One question that always comes up regarding Michael Jordan is how he would have fared later in his career if his body hadn’t given out on him. Former NBA star Raymond Felton, who played on the Charlotte Bobcats when MJ was the owner, thinks he would have done quite well.
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Jordan famously finished his career with the Wizards. What people don’t remember about his first year with Washington is that he was averaging 25, 6, and 5 and had them in the playoff mix. They were also a top defensive team before he tore his meniscus. He pushed through the injury for a bit but eventually needed surgery. After that, the team collapsed.
But how different would the end of his career have been if he hadn’t torn his meniscus? This was a question posed on a recent episode of Podcast P with host Paul George, where Felton was a guest. Felton felt pretty confident in his answer.
“Shoot at that age MJ still could have gave 20-25 a game,” he said. George immediately agreed. “Easily. He was putting 50s up at 40,” added PG.
This isn’t far off from what MJ averaged in his last season in the NBA in 2002-2003. That swan song year, he dropped 20, 6, and 3. It was far from the numbers that His Airness averaged in his prime in Chicago, but he still outperformed players who were younger than him.
Felton and George are probably right in their estimation. The problem is that you could only crunch stats or put scenarios through AI for so long. No answer will ever be known. By 2003, MJ’s peak had left him.
Jordan still cooked his Bobcats players in 1v1s as a team owner
Even though Jordan’s career was pretty much cooked after he retired, he was still the GOAT. A famous legend is when he played the members of his Charlotte Bobcats team in 1v1s to prove a point to them.
Felton remembers how His Airness fared against a much younger squad. He shared the outcome during this same interview with Podcast P. “We were scoring on him. But he won the games,” he said, which made him and PG laugh. “Somebody else might tell a different story, but from what I remember…we lost.”
How did Jordan beat those players in ones? He used the same moves that made him a six-time NBA Champion. “Same post up, fadeaway. Anything you want, he was still doing it at that age,” revealed Felton. “It was crazy. He did whatever he wanted to do.”
It’ll always be a what-if on Jordan, especially whether he would have survived in the modern NBA. Many say he would have. Unfortunately, it’s a question that will never be answered.
