Tom Brady Says He Was in Awe of Michael Jordan, Talks Retirement with ESPN

After winning his third NBA championship last season, LeBron James said the only thing motivating him was his chase of unseating Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player to live.

Tom Brady apparently has a similar goal—only his is to usurp Jordan as the greatest athlete in U.S. sports history.

"I was in awe of Michael Jordan," Brady told ESPN.com's Ian O'Connor, "and I still am in awe of what he was and what he meant. ... He was such an effortless player. He put a lot of effort in, but there's an art and a beauty to the way he played the game. That was a very inspiring thing."

Brady, who turns 40 in August, won his fifth Super Bowl in February by engineering the greatest comeback in the game's history in a 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He holds nearly every Super Bowl record for quarterbacks, and the fifth ring all but clinched he'll retire as the greatest player to play his position.

Despite accomplishing nearly everything he's set out to on the football field, Brady has no plans of retirement. He has consistently stated he plans to play into his mid-40s and told O'Connor he's even considered playing as he inches closer to 50.  

"I always said my mid-40s," Brady said of retirement, "and naturally that means around 45. If I get there and I still feel like I do today, I don't see why I wouldn't want to continue."

Brady has been on record saying his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, preferred he would have retired after the Patriots' Super Bowl win. Now, however, it appears she's on board with him playing for as long as he desires. 

"She wants me to do that, too," Brady said. "She also wants me to take good care of myself and still have my energy. My kids have grown up faster than I thought."

Jordan, of course, won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. If it weren't for a year-and-a-half dalliance with baseball, perhaps Jordan could have won more rings. He retired for a third time in 2003 after a two-year stint with the Washington Wizards, going down as one of the most important athletes in American sports history.

Brady says the chase of a sixth title—in a sense matching Jordan—motivates him. 

"The great part is the next one for me is No. 6," Brady said, "and I'm not on No. 1. I'm trying to reach No. 6 and I'm on No. 5. If I got to No. 6, that would have great meaning to me. It's not trying to keep up with my idols. It's not Magic, Jeter, Mariano [Rivera], Kobe, Duncan, guys more my age who I always admired. I just want to win because I owe it to my teammates. I'm working this year like I have none, and hopefully it results in a magical season."

The interview also included Brady acknowledging that Jimmy Garoppolo could one day unseat him in New England, which he understands is part of the team sport concept. Garoppolo is heading into the final season of his rookie contract and has been Brady's backup for the last three seasons.