Michael Jordan’s third and final stint in the NBA isn’t all that memorable. Despite playing pretty well, Jordan was clearly past his prime, as he was playing in his late 30s. And Jordan was trying to help out the Wizards, the team he was going to be working with after walking away from the game.
But that doesn’t mean that there were no memorable moments. After some criticism following a bad game, Jordan went on to score 51 points against the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the only player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game in 3 different decades.
And one other moment actually came on the defensive end, against a player who at the time was getting a lot of attention and even being considered the next Michael Jordan. The Washington Wizards were set to play the Toronto Raptors during the 2001-02 NBA season.
Carter and Jordan faced off during the preseason, where Vinsanity got the better of Air Jordan. And ahead of the game, Carter actually downplayed the threat of Michael Jordan, suggesting that he was more worried about the Wizards’ Rip Hamilton as a scorer.
During the first half, it looked like Carter was going to get the better of MJ again, as he scored an incredible 23 points. And at half-time, he further stoked the fire, saying that he didn’t care who was guarding him and that he would continue to score as much as he wanted.
That proved to be a mistake, as much like he did throughout his career, Michael Jordan took it personally. And in the second half, Jordan showed Carter why he was a former Defensive Player Of The Year, and one of the greatest defenders in NBA history during the peak of his career.
Jordan held Carter to 0 points in the second half and made sure he and the Wizards got the win. What’s even more impressive is that Jordan was able to do this at 38 years of age, just 2 months shy of his 39th birthday, and held one of the most exciting and dynamic scorers in the NBA at the time to 0 points in the second half.
Jordan’s run with the Wizards would end the following season, which would prove to be his final season in the NBA. Many considered the 2002-03 season a retirement tour for Jordan. At the 2003 All-Star game, Carter even surrendered his starting spot for Jordan, and at half-time, Mariah Carey paid tribute to Michael Jordan with a medley of songs that brought Jordan to tears.
Jordan’s run with the Wizards came to an end in 2003 as a player. When he was supposed to take over as the president of basketball operations, he was unceremoniously fired by the owner after the players didn’t want him back. Jordan was offered $10 million in compensation, but he threw the cheque away.
