Michael Jordan demanded unprecedented clause in his Chicago Bulls rookie contract

Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time. And a unique clause he insisted on being inserted into his rookie contract reflected his love of basketball.

Jordan was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft.

He'd been a national champion at the collegiate level with the University of Northern Carolina Tar Heels and he quickly established himself as a star at the professional level, named the Rookie of the Year after his maiden campaign.

"His Airness" went on to win six NBA championships with the Bulls and was named the league's Most Valuable Player five times.

Michael Jordan celebrates winning the NBA championship. Image: Getty

The 6ft 6ins shooting guard's list of accolades also includes 14 All-Star selections, 10 First Team All-NBA honours, 10 scoring titles, nine First Team All-Defense selections and a Defensive Player of the Year award.

He retired for the third and final time in 2003 and a two-season spell with the Washington Wizards.

For Jordan to have achieved so much and to be regarded as the best basketball player in history took a phenomenal amount of talent and hard work, but also a serious love for playing the game.

And that desire to play hoops – whenever and wherever he wanted – was something his insisted on being contractually protected from the moment he entered the NBA.

“Well, when he was a rookie, he had a clause put in his contract that was unprecedented; it’s what we call the ‘love-of-the-game’ clause,” legendary Bulls writer Sam Smith told HoopsHype.

“Basically, it allowed him to play basketball whenever he wanted.

"The standard NBA contract said that if you wanted to play in an exhibition game or something, you had to get the team’s approval.

"He just wanted that clause; it was the only thing he asked for specifically – this clause that said, ‘I can play basketball whenever I want. I don’t have to ask anybody.’ And that’s truly what he was about, he was in it to play ball.”