Michael Jordan's quest to make the big leagues is about to become reality. The twist is he'll get there by returning to the game he dominated instead of the one he dabbled in, a source told The Associated Press.
"He's done with baseball," the source said. "He's going to play basketball."Chicago White Sox minor leaguer Charles Poe is quoted in The Chicago Sun-times today as saying Jordan said goodbye to his baseball teammates last week in Sarasota, Fla.
"I was begging him to come back," Poe said. "He said, `I love you all, but I've got to move on.' He said he was done with baseball. I asked him if he was sure, and he said, `Yeah, I'm not coming back.' "
Jordan practiced with the Chicago Bulls for a third straight session earlier Thursday, fueling speculation that a return to the NBA and the team he led to three consecutive championships was imminent.
"It sounds good - a guy retires for a year and a half, comes back . . . it could go on and on if you win," former teammate B.J. Armstrong said. "Quite a story."
But a source close to Jordan, speaking on the condition he not be identified, said it was more than a story.
He said the three-time MVP, who retired suddenly about a month before the 1993-94 season, had not settled on an exact timetable for his return. Though his baseball career has kept him in shape, Jordan wants to improve his overall conditioning and hone his shooting touch before deciding on an exact return date.
"It won't be tonight, tomorrow or the next day," the source said. "But it will be soon. . . . He's going to take a couple of weeks to tune up."
NBA spokesman John Maroon said there would be no league obstacles to Jordan rejoining the Bulls.
The Bulls have not addressed questions about his return and it was unclear how he would fit under the team's salary cap. Jordan has two years remaining on a contract reportedly paying him $4 million a year. His agent, David Falk, was out of his Washington office and was not returning telephone calls.
"There are still a few pieces to fall into place," the source said. "He won't rush back to improve the (team's) playoff position. It doesn't matter to him as much whether they play the No. 1 or 2 seed as whether he's in real good shape."
After the Bulls' two-hour practice, Jordan drove off in his Range Rover without comment. And spokesmen for the Bulls, the Chicago White Sox and Jordan's agent said no announcement was forthcoming, although ESPN also reported Thursday that Jordan was returning.
Bulls coach Phil Jackson said he and Jordan had discussed a return to basketball about the time training camp opened last fall.
"He and I spoke about this possibility happening last September and October. It's a reality . . . but it's still not a reality. So we're not pinning any hopes and we're not trying to throw up a balloon or a kite that's not ready to fly."
While several players expressed a desire to see Jordan come back, former Bulls assistant coach John Bach said he would be setting himself up for a big fall.
"I'll be very disappointed if he tries to come back," said Bach, now an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets. "He has to try to return as the greatest player in the game. He was the top scorer, he was the top player, he won three championships. What else could he do?"
Jordan, 32, led the Bulls to NBA titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He then shocked the sports world on Oct. 6, 1993, retiring with a 32.3-point scoring average, the best in league history. Jordan said he had "reached the pinnacle," had nothing left to prove and just wanted to "watch the grass grow."
What he didn't say is that he planned to watch it grow from the outfield of a baseball stadium. A few months into retirement, he announced he was trying to play baseball with the Chicago White Sox, also owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Jordan, who hadn't played baseball since high school, batted .202 at Double-A Birmingham last season. He went to spring training hoping to move up to Triple-A Nashville this season, but the major league players' strike left him in limbo and he returned to Chicago.
He missed one deadline for reporting to minor league camp in Sarasota, Fla. General manager Ron Schueler said Thursday that if Jordan didn't report by Saturday, "I'd guess that he'd be retired."
Jordan had practiced with the Bulls a few times before spring training without drawing much attention.
"The reason we've always encouraged him to come back to practice is because he's got a knack for elevating the play on the court," Jackson said. "That leadership is evident, regardless of whether his shooting touch - which is not there - is on or not."
Some ex-adversaries would find that hard to believe.
"I have no doubt he can come back," said Reggie Miller, Indiana's superb shooting guard. "I know he can."
Jordan left the White Sox's camp March 2 after they split their team into players who would compete in exhibition games and those who wouldn't. Jordan, who said from the start of spring training that he wouldn't be a replacement player, cleaned out his locker and flew back to Chicago the next day.
Reinsdorf offered few clues on Jordan's actions. He was attending the owners' baseball meetings Thursday in Palm Beach, Fla.
"I haven't talked to Michael. I like him with the White Sox or the Bulls. Whatever makes him happy," Reinsdorf said, "I'm for."