Michael Jordan, the man who defined greatness on the hardwood, has officially hung up his sneakers—possibly for good.
In a candid, deeply personal sit-down with Mike Tirico for “NBA on NBC,” the six-time NBA champion dropped a revelation that had fans doing a double take: he hasn’t picked up a basketball in years. Not to shoot around. Not to relive old glory. Not even for fun.
This is Michael Jordan, the player who made the impossible look routine, who built an empire on fadeaways, buzzer-beaters, and championship rings. And now, he’s quietly stepped away—not just from the spotlight, but from the very ball that made him a global icon.
It’s not out of bitterness or regret. In fact, Jordan still loves the game. “Love it like you wouldn’t believe,” he told Tirico. But his distance is intentional. He’s not watching game film, not dunking on old clips of himself, not sneaking in free throws in the driveway. He’s living a different kind of life now—one with golf tees instead of tip-offs. But oh, that one free throw.
In what felt like a scene from a movie, Jordan recalled a nerve-wracking moment during a Ryder Cup weekend. He was staying at a rental home, and the homeowner asked him to shoot a single free throw in front of his grandkids.
The GOAT, the man who thrived under pressure in packed arenas, admitted that was the most nervous he’d been in years. Not game seven, not the Flu Game. A driveway shot in front of a couple of kids.
“That made my whole week,” Jordan said, beaming with that unmistakable pride. For him, it wasn’t about proving he still had it—it was about giving a little piece of that magic to someone else.
Now at 62, Jordan is choosing peace over performance. He acknowledged that the grind of his career took time away from his family, and these days, he’s not looking to risk an injury just to chase a memory.
“It’s better for me to be sitting here talking to you as opposed to popping my Achilles and I’m in a wheelchair for a while,” he said with a grin.
Still, that fire burns. That competitiveness never really leaves. And while the court may be quiet, the legend of Michael Jordan keeps echoing—loud, proud, and untouchable.
