Michael Jordan and the No. 23 are synonymous, but he famously wore No. 45 when he returned from his first retirement in 1995.
When he retired in 1993, Jordan talked about how meaningful it was that his father saw him play his last game. Jordan’s father died in August of 1993.
Jordan talked about why he wore No. 45 when he returned in the spring of 1995 in Episode 8 of “The Last Dance.”
“I didn’t want to wear 23 because I knew my father wasn’t there to watch me and I felt it was a new beginning and 45 was my first number when I was playing in high school,” Jordan said.