Ten years ago, Michael Jordan retired¹ from the Chicago Bulls². At the time, he said he might consider returning to basketball one day. Michael Jordan did return to the game -- not once, but twice. Last month, he retired for the third time. Shep O-Neal reports.

Michael Jordan is widely considered basketball’s best player ever. He became known³ as Air Jordan. He seemed to fly through the air with the ball. He also gained wide notice by helping⁴ to sell products. Businesses paid him tens of millions of dollars.

Michael Jordan attended the University of North Carolina. He joined the Chicago Bulls in nineteen-eighty-four. He led the Bulls to six world championships during his thirteen years with the team.

Michael Jordan first retired from the Bulls in nineteen-ninety-three. He played baseball for a short time, but returned to the team in nineteen-ninety-four. He retired again five years later. He said it was time to do something else. But he could not end his relationship with basketball.

Michael Jordan became president of operations for the Washington⁵ Wizards⁶, the team in the nation"s capital. But the Wizards were not a very good team. So Michael Jordan decided⁷ to help by playing again.

His involvement as a player brought more people to watch the games. But the Wizards did not reach the playoffs in the two years that Michael Jordan played with them.

He plans to continue as president of basketball operations for the Wizards. He says his experience playing with the team will help him in that job. For example, he is in a better position to decide who should play on the team in the future.

Michael Jordan is forty years old now. He says it was fun to be around the young players. He says playing again helped him understand how the game has changed.