Michael Jordan may be revered as one of the greatest NBA players ever, but he’s had extremely forgettable stints in management. In 2001, when he was in the front office for the Washington Wizards, Jordan oversaw the drafting of two rookies, Kwame Brown and Bobby Simmons. Both didn’t have very memorable careers, but for a while, Jordan’s words made Simmons feel like he was the best player in the world.
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Simmons was the second-round, 41st overall pick for the Seattle SuperSonics. However, his draft rights were traded to the Wizards for Predrag Drobnjak. The story he revealed on the podcast was about how MJ convinced himself and others in the organization to trade for the pick.
Simmons said that he was working out for the Wizards and MJ was already on his side as he was aware of his game. Jordan was so impressed that he was making a case for Simmons in front of Doug Collins, the head coach of the Wizards at the time. “Mike said he told Doug Collins, ‘I bet you Bobby f***ing all them up,” Simmons recalled.
The upcoming rookie didn’t disappoint Jordan and came out as the best player from the lot he was practicing with. He said, “I destroyed them.” Simmons recalled MJ walking into the gym only to boast about his choice in front of the head coach. This made Simmons even more confident about his game.
He was also happy about the fact that Jordan had confidence in him which solidified his place on the Wizards roster. He played 66 games for the Wizards in two seasons averaging 10.9 minutes per game. Simmons’ stint with the Wizards wasn’t memorable as he only averaged 3.5 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game.
Michael Jordan wasn’t known for making good decisions in the front office
Simmons wasn’t the only decision made by MJ during his time as the president of basketball operations. He also used the Wizards’ first overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft on Kwame Brown. He ended his four-year run with the Wizards averaging 7.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1 assist per game. Brown’s selection is considered to be one of the biggest blunders of MJ’s front-office tenure.
On an episode of Swish Cultures Podcast, Brown revealed that he didn’t have a good relationship with Jordan. He said, “I got no reason to be a MJ fan. That motherf***er slapped me in the back of my head one day…I got no reason to be a MJ fan.” Jordan’s failure as a man in charge followed him when he bought the Hornets.
Jordan spent 13 years as the owner of the franchise. In that time, the Hornets never won a single playoff series and went seven years without making it into the postseason. However, towards the end of his tenure, MJ made some good decisions, such as drafting LaMelo Ball. Regardless, it was a successful tenure from a business point of view because he walked away with a little over $3 billion on an investment of $275 million.
