In October 1993, Michael Jordan did the unthinkable.?Just four months removed from leading the Chicago Bulls to their third-consecutive NBA championship, the 30-year-old walked away from the game. Not only did this shocking event leave a gaping hole in the Bulls' starting lineup, it opened the door for other teams to thrive without MJ blocking their path. In the wake of Jordan's first retirement, the New York Knicks were finally able to conquer Chicago in the playoffs. Furthermore, Jordan's absence gave rise to young teams like the Shaq and Penny Hardaway-led Orlando Magic, and the Houston Rockets won the first of back-to-back titles while His Airness toiled away in minor league baseball purgatory. The NBA's brief identity crisis ended on March 18, 1995, with a famous faxed statement from Jordan himself: "I'm Back."Twenty-four hours later?20 years to the day?Jordan played in his first NBA game in nearly two years. The struggling Bulls lost 103-96 to the Indiana Pacers, but Jordan's presence helped push them to the second round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs. Although they were dispatched by the Finals-bound Magic, Jordan's first playoff exit since 1990 propelled the Bulls to a record-setting season the following year, as well as the beginning of another three-peat.?On the 20th anniversary of Jordan's first return to the NBA, Triangle Offense's Julian Kimble and What the F*** Is Michael Jordan Wearing? creator Aaron Horton discuss the moment and its reverberations.JulianAaronreallyJulianAaronGod-awful jerseysJulianAaronJulianAaronJulianAaronJulianThis
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