X

MJ on Pressure of Being Jordan: They Don't 'Quite Understand That It's No Fun'

Megan ArmstrongSenior Analyst IIMay 4, 2020

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan speaks to the media about hosting the NBA All-Star basketball game during a news conference in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Think twice the next time you say you want to be like Mike.

Michael Jordan acknowledged the pressures associated with being him during ESPN's airing of The Last Dance on Sunday night:

ESPN @espn

"I'm ready for getting out of this life. You know when you get to that point. I'm there." Mike knew it was time to retire in 1998 #TheLastDance https://t.co/GnUMgex6XQ

BlueWire @bluewirepods

"A lot of people say they'd like to try and be Michael Jordan for a day or for a week. But I don't think they quite understand that it's no fun." #TheLastDance -Michael Jordan https://t.co/Ue5uOJc3Rc

"This is not one of those lifestyles that you envy," Jordan said.

The Last Dance is a 10-part documentary series re-examining Jordan's and the Chicago Bulls' 1997-98 season, which resulted in the franchise's sixth and final championship in the Jordan era.

Jordan's widespread fame was immediate once he arrived as the Bulls' third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, but it grew dramatically still after Chicago captured its first NBA championship in 1991.

The fifth and sixth episodes on Sunday night explored Jordan's appeal skyrocketing through his Nike partnership, as well as the negative public attention he garnered through gambling:

ESPN @espn

We still want to be Like Mike. #TheLastDance https://t.co/PG1YYFiyTP

br_betting @br_betting

MJ set the record straight 🐐 https://t.co/8YHMaxUTqX

SportsCenter @SportsCenter

"People build you up to tear you down." #TheLastDance https://t.co/XB1yCHHHU8

Jordan announced his second retirement from the NBA following the 1998 NBA Finals, in which the Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz 4-2. The 57-year-old Hall of Famer returned for two seasons with the Washington Wizards from 2001-03 before retiring for good.