"He could easily go back tomorrow and play with the best" - When MJ played in random pickup games during his time away from the NBA in 1994

Michael Jordan enjoyed a fantastic career in the NBA, but it came with a bit of a speed bump in the 1993-94 season. That was because Jordan shockingly retired and announced that he was going to try to become a professional baseball player in the MLB instead.

Michael ended up signing with the Chicago White Sox, and spent a year-and-a-half playing in their minor league system. During that time, MJ kept his basketball skills in tip-top shape, but he did so in a way that may shock many fans.

Michael's interesting strategy to keep his basketball skills up to par

While Jordan’s primary focus was on baseball in 1994, he wasn’t going to totally give up on the sport in which he was largely considered the greatest player of all time. So in case he ever wanted to make a return to the league, Michael decided to play pickup games from time to time.

The thing is that these pickup games weren’t against fellow NBA players, which he surely could have set up if he wanted to. Instead, they were against regular people at local gyms, and he left the folks who he played against flabbergasted with his skills.

“He’s going about 30 percent, but that’s only because he wants to,” said Alex Dubeclet (via Michael Jordan History ), one of the folks who played in this pickup game with Jordan. “He can go to 100 percent just like that in a heartbeat…Everything’s there. He’s playing with us. He could easily go back tomorrow and play with the best.”

It’s a good thing Michael kept his basketball skills in good shape

Jordan didn’t play at all in the 1993-94 campaign, and while he did return in the next season, he only played in 17 regular season games before the Chicago Bulls ended up getting eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Orlando Magic.

Playing against regular people who are just playing pickup games for the love of the sport isn’t nearly as competitive as playing in the NBA, but it didn’t matter to Jordan. Live reps are the most beneficial thing a basketball player can get, and MJ understood that.

Michael wasn’t playing at 100 percent, but simply keeping his feel for the game proved to be vital in helping him return to action without missing a beat for the Bulls. It may seem silly, but it’s fair to suggest this may have been vital in helping Jordan successfully come out of retirement.

While he didn’t immediately win a championship, MJ would go on to win three straight titles before he retired again. Given all that he accomplished during that time, Michael may want to send the guys he went up against some thank you cards for keeping him in basketball shape.

Related: “Take off my number. You’re disrespecting my number!” - Why Michael Jordan gave Cedric Ceballos the business in the Jordan Dome