Michael Jordan's final conversation with his dad before his tragic death prompted his decision to retire and play baseball

• Michael Jordan was fresh off three consecutive NBA championships when, in 1993, he shocked the world by announcing his retirement from basketball.
• In the seventh episode of "The Last Dance" — the 10-part ESPN documentary series about Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls — His Airness revealed the motivation behind his decision to walk away.
• Jordan said his final conversation with his dad, James Jordan, before his tragic death was them "debating about me playing baseball," so he left the NBA to fulfill his father's dream.
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In 1993, Michael Jordan shocked the world.

Fresh off of three consecutive NBA Finals victories — and three consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards — Jordan announced his retirement from basketball.

There was much speculation about why His Airness would walk away from the court during the height of his career. From whispers about gambling issues to rumors about secret NBA suspensions, no one was entirely sure what was behind his decision.

But in the seventh episode of "The Last Dance" — the 10-part ESPN documentary series about Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls — the GOAT revealed his motivation to quit the game that had made him a legend.

Jordan said his final conversation with his beloved father — who was murdered in the summer of 1993 — was about whether or not he should stop playing basketball to pursue a different career path.

"We were debating, me and him, we were debating about me playing baseball," Jordan said. "'I wanna go play baseball. I'm thinking about retiring and I wanna go play baseball.' And... he was saying 'Do it, do it' because he got me started in baseball."

So he did. A few months after his father's death, Jordan told the Chicago Bulls' leadership — including franchise owner Jerry Reinsdorf — that he wanted to step away to try his luck on the baseball diamond.

"It was always his father's dream that he be a baseball player, and so I didn't try to talk him out of it," Reinsdorf said. "But I said to him 'playing baseball is a lot harder than you think it is.'"

He spent a year playing outfield for the minor league Birmingham Barons before an MLB lockout brought him back to the hardwood.

But even though his professional baseball career was shortlived, those close to Jordan weren't entirely surprised that he went in that direction.

"He always loved playing baseball," Jordan's brother, Larry, said during "The Last Dance." "We thought we were going to be Major League Baseball players, me and him growing up as kids."

"He loves baseball and his father always wanted him to play baseball," Ahmad Rashad added.

• Read more:
• How Steve Kerr went from a role player on Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls to building a dynasty of his own as head coach of the Golden State Warriors
• Charles Barkley said facing off against Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals was 'the first time in my life that I felt like there was a better basketball player in the world than me'
• Kobe Bryant credited Michael Jordan's advice for helping him win five championships with the Lakers in emotional appearance in 'The Last Dance'
• Michael Jordan once trolled Diana Taurasi for a year after the WNBA icon missed a free throw at his summer camp