Jordan says goodbye again

CHICAGO (AP) -- Michael Jordan couldn't say goodbye without one last tiny, tantalizing tidbit of hope for everyone who thought it was a little too early for the greatest athlete in the world to call it quits.

Declaring himself "99.9 percent" retired, Jordan bid farewell Wednesday to the Chicago Bulls, the NBA and the game that made him the quintessential superstar and a millionaire many times over.

"I never say never, but it's 95, 99.9 percent," Jordan said. ``I'm very secure with my decision."

He's just not 100 percent sure that this retirement, his second, will be his last.

Jordan's hedge was about the only unexpected event to transpire at his retirement press conference, which was held at center court of the arena where his No. 23 was once again raised to the rafters.

Jordan sat alongside his wife, Juanita, with commissioner David Stern and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf flanking him, and kept his poise and composure except for the brief moment when his eyes got watery watching his number being re-retired.

"I knew it was coming, so I'm happy that I chose to walk away knowing I can still play the game," Jordan said. "And that's exactly how I've always wanted my career to end."

Saying he is content with his accomplishments and his place in the game and is looking forward to a new life, Jordan noted that the NBA will go on without him - even though he knows there will never be another one like him.

He also took a few parting shots at many of his rivals, saying the likes of Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone will never have the satisfaction of saying they won a championship while Jordan was playing.

"That's why I was so glad that Magic (Johnson) played and (Larry) Bird played when I won my titles, because I had to go through Boston and L.A.," he said. "They won't be able to live with themselves because they never beat Michael Jordan, and I will always hold that in high regard when I see those guys socially."

As for the younger generation, he said none of them could match what he accomplished.

And he wasn't only talking about the six championships, five MVP awards, 10 scoring titles and the endless accolades.

"You can be a Grant Hill, you can be an Anfernee Hardaway, you can be a Kobe Bryant, but Michael Jordan is Michael Jordan," he said.

Jordan looked dapper as always, wearing a dark blue suit and a gold earring dangling from his left lobe. The only thing that looked out of place was the bandage wrapped around his right index finger.

Jordan said he severed a tendon while cutting a cigar, an injury that needs surgery and would have sidelined him for the first two months of the season had he not retired.

The injury had no bearing on his decision, which he said he made several months ago, but waited to announce until the lockout ended.

"Mentally, I'm exhausted. I don't feel I have a challenge. Physically, I feel great," the 35-year-old Jordan said. "This is a perfect time for me to walk away from the game."

Asked if there was any chance at all that he might one day change his mind, Jordan couldn't completely turn his back on the game that turned him into a worldwide icon and made him a millionaire many times over.

"Ninety-nine point-nine is as you read it. It's not really 100 percent, but it's close. So that's where I stand. I'm not going to say `never, never.' I'll say 99.9. Take it for what it's worth."

Pressed on why he wouldn't say 100 percent, Jordan shot back: "Because it's my 1 percent and not yours."

Jordan, who has three children, said he looked forward to being a parent and would "live vicariously through my kids," whether or not they played basketball.

"My life will take a change," said Jordan, adding that he also will tend to his many business interests. He made an estimated $45 million a year from endorsements as a player, although that number could shrink if he stays away from the game.

He prefaced his retirement remarks with words of condolence for the family of a Chicago police officer who was killed in the line of duty, then went on to thank Stern and Reinsdorf for the chance to play a game he so loved.

"I thought about saying two words - `I'm gone' - but I owe the fans and the media more than that," he said.

"It's tough. I'm doing a good job of trying to hold back the emotions because it's like taking away something that I truly have loved. I started when I was 12 years old, I'm 36 next month, so for 24 years I've been playing the game. It's sad that I'm leaving the game, but it's happy because my life is starting to go into a whole other stage."

Added his wife: "I see Michael doing a lot more carpooling."

Jordan became emotional as his No. 23 banner - the same one that was hung in the United Center during his first retirement - was raised, forcing a smile to keep the tears that welled in his eyes from rolling down his cheeks.

"Well this a day that I think I hoped would never come," Reinsdorf said. "It has to be the toughest day in the history of the Chicago Bulls. It's a tough day for Chicago, it's a tough day for the NBA, it's a tough day for basketball fans all over the world and for Michael Jordan fans all over the world."

But is it really the end?

Why did he say 99.9 percent?

"Get off of it," Stern said. ``He's not coming back.''

Maybe not.

But combine Jordan with the tiniest bit of wiggle room, and - just like countless opponents have learned through the years - one never knows.