Michael Jeffrey Jordan entered the NBA in 1984 when he was drafted 3rd overall by Chicago Bulls. From the very beginning, he has a work ethic and passion for the game that was unmatched.
Even 17 years later, as a 38-year-old veteran on his last leg, he never lost that part of himself.
In a recent episode of the Knuckleheads podcast, Clippers coach (and former NBA point guard) Tyronn Lue gave some insight into Jordan’s final two years in the league, as a member of the Washington Wizards. According to Lue, MJ defied all expectations and continued to push himself and his body to the limit. During his very last season, he played all 82 games.
“Being 40-years-old, playing back-to-backs. He played 82 games. But the crazy part about it, he would never stay out of practice. Doug Collins would be like ‘Mine, man, no.’ Like he wanted to play and practice every single day. He wanted to practice every day and play 82 games at 40. Like we came into the league that was a badge of honor to play 82 games and this man doing it at 40 years old with one leg. Come on man. Talk about dedication to the game? It don’t get no better than that.”
“To play 82 games? That’s a badge of honor. And this man does it at 40 years old on one leg. Like c’mon man. Talk about dedication to the game?”
Ty Lue talks about what it was like being teammates with MJ on #Knuckleheads with @QRich and @21Blackking. 🐐 https://t.co/ZyWXxhSVbO pic.twitter.com/BavltVndiU
— The Players’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) April 1, 2022
northAfter a 3-year stint away from the league, Jordan made his second comeback in 2001 at 38-years-old. It was with a relatively obscure Wizards team and as a front-office member of the club.
Still, Jordan didn’t relax during his two-year tenure with the franchise. While he was not the MJ of old, his work ethic was still exactly the same. He averaged 36 minutes and only missed 22 games in 2 seasons. He even managed not to miss a single game in his very last campaign, becoming just one of a handful of players to play at least 9 82-game seasons.
Today, Jordan’s mindset and killer mentality are credited as one of the biggest catalysts for his NBA run. Over 15 seasons, he earned 14 All-Star appearances, 10 Scoring Titles, 6 NBA Championships, 5 MVPs, and 11 All-NBA team selections.
When he retired in 1998, at the age of 35, very few imagined he’d ever come back, and even fewer thought he’d be as good as he was.
But Michael Jordan made a living out of doing the impossible, and he relished in drawing shock and awe from the basketball community.
