When Michael Jordan stood by Wizards coach who stopped his historic 866 game run- "You did the right thing tonight"
There is no doubt about how great Michael Jordan is. However, his greatness in his later years was only highlighted by his former Washington Wizards coach Doug Collins.
Collins was brought on board as the head coach of the Wizards ahead of the 2001-02 season. As a replacement for Leonard Hamilton, Collins was going to be in a position to run the Wizards team, with Jordan being a core part of it.
It is important to note that Jordan was way beyond his prime in Washington. However, he still commanded a certain respect on the floor and was one of the best players on the court whenever he was on.
Collins held Jordan in very high regard, as mentioned in a recent interview. After all that MJ has achieved over the course of his career, this is only a valid sentiment. The former Wizards coach shed light on Jordan's greatness while speaking about a specific game against the Indiana Pacers. He said:
"We were down 25 at the end of the third quarter and I took Michael out of the game and I said, 'Look, Michael. I know you think we can still win this game. But we got to play in two nights. If we make a little run, I'll put you back in.' But we didn't."
It was at this point that Collins learned that his decision to bench Jordan had also put an end to Jordan's streak of 866 games in double figures. While the media was on him for ending the streak, Collins mentioned that Jordan showed him greatness in a different manner by standing by the decision.
In a small conversation on the team bus, Collins recalled MJ asking him if he still believed in him as a player. Collins agreed. Jordan then responded by saying:
"You did the right thing tonight. I don't care about the points. But I needed to know that you believed in me."
Michael Jordan dropped 51 points in the next game against the Charlotte Hornets. Needless to say, MJ was still great.
Michael Jordan's Washington years
Michael Jordan's heyday with the Chicago Bulls often overshadows what he did in Washington. While being part-owner of the franchise, Jordan still put up some tremendous performances with the Wizards.
In his 2001-02 campaign, Jordan notched a 51-point game and four 40+ point games. To follow it up, he also averaged 22.9 points per game at the age of 38.
The 2002-03 campaign was his final season in the NBA. He managed to notch three 40+ games and ended with an average of 20.0 points per game.