{"id":1355618,"date":"2021-04-25T18:30:12","date_gmt":"2021-04-25T22:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1355618"},"modified":"2021-04-25T18:37:48","modified_gmt":"2021-04-25T22:37:48","slug":"michael-jordan-signed-deal-white-sox-birthday-only-michael-jordan-play-major-league-baseball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/michael-jordan-signed-deal-white-sox-birthday-only-michael-jordan-play-major-league-baseball\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Jordan Signed His Deal With the White Sox on the Birthday of the Only Michael Jordan to Ever Play Major League Baseball"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On February 7, 1994, the Chicago White Sox<\/a> and Michael Jordan<\/a> shocked the world as it was announced that the then-three-time NBA champion, who'd retired from the Chicago Bulls<\/a> just four months earlier, would be pursuing a baseball career and had officially inked a minor-league deal with the franchise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not for a lack of trying as he certainly put in the work, Jordan never made it to the big leagues and returned to the NBA in March 1995, going on to win three more titles with the Bulls. But everyone knows all of that, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But did you know that there actually was a man named Michael Jordan who played Major League Baseball<\/a>? And that he was born almost exactly 100 years to the day before the modern-day MJ? And that was the day Jordan signed with the White Sox? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Jordan officially signed with the White Sox on February 7, 1994<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Michael
Michael Jordan | Eugene Garcia\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On October 6, 1993, after nine seasons and three consecutive championships with the Bulls, Michael Jordan retired from the NBA for the first time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a few months earlier, his father, James Jordan<\/a>, had been brutally murdered and during the press conference in which he announced his retirement, MJ spoke on how he was content with the fact that his father had watched his final NBA game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before Jordan became the biggest star the game of basketball had ever seen, his father had different athletic dreams for his son as James had dreamed of Michael becoming a professional baseball player. So MJ actually tried to make that happen. He began working out and just a short time later, the Chicago White Sox, who were (and still are) owned by Jerry Reinsdorf<\/a>, who also owns the Bulls, officially signed Jordan to a minor-league contract on February 7, 1994. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MJ played one season in the minors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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