Two-sport pro athletes are a rarity.
So it only makes sense that when Michael Jordan walked away from his life as the world’s greatest basketball player in pursuit of a career in pro baseball, he looked to two of the few who had done it for inspiration.
Both Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders managed to succeed at NFL football and Major League Baseball. Jackson’s major league career lasted from 1986 to 1994, including time with the White Sox. Simultaneously, he played four seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders, from 1987 to 1990. Sanders played in the NFL from 1989 to 2005, concurrently logging parts of nine seasons in the big leagues.
When Jordan showed up to spring training with the White Sox in 1994, he gave those two guys a shoutout.
“Well, I got this whole idea from Bo, from Deion, the guys who made that transition to play two sports,” he said. “I always wanted to play baseball, and I kicked myself for not playing in college when I had an opportunity to play in college. I was just hoping I’d get that opportunity again, and I have.
“They gave me the motivation to at least try it. I’ve seen the hard work that Bo’s gone through with his hip (injury) and successful achievement that he’s gotten overcoming that hip (injury). I worked with Herm (Schneider, White Sox trainer), who really worked with Bo, and he’s really gotten me into tip-top shape to at least try it and learn. So I feel like I’m right on schedule with that, physically.”
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Jordan never did accomplish what either of those guys did, playing just one season of minor league baseball. Jackson was a human highlight reel during his major league career, which lasted only eight seasons but featured an All-Star appearance and a top-10 finish in MVP voting in 1989. Sanders, though he was a much more accomplished football player and never played anywhere close to a full big league schedule, routinely posted solid numbers and led the majors in triples in 1992.
Jordan’s detour to baseball didn’t last long, and he returned to the Bulls to win three more championships in the NBA. Though he’s considered by many the greatest athlete ever, he never did what Jackson and Sanders did: reach the highest level in two sports.
For more behind-the-scenes tales from Michael Jordan's baseball career, listen to this recent edition of the White Sox Talk Podcast.
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