When most people talk about Michael Jordan it’s to talk about his career-defining run with the Chicago Bulls. While that’s obviously because there is a ton to talk about, people seem to completely forget that he even played for the Washington Wizards at the end of his career.
Still heavily involved with the NBA to this day, Michael Jordan is a staple in basketball culture. His time with the Wizards was far less exciting and fruitful than his time with the Bulls, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. Jordan had a habit of making every step of his lengthy career an interesting one, even when people thought he was retiring.
10 It Wasn’t Supposed To Happen
Those that may be fans of Jordan without knowing all that much about his career should know that he was retired for a few years before he had his final run with the NBA. He first retired in 1993, but he returned soon after and retired a second time in 1999.
That second retirement didn’t last all that long either, but it had a layer of finality behind it with Jordan assuring people he was truly done. Apparently, the major reason it happened was because of inspiration from a retiring NHL star around the same time.
9 His Return To The NBA Was Teased
There was never a real official confirmation that Jordan was coming back to the NBA. He never made an announcement or held a press conference, but he was working on some things behind the scenes. Quiet hirings were enough to get people excited about a return.
It was revealed that Jordan, as part-owner of the Washington Wizards, had hired his old Chicago Bulls coach to lead the Wizards. Add on rumors from training camps with various NBA stars of that time, and people got excited for a potential return to basketball.
8 He Donated His Player Salary
A guy like Michael Jordan was guaranteed money regardless of where he was playing. Due to the situation of the world during his return in late September 2001, Jordan announced that his player salary would be going toward relief efforts for the 9/11 attacks.
There might have been a lot of people who hated Jordan for his dominance with the Bulls, or for his lackluster run with the Wizards, but it’s hard to not respect someone willing to donate that much money to those who needed it.
7 He Became The All-Star Game's Leading Scorer
In the twilight of his career, Jordan was still consistently an All-Atar. Thanks to his skill, Jordan was able to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA All-Star game. At that time, he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to claim the record.
He doesn’t hold the record today, with people like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James both managing to beat his record, but it was still another incredible achievement for Jordan. It was a good way to close out a legendary career, showing Jordan was always an All-Star.
6 Every Wizards Home Game Was Sold Out
It really shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to learn that just about every Washington Wizards home game wound up completely sold out while Jordan played for the team. He had the kind of drawing power that few stars of the industry had.
The support for not only Jordan, but the Wizards as a whole was on display each time they were home. That love is made even more clear when you learn that the Wizards didn’t exactly perform amazingly during Jordan’s time on the team.
5 He Was Often At Odds With The Team
Jordan has never been a player who was afraid to tell other players when they weren’t playing to his standards. Since he had some say in the behind-the-scenes operations of the team before he began playing for them, some of his own decisions burned him.
One of the biggest moments of this was when Jordan openly criticized the young prospect Kwame Brown. To be fair, Brown didn’t have the best start to his NBA career, but he was the top pick of the 2001 NBA Draft, shocking a lot of people.
4 The Team Was The Second-Most Watched In The League
Becoming one of the most-watched teams in the NBA isn’t an easy task. A team needs a combination of star players, exciting games, heated rivalries, and plenty of highlight-reel moments to draw consistently excellent viewership.
While the Wizards weren't the most-watched team at the time Jordan was on the team, he did manage to take one of the lesser appreciated teams from a level of obscurity to stardom. It’s fair to say that almost the entire reason for the Wizards rising to number two in ratings was Jordan.
3 He Received A Four-Minute Standing Ovation From Fans
Jordan actually received quite a few standing ovations during the final season of his career, but his lengthy four-minute ovation is quite possibly the most touching. In his final NBA game in Chicago, Jordan's fans showed their love for their hero.
Even though Jordan wasn’t a part of the Bulls, Chicago never forgot what Jordan had done for them leading to them cheering for him with no end in sight. It’s a touching moment that isn't often seen in the NBA, and one that everyone was probably proud to be a part of.
2 He Played Every Game For An Entire Season
Some people might have expected Jordan to take a bit more of a backseat during the final season of his NBA career, but he did anything but. He managed to play in all eighty-two games in his final season to the delight of fans around the world.
Despite Jordan’s skill, all that playtime didn’t help lead the Wizards to the playoffs, but anyone can respect a player taking part in every game. He didn’t have the best season of his career, but he had far from a bad one, even setting records in his final season.
1 He Was The First Forty-Year-Old To Earn 43 Points
Back in 2003, the Wizards were locked in a battle against the Nets, a game in which Jordan would lead the Wizards to victory. During that game, he put the team on his back, scoring nearly half of their eighty-nine points.
That performance gave him a great accolade for his final season, the first man over forty to earn forty-three points in a single game. Jordan had no issue showing the rookies on the Wizards how business was done, and the Nets were probably in awe too.