This podcast contains explicit language.

We do this again the second time.

I was telling my wife, coming down,

felt like I was getting married.

The familiar baritone voice you just heard belongs to Michael Jordan.

It's January 13th, 1999,

and he's in a crowded room at the United Center, home of the NBA's Chicago Bulls.

I am here to announce my retirement from the game of basketball. It won't be another announcement to baseball or anything to that nature.

This winter afternoon in Chicago felt like it was really, truly the end. Jordan's first

retirement in 1993 had been a hastily organized affair. He was 30 then, coming off of an exhausting

third straight championship run. He was also mourning the recent murder of his father, James,

and had been dogged by rumors about his gambling habit. That 1993 season

had been a hellish experience. He'd needed a break to go play baseball and to clear his head.

Jordan came back to the Bulls after 15 months off, and he'd win three more championships.

He got the last one by nailing a game-winning jumper over Utah's Brian Russell.

It was the perfect ending. Jordan's legacy was secure. This second retirement ceremony was different,

more polished, more of a Michael Jordan production. He came to the dais with his wife, Juanita,

NBA Commissioner David Stern, and Bulls owner Jerry Rinesdorf.

Jordan was now nearly 36, coming off of his second three-peat. This time, he didn't just need

some time off. I'm at peace with a lot of those things. I know, you know, from a career standpoint,

I've accomplished everything I could as an individual.

And right now I don't have the mental challenges that I've had in the past to proceed as a basketball player.

...