"There was Michael with all the paperwork to be a part of the Wizards" - Mark Cuban recalls the story of him trying to sign Michael Jordan for the Dallas Mavericks at the 11th hour
Former NBA and Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan had a chance to sign for the Dallas Mavericks and not the Washington Wizards after his return to the game from his second retirement.
In a radio interview, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban spoke about how he attempted to sign Michael Jordan for the Mavericks when "His Airness" announced his return to the game ahead of the 2001-02 season. Cuban said:
"When I did buy the Mavs, David Falk, his agent called me up and said you need meet Michael and so I went to David's office and there was Michael with all the paperwork to be part of the wizards right on the table. I was like - dude, don't sign it."
Cuban continued:
"You know, I'll do whatever it takes you can. I'll give you partnership like these guys are doing and we'll win, I'll spend whatever and he's like, Mark, can't do it, and I give them my word. So to his to his credit, obviously, it didn't happen, but I tried."
Michael Jordan's tenure with the Wizards
Michael Jordan's decision to come out of retirement for the second time shocked the NBA world. And they were even more shocked when MJ said he would be suiting up for the Washington Wizards and not his beloved Chicago Bulls.
Playing in the NBA at age 38 and 39 for the Wizards, who were by no means perennial favorites, was a bold call from Jordan and he continued to show his competitive fervor.
Michael Jordan is the only player in NBA history to retire immediately after winning an MVP award OR scoring title.
In fact, MJ's the only NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL player to retire immediately after winning an MVP award since Jim Brown did it following the 1965 season
#TheLastDance https://t.co/85y3LB3yFf
In his first season back, Jordan averaged 22.9 points, 5.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting better than 41% from the field. By no means where these numbers peak Jordan, but the sheer fact he was in the MVP race before going down with a knee injury speaks volumes of how much MJ was contributing to winning basketball games.
After his injury, the Wizards fell off a cliff as a potential postseason appearance disappeared with a 4-8 record during his absence. MJ had six games in which he dropped 35 or more points and had eight double-doubles.
20 years ago today, MJ dropped 51 points 👏
He was 38 years old at the time 🤯 https://t.co/6eJsAcrvPk
In his second season, his final one in the NBA, MJ averaged 20 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting better than 44% from the field and over 82% from the line. More remarkably, MJ played all 82 games and recorded 13 double-doubles.
One of Jordan's best performances of the season came against the New Jersey Nets (Brooklyn Nets) as "His Airness" dropped 43 points on 60% shooting along with 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists.
While MJ did not come close to having the success he had with the Chicago Bulls, he did light up the NBA and provide the fans with excitement and joy. Washington had the box office attraction of the NBA as all of its home games sold out.