“20 years ago, we witnessed history!”: In 2002, Michael Jordan scored his 30,000th point in the NBA, but as a Wizards player, not a Chicago Bull

Arun Sharma | 05/01/2022
"20 years ago, we witnessed history!": In 2002, Michael Jordan scored his 30,000th point in the NBA, but as a Wizards player, not a Chicago Bull

Michael Jordan could score points at ease – in fact, he scored 32,292 of them

Michael Jordan was a 30 point average per season player. The only other top 10 scorers in the NBA to have a 30 point average was Wilt Chamberlain – and he was a freak of nature. While Jordan was best known on the Bulls and scored above 29000 points for the Bulls, he hit the 30k mark with the Wizards.

He became the 4th person in history back in 2002, Jordan was the fastest to ever do it then. Even now, there is no one making it to 30k points in less than 1000 games. An insane statistic that may not be broken ever, given anyone active is capable of averaging 30 points a game.  The closest person to scoring currently is Kevin Durant, but even he would not be able to achieve it as quickly as MJ.

With a Free Throw, his Airness hit the 30k mark in 2002. He started his NBA career with a spin move against the Washington Bullets, a foreshadowing of where he would score the 30,000th point. Talk about destiny!

Also Read: “I was in awe of Michael Jordan, like everybody else”: Wilt Chamberlain recounts the first time he had ever met the Bulls legend

Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the best basketball player to ever play – one can only imagine how higher he would have been on all-time lists if he did not retire twice

6 championship rings- 32 thousand points, 14 all-star selections, and 5 MVPs. Michael Jordan achieved all of this in just 15 seasons in the NBA. We talk about Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and LeBron James achieving so much, but they also played almost 500+ more games than MJ did. There was no stopping the man when he was in full flow – which was practical all the time.

Ultra competitive, Jordan made sure he was recognized as the best player that ever lived. Absolutely shattering records on both the offensive and defensive end, MJ probably will be remembered as the best two way player of all time. Shoutouts could be given to Kareem, Hakeem Olajuwon, and a few others, but Jordan got the numbers to back it up.

Not many players can be excellent on both ends of the court – only a few become legends for being able to stop someone from scoring just as easily as scoring on them. Michael’s career was very fulfilling and probably a complete career. But it still remains a big what-if about how much more could he have done if he stayed on. Would his numbers or impact dipped if he didn’t take a break each time he finished a three-peat, we will never know.

Also Read: “Michael Jordan stays GOATed”: Bulls legend ranked no. 1 in Forbes’ list of richest sportspersons on the planet, Lionel Messi currently 8th

Post Edited By: Arjun Julka
Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan Washington Wizards

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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