Michael Jordan was close to signing with the Knicks

The Chicago Tribune at the time dropped the bomb, according to which Michael Jordan had convinced himself to sign with the New York Knicks during the free agency 1996. Despite his almost two years in baseball, MJ still received money from the Bulls, with whom he had signed an eight-year 25 million contract before the 1988/89 season. When he returned during the 1994/95 season, therefore, that contract was still valid.

In the summer of ’95 the Knicks were ready to offer an annual 25 million and Jordan seemed ready to accept, also because in the past he had declared that he and Ewing would certainly have brought the title in the Big Apple. After several calls between Krause and Reinsdorf, the Bulls leadership had only one hour left to respond to that proposal: Chicago eventually put a 30 million contract on the plate, which MJ signed.

Many say it was just a game of Michael Jordan and his agent to raise the Bulls offer, but the Knicks offer seems to have really arrived. We believe that nobody will ever know the truth.