"I can't go shopping" - Michael Jordan once confessed that immense popularity made his life seem like a nightmare

During his prime, Michael Jordan was a victim of his own success. The Chicago Bulls superstar was a global sensation and had countless fans around the globe, making it difficult for him to travel conventionally or undertake normal day-to-day tasks. As such, Jordan struggled to live a normal life off the basketball court.

During a 2010 interview, which occurred shortly after purchasing the Charlotte Hornets, Jordan revealed how he hadn't flown on a commercial airline in almost a decade and had struggled to go grocery shopping due to the fanfare his presence would create.

"I haven't flown on a scheduled airline in eight years. I can't show up at the airport. I can't go shopping at the mall out of town. The only time I have to myself is when I go to the bathroom. Of course, I can go to the grocery store whenever I want. But I know what I'm exposing myself to."

Jordan continued.

"That's why I don't go. I go out more and more often now, but I always have to deal with people. I don't like getting into situations where people would think that I'm brutal and have no respect for others. And that's what they think when I don't give them access to me. They are often told no, and they ignore it. These are difficult situations. People often do not understand that this is not possible."

Jordan has been retired from the NBA since 2003, yet his status as a global superstar remains. As such, it's unlikely the NBA legend is able to enjoy the normalities of civilian life to this day.

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Michael Jordan almost joined the New York Knicks

For the majority of his NBA career, Michael Jordan was with the Chicago Bulls. In fact, it wasn't until he came out of a three-year retirement that he played for a different NBA team: the Washington Wizards.

However, in 1996, Jordan was negotiating a new contract with the Bulls and had the New York Knicks on standby in case Chicago couldn't produce a satisfactory contract offer.

"If Chicago had not made a significant offer, New York was next," Jordan told Marvin R. Shanken of "Cigar Aficionado" in 2005. "We actually had a dialogue with New York. If a phone call didn't come in 30 minutes from Chicago, we had already given assurances that we would have gone to the Knicks for less money."

Jordan ended up re-signing with the Bulls and winning another three consecutive championships with the team before calling time on his NBA career.

Jordan was also named an All-Star for those three seasons, making the 1994–95 season the only year of his entire NBA career where he wasn't named to an All-Star team, and that was due to injury.