On this day (September 25, 2001): Michael Jordan signs with the Washington Wizards - Looking at the final playing tenure of His Airness
Michael Jordan returned to play for the Washington Wizards twenty years ago today, September 25th 2001. At age 38, Michael Jordan played two seasons in D.C. and averaged 21 points. As the nation mourned the loss of life on September 11, 2001, Michael Jordan's return, along with the World Series, gave sports fans something to cheer about. He donated his entire 1 million dollar salary to victims of 911. Let's look at those Michael Jordan years in Washington.
Michael Jordan, President of Operations
Michael Jordan was hired by Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin to be the President of Operations on January 20th, 2000. The deal also gave Michael Jordan an equity stake in the team. Michael Jordan's duties included handling trades and the draft process. Jordan was instrumental in drafting Kwame Brown with the first pick of the 2001 draft.
Lace up the Air Jordans
Kobe and Michael Jordan face off for the last time (2003)
Kobe had 42 points, including 8 three-pointers, in the FIRST half for the Lakers 🐐
https://t.co/g1HvKcQkf0
Michael Jordan retired for the first time in 1993 after the death of his father. He retired again after winning the NBA title in Utah in 1998. Three years later, Michael Jordan returned to the basketball court again, and was an NBA All-Star both years in Washington. Though his Wizards teams failed to make the playoffs in either year, Michael Jordan showed that even at an advanced age, he could star in the NBA.
Two NBA All-Star Games
In the 2002 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Michael Jordan was voted in as the starter and scored 8 points. The game saw Kobe Bryant score a game-high 31 points in the West's 135-120 win.
In Michael Jordan's final NBA All-Star Game appearance, he wasn't voted in as a starter. Fellow University of North Carolina alum Vince Carter gave up his starting spot so Michael Jordan could leave as a legend. Michael Jordan scored 20 points -including a big bucket - to send the game into overtime in the West's 155-145 double-overtime victory.
51 point game
On December 29th, 2001, Michael Jordan broke out and scored 51 points. At the time, he was the oldest to do so until the record was broken by Jamal Crawford 18 years later. Michael Jordan shot 21-38 from the field and 9-10 from the line, had seven boards and four assists. He showed why he is arguably the game's greatest player that night. It was his 31st 50 point game - which was second all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain's 118. Kobe Bryant had 25 such games and James Harden had 21. Elgin Baylor's 17 round out the top five.
Wizards Michael Jordan casually dropping 51 without a single 3-pointer made
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Final retirement
Michael Jordan scored his 30,000th point on January 4th, 2002 against his former team, the Chicago Bulls. On April he retired from the game for the third and final time with 32,292 points. Jordan's comeback was more about that he could do it. When elite legends of the game leave the sport, a void is left not only with fans but with the legends themselves. That we were privy to seeing Michael Jordan return one more time so to get a glimpse of one of the most special talents the sport has seen.
From Etan Thomas, Michael Jordan's Washington Wizards teammate, via phone:
"It was cool for me. My experience was different than anybody else's. If you talked to Kwame Brown, he didn't have a great experience, but he was in a different situation. He was the number one pick and everything that went good was all praise to MJ, and everything that went wrong was Kwame Brown's fault. I didn't have any issues with MJ. I was quiet under the radar. I wasn't really playing that much then. Michael Jordan was more comfortable playing around the older guys. It was still a special experience. How many people can say they played with the greatest player ever. It was definitely an experience I can tell my grandkids about."