|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
He's back -- again Jordan will return to the NBA 'for the love of the game'
Updated: Monday September 10, 2001 10:55 PM
CHICAGO -- Michael Jordan still loves this game. And he's about to prove it. In a half-hour conversation on the curb outside Hoops the Gym on Monday, Jordan all but confirmed that he'll be coming out of retirement again. Jordan told our little group, which also included reporters from The Associated Press and the Chicago Sun-Times, that his knees felt fine and, barring any flare-up of the tendinitis he's battled recently, he's coming back. Jordan said he was moving up on his performance scale. He said he was a 7 1/2, maybe an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. "I'm winning games," he said with a smile.Jordan added that there's a mechanism in place for a news conference to announce his return in Washington, D.C., sometime in the next 10 days.
To those skeptics who questioned if the six-time NBA champion could accept playing with a losing franchise such as the Wizards, Jordan said he'd "matured" and come to learn that "winning isn't always about championships." He explained that winning could be defined in many ways. "It doesn't always have to be the scoreboard at the end of the game," he said. Although it seems unlikely that Jordan's competitive nature would allow him to settle for less than a title, he admitted, "Sometimes making the playoffs is like winning the championship." He sees this return as an example to others, especially young people, that chasing dreams is worthwhile, even if it doesn't result in achieving your final goal. "What's wrong with helping young kids find their way?" Jordan asked. When asked why he was coming back, Jordan responded: "For the love of the game, nothing else." After the half-hour conversation, Jordan got up and turned to get in his car. He left us with, "You guys got your story."
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
