth. And did you hear Tiger’s knee is fine, he just was the first golfer busted for drug use? 
He was mourning his father’s murder.
duh
Didn’t he also rig the lottery to make sure the Cavs got Lebron?
There are many things in this world I will believe, but anything involving someone in New York rigging a competitive event for Cleveland to win anything is just beyond me belief!
What purpose would a secret suspension serve? Jordan to baseball cost every NBA Team money, and hurt the product – especially overseas.
A 1 year open suspension for gambling would have all of the above anyway AND sent a message to the NBA player community and/or Fans that gambling would not be tolerated – no matter who you were. A secret warning would make sense - not a secret suspension. True MJ would be damaged forever, but really the big hit was him not playing.
I would believe this first:
Jordan, winning 3 Titles and a Gold Medal was getting bored and baseball offered him a challenge, and renewed attention. He had enough athletic arrogance (as the Wizards saw) to probably truly believe that the White Sox were going to have an everyday Major Leaguer on their hands (and maybe more). He was also not totally “himself” due to his Dad’s death.