Very few names resonate with the same iconic fervor as Michael Jordan. Revered as the epitome of greatness during his time with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan’s decision to come out of retirement and don the jersey of the Washington Wizards in the early 2000s raised eyebrows and fueled intense speculation.
- 142 Games Played Over Two Seasons
- Jordan Singlehandedly Made Washington A Better Team
- Nearly Carried The Wizards To The Playoffs At 38 And 39 Years Old
- A Sensational Leader
- An Elite Playmaker Without All-Star Talent Beside Him
- One Of The Best Defenders In The League
- Eight 40-Point Games While Shooting At Least 50% From The Field In Two Seasons
- An Iconic 51-Point Game Which Originally Broke A Record
- Still The Most Clutch Player In The World
- Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, And Tracy McGrady Were The Only Players Who Averaged 20-5-5
Critics questioned whether the basketball maestro could recapture his former glory, while fans eagerly anticipated witnessing the continuation of a legendary career. Despite the criticism of his play during this time, Jordan was still a great player and much better than you think he was.
It is time to dive into the 10 compelling reasons why Michael Jordan’s tenure with the Washington Wizards stands as a testament to his enduring greatness. Even if the GOAT did not rise to the abnormally high standards he set with the Bulls in the late 1980s and 1990s, he was still a great player at the time, and here are the 10 reasons why Jordan’s stint in Washington went better than most think it did.
142 Games Played Over Two Seasons
One statistical cornerstone of Michael Jordan’s tenure with the Washington Wizards is undeniably the 142 games he played over two seasons. This numerical feat alone underscores his commitment to the game, dispelling doubts about his ability to endure the rigors of an 82-game regular season at an age when most players contemplate retirement. He played 60 games after his second retirement and went on to complete all 82 games in the final season of his career.
Each game played was an opportunity for Jordan to impart his wealth of experience and basketball acumen to younger teammates, influencing the team’s overall performance. Moreover, from a statistical standpoint, his individual contributions remained formidable, showcasing that even in the latter stage of his career, Jordan remained a force to be reckoned with on the court and never cheated the fans who came out to witness his greatness.
Jordan Singlehandedly Made Washington A Better Team
At the time, before Jordan’s arrival out of retirement, the Washington Wizards only won 19 games under coach Leonard Hamilton and ranked 18th in points and 28th in defense. In many ways, the Wizards were simply an atrocious team that no star player wanted a part of even if a young Richard Hamilton averaged 18.1 points per game.
Michael came on the Wizards team and made them relevant almost immediately. He went on to add more than double the number of wins before he arrived in his first season with the team and kept that same number a year later. Considering how bad the Wizards were, Jordan took a brave leap to try to make them relevant and he did.
Nearly Carried The Wizards To The Playoffs At 38 And 39 Years Old
Winning 37 games in the 2002 and 2003 seasons each, Jordan almost led the Wizards into the playoffs. To make it clear, the 8th seed in the East in the 2001-02 season was the 42-40 Indiana Pacers who only won five more games than the Wizards. To go even deeper, the only above-average talent on the Wizards in the 2002 season was 23-year-old Richard Hamilton who averaged 20.0 points per game.
Only 6’0” point guard Chris Whitney was the other player to average in double-digit scoring and he had 10.2 points per game on 41.8% shooting from the field. The fact that Jordan almost led this team to the playoffs at 38 years old and coming out of retirement actually boosts his legacy as a leader and a competitor. In 2003, the Wizards barely missed out in the playoffs again by only five games with Jerry Stackhouse the only real talent on the team (21.5 PPG).
A Sensational Leader
In terms of raw leadership, very few in the league could do what Jordan did. Even at the ripe ages of 38 and 39, Michael set the example on the court. He took control as the face of the Wizards, never took a play off, and played a combined 142 games over two seasons. At the same time, he almost carried the team into the playoffs twice.
Despite all the success he had with the Chicago Bulls and the pressure and expectations that fell on him going 6-0, Jordan knew perhaps the most difficult challenge would be going to a 19-win Wizards team. He more than doubled the number of wins, set an example for his teammates, and the Wizards struggled when Jordan retired for the last time by winning only 25 games in 2004. Oh, and he made back-to-back All-Star Teams.
An Elite Playmaker Without All-Star Talent Beside Him
Somehow, Michael Jordan averaged 5.2 assists per game in the 2001-02 season with only two other players averaging in double-digit scoring. Richard Hamilton was an exciting scorer, certainly, but he was only 23 years old and he only shot 43.5% from the field. Jordan somehow managed to average at least 5 assists per game despite this.
Michael proved that he did not need a player like Scottie Pippen to pass to because he was a capable passer. It also showed that the criticism of him being a ball-hog and a score-first selfish player was truly false. Despite being a wing player for the Wizards, Jordan was expected to be a passer, even if he was the leading scorer on the team.
One Of The Best Defenders In The League
Michael Jordan was known for being one of the greatest defenders of all time, capturing the Defensive Player of the Year despite being the scoring champion in the 1987-88 season and making nine All-Defensive Team selections. For a 10-time scoring champion, that was a more than incredible feat. Even after his second retirement at 38 and 39 years old, Jordan was still an elite perimeter defender.
He posted 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks per game in 2002, followed by 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game in the following season. Beyond the numbers, Jordan still had the advantage of his massive hands and basketball IQ as he was often tasked with being one of the primary defenders on the team and his battles with Kobe Bryant at the time were simply beautiful to watch. At the time, both Hamilton and Stackhouse were scorers and not defenders, meaning Michael had to show why he is in the conversation for being the best defensive shooting guard ever.
Eight 40-Point Games While Shooting At Least 50% From The Field In Two Seasons
Michael Jordan, in his stint with the Wizards, had an impressive eight games scoring at least 40 points on at least 50% shooting from the field. The superstar shooting guard was not the same player who once averaged 37.1 points per game in a season but he was still a dominant scorer who averaged 22.9 points and 20.0 points per game in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
His 40-point games were truly fun to watch at the time and some of them were iconic. He dropped 41 on the Indiana Pacers on 14-26 from the field to go along with 12 rebounds for a win. Michael also let loose on familiar foe Cleveland Cavalier by dropping 40 points in 40 minutes against them for the victory.
What about the time he scored 45 points on 18-33 shooting a few days before turning 40 years old? Michael was still one of the best pure scorers in the world and in some games, he showed why he was the GOAT.
An Iconic 51-Point Game Which Originally Broke A Record
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh-szbNsmHw
Michael Jordan set a record back on Dec 29, 2001, when he became the oldest player at the time to score at least 50 points (38 years, 315 days). That record now belongs to Jamal Crawford (39 years, 20 days). At the time, however, Jordan shocked the NBA world when he poured in 51 points against the Hornets.
In 38 minutes, Michael went 21-38 from the field and made nine out of 10 free throws in an iconic performance that no surprise led to a Wizards victory. In fact, it was a 17-point blowout and it reminded us how great Jordan was just when we thought he was over the hill. The fact that a player who had won six titles and six Finals MVPs and undergone two retirement phases and yet could still break a record for a 50-point game was truly iconic.
Still The Most Clutch Player In The World
Make no mistake, opposing teams still feared Michael Jordan in the clutch. Armed with a stronger body that was dense due to the number of hits he had taken over his career, Jordan had his way with defenders in the post. Even if he could not rise and shoot over defenders anymore, Michael knew his spots and how to take advantage to create open looks for himself.
Not to mention, Jordan was also a clutch player on defense. We saw how many times Jordan could nail game-winners (The Shot Part 3) and make timely baskets, but he was also a force on the defensive end. He came up with countless timely defensive stops including chase-down blocks and steals from playing passing lanes. No matter the situation, Jordan had an answer and his assortment of highlight clutch plays proved that.
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, And Tracy McGrady Were The Only Players Who Averaged 20-5-5
In a world where we value stats more than anything else right now, Michael might have a stat line that could impress even the staunchest Jordan haters. It is always assumed that a player averaging at least 20-5-5 is considered to be of elite status and all-around excellence, and Jordan was one of three players to accomplish this stat line in the 2002 season despite coming out of retirement.
Only Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, the two premier shooting guards and players in the league at the time, were able to put up similar stat lines. Even if he was the leading scorer on his team and an excellent playmaker, he was also tasked with being a go-to defender and board-crasher as he posted 5.7 rebounds per game. We have to put respect on Michael Jordan’s name as a Wizard because even if he did not reach the ultimate heights of his days with the Bulls, the GOAT made sure he left on the highest note and his stats, achievements, and video evidence prove that.
