To this very day, critics continue to questions Michael Jordan's decision to give up one year of his prime during his hiatus, opting to pursue a rather short-lived career in baseball during the 1993-94 season. There are some who believe that the Chicago Bulls could have kept on winning the championship — and perhaps even going eight straight — if Jordan never left.

Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf talked about this issue during an interview in the latest episode of The Last Dance. According to the 84-year-old billionaire, he thinks that despite the heavy criticisms Jordan took during his baseball stint, he actually had a legitimate shot at going pro.

“In my opinion, if Michael Jordan had stayed with baseball, he would've gotten to the major leagues,” Reinsdorf said.

Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a minor-league affiliate of MLB outfit Chicago White Sox. The Hall of Famer played in only one season with the Barons and never really got a legitimate shot at making the major leagues. According to Reinsdorf though, His Airness was more than capable of going pro.

Entering baseball as the greatest basketball player in the planet at that time, the odds were stacked against MJ. The expectations were so high that not even his above-average level of play with the Barons gained any praise — quite the contrary actually.

Reinsdorf might be right with his claim, but there's also no denying that he was more than happy to take Michael Jordan back to the Bulls after his baseball stint.