NBA icon Michael Jordan came out of retirement for a second time in 2001 to play for the Washington Wizards.
Jordan felt he could help the Wizards more as a player than as the team’s top decision-maker, a role he kept even after returning as a player.
Although Jordan wasn’t efficient in 2001-02, he had some vintage moments on the court and carried himself with the confidence he had during his legendary run with the Chicago Bulls.
According to Popeye Jones, who was on the Wizards in 2001-02, Jordan told his teammates he’d show them how to score 20 points in one quarter and then sit the rest of the game.
Although it was only a preseason game and Jordan fell two points shy of 20 for the quarter, it was a unique thing for Jones and his teammates to witness.
“We were playing in one of the first preseason games. We were playing Miami, and we were in the tunnel getting ready to walk out,” Jones told NBA scribe Landon Buford. “It was a preseason game, and he said, ‘I’m going to show you guys how to get 20 points in a quarter and sit down,’ and at the end of one, he had 18. Then he went ahead and sat down. That was unique.”
The Wizards went 37-45 in 2001-02. Many pundits believe they would have made the playoffs if Jordan hadn’t hurt his knee, but it was certainly fun to see Jordan turn back the clock a few times.
Jordan appeared in 60 games for the Wizards in 2001-02. He averaged 22.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 41.6% from the field and 79.0% from the free-throw line.
Jordan’s best game of the season came on December 29 against the Charlotte Hornets. He scored 51 points in 38 minutes and shot an efficient 55.3% from the floor.
It was a vintage performance from Jordan, who was 38 years old and used his mastery of the mid-range to dominate Charlotte.
Jordan played in all 82 games for the Wizards in 2002-03, his final season in the NBA. The UNC product averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 44.5% from the field and 82.1% from the free-throw line, but Washington went 37-45 again.
It had to be difficult for Jordan to miss the playoffs in his two years with the Wizards. MJ made the postseason every year with the Bulls and won six championships.
Jordan’s tenure with the Bulls was so epic that it may not be matched by any player in NBA history.
Jordan established himself as arguably the best player in NBA history with the Bulls. He won five MVPs, six rings, six Finals MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, three steals titles and 10 scoring titles while making 12 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine All-Defensive teams.
In 930 games with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 31.5 points. He’s the NBA’s all-time leader in points per game (30.1).
A Hall of Famer, Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 1,072 games with the Bulls and Wizards.
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