Kobe claims he didn't know who Michael Jordan was until he was 13-years old.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: How do you say b*ll Sh*t in Italian?

It's the offseason- lets talk about how great Michael Jordan was. 

HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: Even in his final season on a bad team on bad knees, Jordan never fell off.

He may have been the best baller to of all time, but it's no secret Michael Jordan has never been the most fashionable.

Hoopsvibe's quick call:  You don't have to be the best dressed to ball the hardest.

XX8's push the limits of balling fashion.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: I kind of want to make fun of them and get myself a pair at the same time. Is that hypocritical?

On 1/13/99, Michael Jordan retired from the NBA for a second time.

HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: He just kept "playing with our emotions", like Smokey from the movie Friday.

MJ's first retirement took place on on 10/6/93 and was a complete shock. No one could believe that Jordan, at the top of his game (leading the NBA the previous season in both scoring and steals), was serious. But after the murder of his father, he decided to make the move to professional baseball. Jordan famously came back a year later and won the NBA title in three straight seasons for the second time.

Jordan's retirement in 1999 was again surprising considering the level his game was at (leading the league in scoring with 28.7 ppg), but not surprising considering the state the Bulls were in at the time. Jerry Krause was hell bent on tearing apart the team and rebuilding. Phil Jackson's contract was up and everyone knew he wouldn't be renewed, as was the same for Dennis Rodman, while Scottie Pippen forced his way out via trade demand.

But perhaps as impactful as any other factor, the NBA was mired in a lockout, which would limit the upcoming season to just 50 games. So MJ would've had to come back and play without Pippen, Rodman, or Phil Jackson, while also missing several other key components of the championship squad who were either dealt or released. In a lot of ways, Jordan's back was against the wall; it was time for him to do something else.

Eventually, Jordan would return to the NBA almost three years later for his final act and what is potentially his most impressive feat; During the 2002-03 season, Michael Jordan turned  40 years old.

It wasn’t like MJ was only playing 20 minutes a game, hanging on even though his physical skills had disappeared. That season he played 37 mpg, second on the team only to Jerry Stackhouse. He was also second in points to Stackhouse (20.0 ppg), second in rebounding (6.1rpg), fourth in assists (3.8 apg) and first in steals (1.5 spg). He was even fourth on the team in blocks, of all things with 0.5 bpg. He was also the only Wizards player to appear in all 82 games, starting 67 of them.

That season he averaged 18.6 shots per game which was the second lowest of his career and a full four shots less per game than his career average of 22.9. Jordan scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times. Though it wasn’t rare for us to see MJ score 40+ throughout his career, the three games of 40+ represent the only times in NBA history a player over 40 years old has ever  scored that many points.

Regardless of how you feel about his time as a Wizard, Jordan's second retirement marked the end of an era for the league because it was a symbolic ending to those great Bulls teams of the 90's.

Top 5 Ways Michael Jordan earns more today than when he played in the NBA.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: With ballers going broke left, right, and center, MJ shows us all how branding is king for long term success.

Some ballers go broke soon after retirement, but Michael Jordan actually earns more today than while he was in the NBA. Jordan brought in an estimated $80 million last year and has a net worth close to $650 million. Some are already speculating that he could be the first former NBA player to become a billionare. Here's the breakdown of the Top 5 revenue channels for MJ.

1. The Jordan Brand. This is the golden egg. It is a division of Nike that remains hugely profitable and massively influential. In 1984 MJ originally signed a 5-year $500,000 contract with Nike, plus royalties. Last year this was worth an estimated $60 million. Yikes, that's some serious return. The Jordan brand deserves it though dominating 71 percent of the basketball shoe market in 2012.

2. Earnings from play for Bulls: This is a relatively small part of the MJ empire. If you total up all the money Jordan made for actually playing basketball it totals $93.7 million of his roughly $650 million in net worth.

3. Charlotte Bobcats: This investment has actually lost MJ money, but he double downed on it last year and upped his ownership to 80 percent of the Bobcats. Now that he is the majority owner, if MJ can turn this team around this could be a hugely profitable portion of his portfolio. It Charlotte do become a relatively successful team it would likely make Jordan a billionaire. 

4. Hanes, Gatorade, Upper Deck Endorsements: These round up to just under $20 million. MJ remains the most identifiable athlete in the world and uses that status to his advantage as Mr. Endorsement. His long-standing relationships with these companies continue to garner top dollar in the market. 

5. Restaurants: You're hardly a celebrity unless you own at least a couple restaurants. Michael Jordan Steakhouses are in New York, Connecticut, and Chicago. These are a relatively small drop in the MJ portfolio, but just go to show the diversification in the many channels of his income.

For more info, updates, and dirty filthy NBA gossip follow @HoopsVibe.

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I hate spreading gossip about any NBA baller, especially Michael Jordan, because he's my favorite athlete of all time, but the fact of the matter is...

Hoopsvibe's quick call:  The Airman could be facing a paternity suit.

17 years ago today, MJ became just the tenth player in NBA history to eclipse the 24,000 point plateau.

HoopsVibe Very Quick Call: Another day at the office, another milestone for Michael Jordan at that point in his career.

Who'd have thought at the time, that 17 years later to the day, he'd have a bogus paternity suit against him dropped?

Against the Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center, Jordan poured in 38 points on 15 of 32 shooting as the Bulls won 98-94. The victory pushed the Chicago's record to 58-7. The Jordan led Bulls would ultimately set an NBA precedent for greatness that year, setting the all-time single season mark for victories in a season with 72.

Prior to Jordan, only nine players in the history of the league had scored at least 24,000 points- Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Havlicek, Moses Malone, Jerry West, Elvin Hayes, Oscar Robertson, George Gervin and Alex English.

Before it was all said and done, Jordan scored 32,292 points and retired having scored the third most points in NBA history. In 15 professional seasons, he led the NBA in scoring 10 times, including seven years in a row and 10 times in 11 seasons (!). 

Kobe Bean Bryant is just 995 points away from tying MJ and wresting third place from his trophy case- as if Jordan even cares.

Since MJ got his 24,000th point in 1996, the accomplishment has become more commonplace. Currently, a total of 19 players (nine post-Jordan) have scored 24,000+ points, including Allen Iverson, Kobe, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki, Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing and Kevin Garnett.

Boston's Paul Pierce is just 223 points short, and former Celtic/current Heat guard Ray Allen is right behind him, just 145 points less than Pierce.

While all the other players on this list are great scorers, no one was more electrifying than Michael Jordan.

Here are the details we were able to gather on MJ's super extravagant and secretive wedding.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: This wedding is going to make baller's stop and take notice.

Michael Jordan accused of stealing Bow Wow's Iverson kicks and we believe it's true.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Knowing MJ's intense competitive spirit Bow Wow's story of theft makes sense.