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Behind the Scenes of Michael Jordan's First Retirement

In 1993, Michael Jordan shocked the sports world when he announced that he was done with the NBA at just 30 years old. Sports Illustrated is opening up the SI Vault and examining its most consequential work about moments like this one that defined the most legendary athletes in sports through its new podcast, The Record.

In the first episode, host Jon Wertheim and correspondent Jessica Smetana revisit that fateful day and the peculiar circumstances surrounding Jordan's decision, and dive into the October 18, 1993 article about his abrupt retirement from basketball, written by longtime SI writer Jack McCallum and titled, The Desire Isn't There.