It would be a dark 1993-’94 NBA season as the most exhilarating player in the game, Michael Jordan, announced his retirement on October 6, 1993.

It shocked the world that arguably the greatest player in history, and certainly the most impactful, would be hanging it up for good. He had just won three NBA championships in a row. Why would Jordan retire now?

Truth is, his father was murdered only a few months earlier in August during a carjacking. Jordan and his father were extremely close and the death devastated him.

He would leave the game with his image splattered across the entire NBA and sports world via the Nike logo for “Air Jordan.” It would be another year and a half before Jordan would return to basketball and go on to win three more championships for a total of six altogether.