NBA: Exploring the 5 biggest ‘what if’ questions in recent history

What if Michael Jordan hadn’t gone off to play baseball?

Another question that NBA fans will probably be asking until the end of time, and this one ties into the GOAT debate. Jordan famously achieved two three-peats with his Chicago Bulls, and in between he went off to play baseball. With that, the question of what he could have achieved had he stayed in the league has hung around, practically with his retirement.

The answer to these questions differ from person to person, but the general consensus is that Jordan would have ended his career with more than just six championship rings. Now whether or not he would’ve won both championships during his first retirement is up to speculation, but that’s the fun in questions like these right?

Jordan missed the entire ’93-’94 season, and the majority of the ’94-’95 season. These missed games meant that the Bulls were not able to win 8 in a row. In both seasons the Houston Rockets were national champions, beating the Knicks and the Magic respectively.

Judging by his performance in the ’92-’93 season, and what little he played of the ’94-’95 season, it’s fair to assume that Jordan would’ve averaged around 30 points a game on 45 percent shooting. With that, his ability, and level of fame we can also guess that the crop of players who left probably would’ve stayed on for these seasons, meaning the Bulls would be playing with the same crew they always had.

Whether or not the Bulls would’ve been able to knock off the Rockets is a whole different question in and of itself, but one thing is for sure, if the Bulls had won 8 straight championships, it would make the GOAT argument that much harder to debate.