Michael Jordan’s lesser known career with the Washington Wizards

Michael Jordan is one of the characters of the moment. Despite his enormous popularity in the world of basketball, his recent documentary, known as The Last Dance, was a hit on Netflix. For example, the Clarín media mentions that it "devastates the audience and is unstoppable on social media"

Basically, this documentary shows the entire history of the Chicago Bulls star (including his short stay playing baseball), during the period between 1984 and 1998, the date on which he made his second retirement … although it would not be the last . Although few know it, after a while he returned to play in the NBA, but without the shirt with which he had achieved glory.

That is, in 2001 he signed for the Washington Wizards, a team that did not live up to the star's expectations. However, it helped him to make a return to the big leagues, to be able to handle himself with a decent performance. Let's see how he did in his second and last return to the NBA.

How did Michael Jordan perform with the Washington Wizards?

The website of El Universo mentions that, on September 25, 2001, Michael Jordan returned to the NBA courts "solely for the love of basketball." That is, he returned to the ring at the age of 38, after having retired twice previously, although this would end up being the definitive one.

Basically, in The Last Dance we had seen his entire career with the Chicago Bulls, getting 6 rings during his entire stay. However, after his departure and the team's disarmament, their success "was dynamited", as mentioned by the Infobae media.

Therefore, Michael Jordan knew perfectly well that his history with that shirt was finished, since he had achieved all possible titles. However, he wanted to return and have new challenges, although without the need to be under the constant pressure of playing for the Bulls.

His desire to continue playing had been demonstrated in the documentary, where the El Espectador website mentioned that if coach Phil Jackson had continued, he was "ambitious to get the seventh title", something that ultimately did not end up happening, for  Michael decided to hang the Air Jordans … although for a short time.

During the two seasons in which he wore his new shirt, Michael Jordan, with almost 40 years, achieved an average of around 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, with 43% of field goal percentage and 80% in free throws, according to the NBA website. That is, it was a score that was not close to that of his best years, but we must remember that he was old and had been inactive for a long time.

Also read: The internal discussion between NBA players that could cancel the season

In this regard, we must remember that, unlike the Chicago Bulls, the Wizards were a mediocre team. For example, the 2000-2001 season they ended with a record 19-63 and the second-worst defense.

According to the specialized media of Blog de Basket, his stay in Washington was "even more interesting than in Chicago", since it was impossible to explain how famous he was. Even in his first game, the President of the United States at the time, Bill Clinton, came to the stadium to watch the game. Thus, they were starting to get more and more attendance, and even some fans were excited to see Jordan perform. 

Despite this, the team failed to thrive and the franchise proved that despite having a well-performing Michael Jordan, the team is key. Thus, the Mundo Deportivo website highlights that, on April 16, 2003, at the age of 40, Michael Jordan retired for the third and last time from the fields wearing the Wizards shirt, proving that he is one of the greatest athletes in all the times.