Posted on 09/10/2001 7:22:11 PM PDT by Texaggie79
CHICAGO (AP) -- Michael Jordan all but confirmed Monday he would return to play in the NBA and said the world will know for sure within 10 days.
In a 30-minute conversation with Associated Press columnist Jim Litke, and reporters for the Chicago Sun-Times and cnnsi.com, Jordan said the news conference to announce his decision would be held in Washington, D.C., by the middle of next week.
Asked whether he was definitely coming back, Jordan smiled slyly. A moment later, he looked up and said, ``I'm doing it for the love of the game. Nothing else. For the love the game.''
Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six championships, has worked out all summer preparing for the expected comeback with the Washington Wizards. He is president of basketball operations for the team and a part owner, meaning he has to divest his ownership under NBA rules before returning to the court.
Jordan has tested himself and his game repeatedly in scrimmages against top-caliber NBA players, with league referees officiating. The only question remaining is whether the tendinitis in his right knee would limit his effectiveness.
Jordan, however, said the knee was sound. If it remains that way over the next few days, he said, ``I'll be ready to go.''
This would be the second comeback for the 38-year-old Jordan.
He stunned the basketball world by retiring in October 1993, saying he had nothing left to prove in basketball and wanted to give baseball a try. He played a season of Double-A ball for the Chicago White Sox team in Birmingham, Ala., but returned to the Bulls in March 1995.
In the half-hour conversation on a curb outside his restaurant, Jordan dropped the conditional tense for the first time since acknowledging in April that he was serious about coming back.
``I want to play for years,'' he said.
But Jordan made clear he wasn't coming back to fulfill any expectations but his own. ``Winning isn't always championships. What's wrong with helping kids find their way, teaching them the game.''
OUCH!
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