Michael Jordan is synonymous with the number 23. He's made it one of the most popular two-digit numbers in all of sports, not just basketball. It seems like every time we see an athlete now wear the number 23, more often than not, it's probably because of Jordan's stamp and inspiration to his/her career and life.
But for those who followed Jordan's career closely, they would know that there was a brief stint when he wore the number 45, as awkward as it may sound and look. So why did MJ wear No. 45?
It all started when he was a kid growing up in North Carolina, playing competitive one-on-one basketball with his older brother, Larry. Larry, being 11 months older than Michael, was a little more talented and constantly won their backyard matchups.
Both young Jordans loved the number 45, donning this number in their respective jerseys. Both attended Emsley A. Laney High School in North Carolina. When Michael was a sophomore, he tried out for the varsity basketball team but his height was a wee bit of a problem. Standing just 5-foot-11, Michael was cut as he was deemed too short to make it to the team.
Larry, on the other hand, made it to the 15-man roster and chose No. 45 as his jersey number. The young Michael was sent to the junior varsity team where he put up incredible numbers as the team's star. Guess what — he also wore 45.
The year after, Michael grew four inches and eventually made the varsity team. Since Larry was wearing No. 45, Michael had a curveball of an idea for his jersey number. He took 45, divided it by two and rounded up 22.5 to 23. He stuck to it ever since, wearing 23 in his last two years in Laney High, his three years in University of North Carolina and eventually his first 10 years in the NBA.
In October 1993, Michael announced what would be his first retirement from basketball after a historic three-peat run with the Chicago Bulls. He stated that he had lost the desire to play the sport after the tragic death of his father in July of that same year. The Bulls organization decided to retire Jordan's No. 23 one month after he retired.
Jordan took a break from basketball and tried to pursue one of his childhood dreams of playing professional baseball. Consequently, the Bulls struggled without Jordan, bowing out of the 1994 playoffs in the second round. The team's struggles continued the following season, tallying a 31-31 record as the 1995 Playoffs were approaching.
After a somewhat forgettable stint in Minor League Baseball, Jordan shocked the basketball world with two words, “I'm back,” ending his 18-month hiatus from the NBA. He returned to the Bulls and tried to salvage their season, pushing them right back to playoff contention. This was the first time that the world was able to see Jordan donning No. 45 for the Bulls.
In his book, he wrote: “When I came back, I didn't want to play in the last number that my father had seen me wear. Because he wasn't around, I thought of my return as a new beginning.”
Jordan spearheaded the team to the second round of the playoffs and met the Orlando Magic. After bowing down to the Magic on Game 1, Jordan decided to drop No. 45 and switched back to 23 after a lot of criticisms and comparisons with his new and old self. He exploded in Game 2, dropping 38 points but Chicago eventually lost to Orlando in six games.
Jordan wearing No. 45 with the Bulls only lasted for 22 games. He never looked back from then on and grabbed three more titles wearing 23.
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