What is the Reason for Michael Jordan's #45 Jersey in 1995?

Many of the basketball fans of today, regardless of the age, best know Michael Jordan as arguably the greatest player of all-time to have worn the number 23 jersey and that even made some of the best players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) chose that number as their jersey number. What is unknown to others is that His Royal Airness actually wore other jersey numbers all throughout his well-documented career in the NBA that saw him retire thrice. While there's the one time when Michael Jordan's #23 jersey was stolen prior to a game against the Orlando Magic which forced him to wear #12 jersey, perhaps nothing came as controversial as his switch from number 23 to 45 in 1995 upon returning to the NBA after his first retirement in 1993.

When Michael Jordan shocked everyone else when he announced that he was retiring from the NBA right after winning his first three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, many were asking: Why was he retiring at a time when he was at the top of the mountain?

His Royal Airness explained that the reason for his abrupt retirement back then was that he already lost his desire to play professional basketball but eventually, he added that the sudden death of his father who was shot dead in what many initially thought was a robbery case, ultimately pushed towards making the decision to walk away from the NBA. He then proceeded to say that he would play in the Minor Baseball League as baseball is something that he and his late father were passionate about.

In 1995, His Royal Airness made his return to the NBA but he was wearing a different jersey number: the number 45.

According to Jordan himself, he chose #45 because that was the number he used to wear when he was in high school and that, that was the same number that his brother, Larry, wore when the latter was still playing. He also used #45 during his short baseball career. More importantly, Jordan said that one of the main reasons why he chose #45 over #23 was that #23 was his jersey number that he was wearing when his father last saw him play. He was hoping that he could get a fresh restart in his NBA career and that included wearing different a jersey number. Unfortunately, #45 only lasted for 22 games in the 1995-1996 season after the Bulls lost a game in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks and Nick Anderson who stole the ball from #45 which enabled the Knicks to seal the deal in that game, said in his post-game interview that he could have never stolen the ball from MJ wearing the #23. 

That mid-season jersey switch cost Jordan and the Bulls a hefty amount of money as the league imposed a 25,000 Dollar-fine for every game that Jordan didn't wear #45. In the end, the Bulls spent a total of 100,000 Dollars just because Michael Jordan chose to wear a different number after 22 games. 

In the end, Michael Jordan went on to complete his second three-peat with the Bulls and the Bulls went on to retire the #23 jersey but regardless of how insignificant that number switch was for some, we shouldn't forget about #45 either. One way or another, that, too, is a part of the greatness that is Michael Jordan. 

Photo is from Republic World