Original subtitles

When I first started this long road of basketball, what

consumed me was being the best basketball player I could be.

Look at the air.

Look at the hang time.

Look at the flying motion.

And now I'm reminiscing about my own career.

I had a whole different appreciation for the game itself.

George, I'm trying to shake my heart.

Oh, no!

Oh, my gosh!

You can't get it out.

Here it is again.

Oh!

Here's Michael at the far line, a shot on eagle.

Good!

The ball's win!

It has evolved to be more than just a game.

It's been a teacher of life.

Jordan!

Jordan!

Hey!

Fire!

Get out!

Big score!

Oh, my goodness!

If you were to create the ultimate basketball superstar,

he would be a player of extraordinary athletic ability.

A player who could dominate his sport with a vast array of skills.

He's a great defender, rebounder, shot blocker, definitely could score.

He's the total pack.

He would also possess a tireless work ethic, constantly

pushing himself to the limit in his pursuit of victory.

The work himself into a lather, like a racehorse, he'd be bowing out their

hard and harder and things got more and more difficult.

He would be a fierce competitor who could

command the court through sheer force of will.

You're going to have to cut Michael Jordan's heart out to beat him.

He would possess the vision and the artistry to bring a new dimension to the game.

Creativity, by name is Michael.

He would also have the leadership to galvanize his teammates.

The way he plays, he will not let the Bulls lose.

And he would have a player for rising to the occasion, time after time.

Michael Jordan in the final seconds again!

He would display a passion for the game, a passion

to lift his performance to its very highest level.

And he would captivate fans, not only with his talent, but also with his charisma.

Just don't rub my hands.

Through it all, he would carry himself with an air of grace and dignity that

would make him the perfect ambassador for the sport he loved.

It would seem nearly impossible to find all of these qualities embodied in one player.

And yet there was such a player, in Michael Jordan.

A player for whom nothing seemed impossible.

A player who was the very definition of basketball excellence.

He was everything great.

I mean, he's the ultimate player in my eyes.

If there was a basketball player in Webster's dictionary,

it didn't have to be a picture of Michael Jordan.

He grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina.

And from the beginning, there was something distinctive about Michael Jordan.

He came in this world eating.

I mean, he loved to eat.

And I tell you, you...

He could not eat hell enough.

We had the doctor put him on Syria, I guess, when he was the weak soul,

because his milk was just not enough.

Michael's first taste of the game of basketball came in, pick up games against

his older brother Larry, which ignited his competitive fire.

My dad booked the basketball court in the backyard until

they went out there and went out there all the time.

We used to play an awful lot.

You know, we would play every day.

And I would normally beat him.

He really helped me create some determination in myself to beat him.

If I could beat him, I thought I could beat anybody.

And I found him when I started to grow and

my skills started to catch up with my height.

I started to beat him.

He would go on to attend the Laney High School, where

he blended in as just another face in the crowd.

Michael was a good student, and he had a lot of fun in the classroom.

He had a sense of humor, and he was well-liked by the students.

The place where Michael did hope to stand out was on the basketball court.

But during his sophomore year, he would face a disappointing setback.

I'm the coach who cut Michael as a sophomore.

He was still growing.

He was a good ball player, but we didn't think he was good

enough yet to really make the contribution on the ball.

So that we felt we needed it.

Working hard to improve, Michael would not only make the team the following year,

he played well enough to earn a scholarship to the University of North

Carolina, a school rich in basketball tradition.

But he still faced skepticism about his ability.

I told him to go into math.

That's where the money was.

Coming up in high school, I wasn't that known as a basketball player.

I mean, everyone felt I was in court in North Carolina and sit on the bench for

four years and then come back home and work at a local gas station or something.

But Michael would be chosen to start as a freshman by legendary coach Dean Smith.

And in the 1982 National Championship game against Georgetown, he would burst into

prominence by hitting one of the biggest shots in NCAA history.

The shot gave Smith his first NCAA title and

marked a turning point in Michael's career.

Getting shot against Georgetown in 1982, it counted 90

to five inside of me, but nothing was going to stop me.

Propelled by his newfound confidence, Jordan

would now soar into the national spotlight.

He wanted to get better and then he had the ability to get better.

And from that point on, I never seen anything like it.

Unleashing his talent, Michael became a two-time college player of the year.

But following his junior season, he would make the decision to turn pro.

I talked to coach this morning and he helped me and my parents helped me and I

just thought that would be better for me to start now, why I'm young.

But before heading off to the NBA, Jordan would make his debut on the world stage.

He was named to the 1984 U.S.

Olympic team, where he would be guided by

another coaching legend, Indiana's Bobby Knight.

He wants best for his players and, you know, really, that's somewhat similar

to Coach Smith, except for the language, but, you know, I get upset.

Smoothly adapting to a new coaching style, Michael

would continue his rise to stardom by leading the U.S.

to the gold medal.

And he was now ready for the next step in his blossoming career, the NBA.

The Chicago Bulls pick Michael Jordan, the University of North Carolina.

As the third overall draft pick, Michael was expected to make an impact,

but few could have imagined just how sensational he would be.

Jordan would look at the floor and watch Jordan's goal, give him a chance.

Uh-oh, right, to the hook!

Oh!

Taking the league by storm, Jordan would electrify his

sport in a way that few athletes had ever done before.

The buck's nine, the nothing here.

There's the double, Jordan's down.

Michael!

Jordan against Dale Ellis off to the right, Jordan on the drive, falls down underneath.

Oh, what a drive!

And you only want the ball to get there.

Jordan on the drive, can he get there?

For Michael, it seemed anything was possible, and in just his second season,

he would stage an epic playoff performance.

16-3 for Jordan!

A new NBA record has been set on the Boston drive.

I don't believe what I just saw!

I saw that fly!

Jack comes, Mr. Jordan!

Action!

I think he's probably the most exciting player that's

coming through the league since probably Dr. J.

Hopefully, I can make a name for myself and I try to live off his name.

I think Michael Jordan's sound pretty good to me.

After a few short years, he was already being mentioned among the all-time greats.

He had two players that played on the floor.

He had excited to buy their play on the floor myself and Larry.

And now here come one that excites you, playing in the air.

Michael Jordan, cleared for a take off.

The first of all, you start talking about the fact

that the guy literally is embarrassing the leg.

He's that good.

You might see something if you watched him that

you've never seen before and will never see a game.

Look at the air.

Look at the hang time.

Look at the flying motion.

He has a force of personality that's not the same thing as sports talent,

but elevates that talent.

If you didn't know anything about basketball and he walked into the room,

he'd say, that's somebody.

That's gotta be somebody.

Jordan's appeal transcended basketball.

He became a cultural phenomenon that extended to the world of marketing and media.

He had his own particular style.

He wore those baggy shorts.

He was one of the first athletes to shave his head.

He was so good, so charismatic that whatever

he did suddenly became popular and became cool.

Something about the combination of everything.

The game, obviously.

He was a tremendous athlete.

And he had a great smile.

Something very wonderful and warm about when he smiled.

It was great.

You know, who wouldn't want to be in commercials or want to

see you in posters or your billboards all over the place?

I'm just a country boy from North Carolina and to

be on television and do these things were great.

No buying the world could cover my main man, Michael Jordan.

I always wanted to be an easy-going guy.

My personality is that I'm outgoing.

I love people.

I love being around people.

I love kids.

So if I didn't have the personality to do it, it would be tough.

But my personality fits this mold very easily.

It seemed that fans just couldn't get enough of the game's newest superstar.

And Air Jordan would never leave them disappointed.

In a league of stars and a game of stars, you were the star of stars.

Congratulations on being the 1988 All-Star MVP.

Jordan had risen to superstar status.

However, his resume was still missing the one achievement that

would cement his place among the game's most elite players.

What separated me from Larry Bird and Magic Johnson was, you know, they had

championships to back their individual accolades.

So, I mean, that drove me more so than anything.

Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

To compete to win.

It's all I live for, ever.

White left, Pippin.

Three seconds.

Jordan's four-shot shot for left.

Yes, win!

Michael Jordan saves the day.

When you lose, you're going to be easily forgotten.

I don't think anyone would want to go to their grades forgotten.

The inbound pass comes into Jordan.

Here's Michael in the foul line.

He got a shot on.

He goes!

The goals win!

They win!

But in spite of his individual brilliance, Michael had

yet to prove that he could lead his team to a title.

And as he tried to climb to the top of the NBA, he found

that one major obstacle continued to block his path.

People forget how hard it was for that guy to deal with the Detroit Pistons.

You know, they were the one person that's saying, you're not so hot.

You know, we can stop you.

And they did.

Well, the Pistons have moved on, but you really got to feel for this man right here.

For three straight years, the Bulls would meet the Pistons in the playoffs.

And for three straight years, they would suffer a bitter defeat.

Chicago Bulls continue to frustrate themselves and their fans.

I felt it was very disappointing every time that winded

up getting to this hurdle and couldn't get over it.

The Pistons returned to the NBA Finals for the third right time.

With each passing year, Michael's frustration grew deeper, while the

Whisper's grew louder that Jordan was simply a one man

show, who could not elevate the performance of his team.

I had to contend with.

People saying, well, it's going champion.

It doesn't win championships, which has drove me nuts.

Defensively, the Pistons are pointing totally at Michael's yard.

They don't believe that any of the other four Bulls can hurt them at this point.

You can tell when we're beating them, and he's

looking around like, I'm doing all I can do.

I'm getting 60 points, 45 points, 39 points, and we're still losing.

As the 1991 season began, Jordan knew a change was needed

if the Bulls were to finally fulfill their destiny.

I felt that we were going to lose out on this opportunity in terms of, you know,

my leadership and what I had to do in the basketball court, I was going to do

whatever it had to do to get us a championship.

He would focus on getting his teammates more

involved and making the most of their talents.

Stock all the way from down to play up, but Jordan, Michael Jordan, on a play,

and here Jordan down to court.

The Stacy feeds, lands off.

Michael Jordan down.

Anything the Bulls lacked, Jordan would provide

as they achieved their best record ever.

If you need something done, I'd do it.

You know, defense, passing, scoring, whatever.

That was the challenge that I took.

Returning to the conference finals, they found their tormentors, the Pistons,

waiting once again.

But this time, things would be different.

Like wire makes line right, double left hand, and a chance away, turn right,

hit the door.

Michael in the drive, and he turns it all the way to the perfect.

Let's get it over to the first candidate, all over the Pistons.

Finally, earning their vindication, the Bulls completed a

four-game sweep and put the Pistons' nightmare behind them.

You missed it!

That's completed, they'll end the conference.

I remember looking directly in his eyes, and it was like,

whatever you do, whatever you say, we're going to beat you.

And once you get them like that, all you can do is move

aside, because there's no stopping his freight train.

They had a short question, and in fact, it's a lot more.

Their season has concluded, while they're showing

our balls advanced to the NCAA Championship round.

As he made his NBA Finals debut, Jordan's timing was perfect.

He would face Magic Johnson and the Lakers in

what would be Magic's last trip to the Finals.

This series tends to be, at least, in the

public mind, heir Jordan against the Magic Man.

There's no question, you're not going to avoid the Magic Michael thing.

We're going to take our friends and fans on a trip into Dreamland, Magic and Michael.

Magic had led his Lakers to five championships in the 80s.

If Michael were to inherit his medal as the NBA's

premier superstar, now would be the time to do it.

And the entire sports world would be watching.

We didn't feel like the pressure was on us, but the challenge was there.

Especially for myself.

You know, I'm going against one of the greatest

players in the game, and I won't beat him.

With his opportunity now in front of him, Michael would

rise to the challenge and lift his teammates along with him.

As Chicago would dominate the Lakers.

Divots with a bounce pass in Jordan.

The steel tight ropes the sideline all the way to the hoop for the dunk.

The spectacular play by Jordan.

The falls have exploded.

Show time!

As he skied in the air, in the air, Jordan throws it down.

Michael and the Bulls would capture their first championship.

The local one.

Jordan!

Oh!

A strip hackable by Michael Jordan!

You're starting to say in the words, the world can be in Chicago Bowl.

Now the torch of NBA supremacy had emphatically been passed from Johnson to Jordan.

Everybody knew that it was coming.

It just went.

When was he going to be ready to receive it and take it?

And boy, could you receive it and take it.

I mean, he came up and snapped here.

Give me the year, Magic.

It's my turn, man.

And the Chicago Bulls have won their first-ever NBA championship.

For seven long years, he had pursued the NBA title.

And now that he had finally achieved his goal,

he seemed to take on an even more heroic quality.

I think the fact that he failed the first few times, he took a run at the title,

made people connect to him and relate to him a little bit

better because they saw that he wasn't just this machine.

I mean, everyone's failed at certain things and

to see a star of his magnitude fail and feel it.

So deeply raised his stature in people's minds.

And it seemed that fans everywhere were reveling in Michael's triumph.

From a public acceptance, you're never a champion until you are a champion.

And once that burden was gone, I mean, he just

soared to even greater heights than it did.

It's just hard to imagine.

As a member of this team and an organization at the City of Chicago for

seven years, it brings me a great joy to say we are the world champions.

Thank you.

Michael and the Bulls were raising the championship banner at last.

But as the 92 season began, it was clear that

his hunger for winning was far from satisfied.

It's like the gown on King of the Hill situation.

Once you're on top of the hill, you want to defend it.

Having finally ascended to the NBA's pinnacle, Jordan was determined to stay there.

Michael, you know, he really took matters in his

own hands right there to stretch out the game.

Whenever it's time for Michael to take over the game, he takes it over.

Michael led Chicago to the best record in the league.

And in the process, he would add to his growing list of personal accomplishments.

Three MVPs, six straight scoring titles, you are simply

the standard by which basketball excellence is measured.

Congratulations!

Chicago Stadium the site tonight as the Bulls

begin defense of their NBA championships.

Biggest focus of the season is the playoffs.

I thrive when I love it.

This is Jordan for me to step in front of that camera when you know millions of

people are watching and show the skills and creativity that you have as an athlete.

As the Bulls easily dispatched the Miami Heat, Jordan was at his sensational best.

While against Patrick Ewing and his bruising mix, he would be at his most determined.

Patrick is one of my best friends, but yet, at one point

in time in that series, I was ready to go blows with him.

Despite New York's physical play, Jordan refused to be intimidated.

If anything, their strategy only served to inspire him even further.

Here's Jordan, splitting through.

Jordan of the state.

And that it's stolen by Scott McDaniel, chase by Jordan.

Who's game is it?

It's Michael Jordan's game.

But he would save his most dramatic performance for the final act.

In a showdown against rival superstar Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jordan against Prexler.

Clyde against Michael.

See if this is what Michael lived for.

He wanted this challenge.

Everyone was saying that this would determine who's the better guard in the league.

I looked at that as a challenge and hopefully by the end of that series,

the people understood the difference.

And they would waste no time erasing any doubts,

putting on a spectacular show like from a starter.

Jordan for three.

He is in high.

Whoo!

Jordan, who do you want us to do?

Yes.

Oh, he is on fire.

Tigers get back.

For Jordan for three.

Pat is in a frenzy here.

And Jordan fired it in his way.

Oh no!

I don't believe it.

Three fighters for starts.

What is the world?

It's going on!

There's Jordan for three.

Yes!

Don't you see that, huh?

Michael!

You can't believe it.

This is the greatest performance in the history of his slave.

With his offensive explosion, Jordan propelled the bulls to their second

straight cattle and raised his own popularity to new heights.

But incredibly, it was about to soar even higher.

That summer, he would join Larry Bird and Magic Johnson on the Baby Dream Team.

You came here too close to my voice about.

But even in their celebrated company, it was Jordan who would

take center stage in a frenzy of international attention.

We didn't know the hype that was in store for us.

Until we started traveling around, we see

helicopters in one of the cage, all over the place.

Hey, this is big.

You know, this is bringing the way we ever anticipated.

I mean, Beatalesque was about the only thing you could think of.

And I just have never seen anything like it.

But the one thing about Jordan that I would always say that makes him to me the

most remarkable athlete that I've ever seen and probably

ever will see is that he was always better than his height.

Okay, so now he's hyped even more.

But he gets even better.

He keeps getting better and better and better.

No matter what you do, I just have never seen anything like it.

This group may well be the greatest team

ever assembled in the history of team sports.

Michael Capp, the Olympics with his second gold medal.

But he wasn't stopping there as his competitive prior continued to burn.

It's been eight years going to my ninth year and we

got two championships and hopefully we got a lot left.

As the 1993 season began, Jordan would add even more

astounding images to his seemingly endless highlight wheel.

Here's Jordan in deep on Ewell.

Ewell!

We're about to start right to Jordan.

Time winding down, Michael for free.

Yeah!

Yeah!

Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

Oh winner!

Unbelievable!

Michael Capp, no money.

The entire season had seemed to become a command performance for Jordan.

It's an unbelievable sight to be pulling into

a hotel at three in the morning and the bus.

You get to turn around the corner and all of a sudden the whole street is lit up.

You think water filming a movie out here or something.

Well it's not, it's just that the bulls are arriving.

Michael Jordan, they have a chance maybe to see him.

In the post season, he would lead the bulls

back to the finals with his trademark flair.

Yeah!

That's it again!

But while Chicago playing for the NBA Championship had become a familiar plot.

He is amazing!

The 93 finals would bring Michael a new and entertaining co-star.

God, you want us to win the World Championship.

I don't know if I could go that much or not.

I'd back to another night.

However, not even divine intervention was enough.

Sorry to send the way on, Marley.

We'll take it all away to the basket and drop it in.

As Jordan would relentlessly attack Charles Barkley and the Suns.

Now underneath, Michael fights in the stars with a left hand.

Michael Jordan now looks like he is good.

Michael Jordan drives every time they get his hand on a ball until they stop it.

His onslaught would include a personal finals best 55 points in game four.

Michael will take it.

He's fouled.

He's done.

He threw it up.

Oh!

My, Michael, it is this great near midpoint.

I'll tell you, he's just simply amazing.

He does whatever he has to do to beat you.

We cannot stop him.

I never said we had to stop him.

We can't stop him.

Nobody can stop him.

The Bulls would wrap up the series in six games, sealing it in dramatic fashion.

That's the first score by anybody other than

Michael Jordan in the entire fourth quarter.

Michael had now reached the pinnacle of his career.

For the third year, Michael Jordan and the Chicago

Bulls have climbed the monolithness of the NBA.

Solidifying his status as the game's greatest player, Jordan had done what Bird

and Magic could not win a third straight title.

A feat not achieved since Bill Russell's great Celtics of the 60s.

Congratulations.

It's a great accomplishment.

He had seemingly done it all, but Michael's most astounding move was yet to come.

After we won the championship, I sat in on the floor and just reminisced

about the whole season and the years that I've had at the game

basketball and where my life was and where my challenges were.

Do I have to do anything else?

Can I just sit here for a few minutes?

It started wearing me down mentally because of all the things that were

happening and some of the responsibility that I was gaining, the expectations,

mentally I was exhausted.

Because I forgot where I was.

I forgot how I got there.

Because of being on top for so long, you forget about a lot of the stages and

the steps that it took to get to that point.

When my father and I had a conversation about just stepping away, Jordan had

reached a crossroads and he would spend the summers sorting out his feelings.

I wanted to give myself some time to make sure this was the right thing,

this was what I really wanted to do.

As Phil Jackson Franklin said, what kind of challenges can you give me next year?

If you can give me one challenge, I would not be tired.

He felt like, if I don't have the desire to do it, if I don't have the thirst to

play basketball, it's not as much fun as it used to be, then I'm going to lose my gift.

We were crying and trying to come up with different types of challenges and I

couldn't come up with one, he couldn't come up with one for me.

But the sense of anguish Michael felt as he wrestled with his decision would pale

in comparison with what he was now about to face.

Last night, we began the show with the disappearance of Michael Jordan's father.

Tonight, the worst fears have come true.

James Jordan was found dead, the victim of an apparent murder.

It was a very difficult moment for me, and somehow I

just kept my head high and looked at the good of it.

The time that we used to spend the education that he gave me and I thought

about all the things that he used to tell me is turning negative into a positive.

And he was dealing with him in that way.

It was tough.

Shaken by the death of his father, who had always been his closest advisor

and supporter, his choice had now become clear.

And soon, the world would know about it.

When I lose the sense of motivation and the sense of to prove something as a

basketball player, it's time for me to move away from the game of basketball.

It was something that, you know, my father and I talked about, maybe who he

passed, me retired from basketball and then playing baseball.

And the final year that we won the championship,

was like his biggest push to go and do it.

No one could present a challenge for me at the time, other than what my father was

presenting to me, which was to go and play baseball.

Following his father's advice, Michael would become a minor league baseball player.

But more than just a diversion, his new pastime was part of an emotional journey.

And what baseball did for me was gave me an opportunity

to revisit all those moments that I had with my father.

And when I really thought about it, I said, who's here?

You know, everything that he's taught me, everything that I accomplished was him.

It took me a while to understand that.

And one time I understood it, I didn't accept it and deal with it.

So, it was a therapeutic experience for me.

I guess it made me a peaceful myself.

But in March of 1995, he would leave baseball and return to Chicago.

He calls me about seven in the morning saying, let's go to breakfast.

So, when we go to breakfast, we talk a little bit, he's in a suit.

So, you can say, let's go with the practice and screw around with the program.

We'll do that, you know, no problem.

So, we're out there just shooting.

He has a sooner one still.

I have my practice stuff on.

So, shooting, a shooting game goes into a shooting contest.

But all of a sudden the contest goes into, well, let me see if you can still guard me.

And then it goes from, well, let me see if you can still guard me.

And then before you know it, working on one on one.

I started attending a couple of practices and getting out there with the guys.

And the enjoyment that came out of that really started to make me feel good.

The economy has produced 6.1 million jobs since I became president.

And if Michael Jordan goes back to the Bulls, it'll be 6 million, 100,001 new jobs.

Michael Jordan announced today he's coming back to basketball.

One guy said the words, I'm back, and it set the world on fire.

Just turned it upside down.

And never thought I'd come back to the game of basketball.

I never thought I would have that feeling to come back.

But when Jordan was back, I truly loved the game.

Today, Michael Jordan, age 32, tries to accomplish

what no one else truly has in Team Sports History.

After an 18 month absence, Jordan was back.

And his returns sparked a magical rush.

And he instantly conjured up indelible images of the past.

And that is a high for the NBA this season.

55 points by Michael Jordan.

Inbound to Michael, reaching the clock.

Jordan for the win.

Yes!

I did it again!

He is now back!

Jordan had seemingly returned to his role of savior, but in the playoffs,

the young Orlando Magic were ready to show him that times had changed.

91-90 to score.

Chicago with the lead with 18 and 1-10 seconds to play.

All right, here we go.

I'm going to play by Anderson.

And Jordan, spending his way against Anderson.

Oh, yeah!

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

Jordan's miscue seemed almost unthinkable, but he would

have one more chance to deliver his expected heroics.

And Jordan went by a while!

Jordan, for cover!

Here I was in those moments that he would take

pride in being put in, and yet I let the team down.

Michael and the Bulls would never recover from his struggles in game one.

Well, Michael's missed a lot of closer shots if he's tried to take the game.

As Chicago was eliminated by the Magic, Jordan discovered that his unique ability

to lift his team to victory, was only a memory.

And now, he was left to wonder whether he would ever recapture his former throne.

He didn't create it.

He's probably still the greatest player in the game, or wrong.

He just wasn't his old self.

I was really doing more lives.

I think I was really looking in the mirror the whole time.

I had doubts that maybe I can't play the same type of game that I used to play,

because I wasn't able to do it on call.

So in sitting in that locker room, very disappointed, I made a promise to

myself that from next year, I'd be ready for this game.

Rededicating himself to the game, Jordan attacked his workouts with a vengeance.

And he spent the summer honing his talent like never before.

I felt compelled, each and every day, when I got up to

go out and somehow tune up and get back to where I was.

So I was that much more motivated to poo to the world and don't write enough yet.

As he joined his teammates for the 96 season, Michael was embarking not just on

a personal quest, but also on an historic mission.

I said to Michael, it's a great challenge anyway, because

no one's come back and helped the team win a championship.

So this is a great challenge in that regard.

I was being judged on that.

I'm from the public from the media.

Because of my age and because of my being away from the game for two years, almost.

And the only way that I could prove wrong was

to win a championship, from start to finish.

And from the beginning, he was ready to prove his point.

I'm going to make a move here to clear out from Longman.

And picks up with authority.

And your face.

And between them all, he got every one of them.

Jordan picked it off.

Oh, yes sir, wow.

He's in his own lives on today.

It was good.

Three on the shot clock.

Here comes Michael, puts it on the floor.

Put two more down for the game.

Here is Jordan.

Michael tonight is showing the entire football.

With Michael on our side, it was, you know, the guys on the bench,

the old games thing.

Oh, we're only 12 now, you know.

We're going to come back.

We're going and throwing it over.

Oh, it's getting punched in an amazing ball.

This goes back into his full force as the most on the player in the game.

Not only had his dominance returned, so it is zest for the game.

Come on, give me a jump shot right now.

Give me a jump shot, shoot.

You know what?

Hey, but what I want to play, do it.

Be hurting this one.

You're hurting it, y'all.

Get you back.

Get you back.

His comeback had turned into a joy ride, as Michael would regain the MVP award.

And lead the Bulls into NBA history with a record for regular season victories.

Leading the Bulls to an astounding 72 wins, Jordan

stamped them as one of the greatest teams ever.

And incredibly raised his own stature even higher.

He was up at the very top, the most popular athlete in the world for eight,

nine, ten years.

He leaves the game and comes back stronger than ever.

I don't think anyone in the history of sport has ever pulled off something like that.

And he did it again, somehow.

In the playoffs, Michael would come full circle.

Again, facing Orlando, he would seize the opportunity for redemption.

He's got a steady woman.

Erasing the memory of last year's defeat, the Bulls

swept the magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Jordan was now on the verge of completing his quest.

The Bulls, once again, make it to the NBA Finals.

And facing the Seattle Supersonics on the NBA's ultimate stage, he would remove any

remaining doubts that he was, the Michael Jordan, of all.

Michael Jordan is in another time, in another space on another plateau.

And as he led Chicago to victory over Seattle, Michael's comeback was now complete.

And for the fourth time in six years, Jordan rules.

After a two-year absence, the Chicago Bulls have regained the NBA's throne.

It marked the culmination of a journey that had begun with his retirement.

Fittingly and symbolically, it had ended on Father's Day.

I think it was a signal to some degree that he was there with me.

It was a certain emotion that I couldn't really control,

knowing that success of it was had something to do with him.

And that meant a lot to me.

Michael, I know that the first one was sweet, but how much sweeter was this?

Well, you know, I can't even put it in words.

I'm five years old, but he's sweet.

I know he's watching.

This is my daddy.

The greatest NBA players of all time.

He's dressed at so many God-given abilities.

And then his own self-driving, making me even better than that,

is something that takes him off the scale.

He is the most tenacious competitor.

Add that to his physical gifts.

And he has a sense of history and a sense of

what his legacy can be if he keeps pushing it.

There's something compelling about this guy so likable.

So dignified and classy.

And yet with the athletic heart of an assassin.

Tell me I can no longer fly.

I don't want you to.

It's not how hard to push along the way.

It's having something in your finish.

Michael Jordan had regained his place as the NBA's preeminent player.

He had recaptured the title and achieved one of sport's greatest comebacks.

But as usual, he was intent on achieving even more.

Jordan, you're setting it up on shape.

It was just a better way.

M.J.

Oh, how did he get it?

There are Michael Shakespeare's fingers.

He finally got his dumped on Mount Betumbo.

And against the Utah Jazz in the finals, he continued

to display the many different ways he could lead a team.

M.J., top of the circle, against Russell.

Michael.

He did it both well.

He not did it at the buzzer both well.

How many times has he done that?

Following his Game 1 heroics, Jordan would

provide a different kind of drama in Game 5.

We can pass stomach virus.

He would keep the bulls in the game through sheer will and determination.

As a leader, you want to be there for your team.

As long as I'm able to walk and run and shoot, I've always been there sick.

It didn't matter.

With the score tied in the final minute, an exhausted Jordan

would summon his strength and deliver the crushing blow.

Back, Michael.

Open for eight.

Yes!

They lead it.

38 points for the king.

Fucking tag around him with a three.

Yes!

He gave his days unbelievable in the United States.

He made it.

We would appreciate the way that he stepped

on and said the leadership brought that water.

With Michael winning his fifth finals MVP

award, the Bulls captured their fifth title.

But even in their moment of triumph, one question lingered.

How much longer would Jordan play?

Do you think you guys are getting together all again?

A tough question to ask is right now we're just enjoying what we're doing.

Celebrate!

Go ahead and celebrate!

With rumors swirling of his impending retirement, the

1998 season took on an era of finality for Jordan.

Throughout the league, crowds turned out in record

numbers to witness what was dubbed the last dance.

Embracing his role as the game's ambassador, Michael's

popularity had never been higher, and his aura never greater.

He was the focus of attention all season long, and each

night he would leave fans with a performance to remember.

Lots of guys are strong, and lots of guys have

skill, and only one guy has this level of honesty.

At the all-star game in New York, he would capture MVP honors for the third time.

I'm only going to allow him to have his trophy

if he promises to come back and do it again.

And with Michael driving the Bulls, they were

taking aim at yet another NBA championship.

You don't find leaders like that in this game.

You don't find people who want to practice and lead in practice as well as in games.

Though it was to be his final season, he never wavered from his own lofty

standards of excellence, continuing to perform in his incomparable style.

His game is beautiful to watch, not just effective in an athletic sense,

but theatrically he is beautiful.

He has that presence.

There's something about him.

Kettles against Jordan, not the way stolen by Michael.

Then jail the right.

Michael, come on!

I've seen every basket that Michael's made as a professional.

I think you see him do something he's done before.

And then you say, no, this is something he made up, it's different.

I just find myself as a fan, jumping out of my seat.

At the age of 35, Jordan became the oldest player ever to win the league's MVP award.

Capturing the honour for the fifth time.

And in a rematch with Utah in the NBA Finals, he was as spectacular as ever,

bringing the Bulls to the brink of their sixth title of the decade.

But with Chicago leading three games to two, he would

save one of his most remarkable performances for last.

In game six in Utah, the Bulls trailed by three with less than a minute to play.

Facing a critical moment, Michael would add a stirring final chapter to his legend.

Out front to the man, Michael Jordan.

Up top, fake clap, go right, he's there.

Lay it up, score it easily.

Wow.

Throughout his career, he had answered every challenge.

And with his resolve tested once again, Jordan would respond as he had done so hard.

Often before.

Stocked it inside a car, but only double it.

Jordan backs it away from it.

Jordan started.

The Bulls can win it right here.

The Bulls can win it.

Unbelievable.

And now all that remained was to provide the perfect exclamation point.

16 seconds left, bulls down one.

Michael against Russell, 12 seconds.

11, 10, Jordan, Jordan to drive.

Five, eight, fires, yards, eight scores.

The Bulls lead 87-86.

The chip hand, the Bulls have won their sixth

NBA championship in the last eight years.

Oh my God, that was beautiful.

His legend is only on count.

He's been remarkable.

What?

He wanted joy to win.

That may have been the last shot.

Michael Jordan will ever take in the NBA.

I am here to announce my retirement from the game of basketball.

For the second time in his career, Michael Jordan

caps a championship three-peat with retirement.

His poster hangs on walls and remote Chinese villages.

They try to imitate his moves in small town gyms everywhere.

I chose to walk away knowing that I could still play the game.

And that's what I've always wished for my career to end.

That's exactly the way I wanted to end it.

An area I please dream is to have a career like here.

And finish with a championship and make me a last shot.

Michael just seems to have almost a little magic with him.

That's exciting.

It's fun to watch.

And it's stuff that legends are made of.

The way he's carried himself and what he's done for this

sport in general and for people, he's allowed him to dream.

People really didn't want to believe in the man could actually fly.

He gave everyone that belief that for a little bit, maybe they could.

This guy was just an icon.

He's a one man show.

And how much we're going to miss him, you can't even say in words.

I guess what impressed me the most is that he's

determined to be Michael Jordan every night.

I never got the impression that he threw his shoes out

of the sentence uniform out there and took the night off.

In my life, I don't know that I ever saw another athlete with

such a remarkable set of qualities of mind, body and spirit.

He's an American original.

If a friend from Europe comes to me and says, I'm in your country, what do I see?

I would say, well, go to the Grand Canyon and take a river trip down it for a couple

of days and go to Chicago and watch Michael Jordan play.

He's who we are.

We're going and throwing it over.

Oh, he's getting putted in on an amazing goal.

Oh, baby, what a sensational plan.

Look at him fly right through the air.

It's the greatest to me.

He's the

best player in the game today.

Let's go, keep your head in and back again again.

No, it's all right.

Well, back there, no.

Back to the tree.

Michael Jordan, that's a poster.

It's absolutely the best.

You've got to love it.

You've got to love it.

It's greatest NBA player of all time.