Michael Jordan‘s second return from retirement saw him play for the Washington Wizards, where he broke some records despite being way past his prime years. Quite interestingly, he broke the record for the oldest player to score 40 points on more than one occasion. The record was formerly held by his rival Karl Malone.
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His Airness got the better of The Mailman in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, which ensured that Malone and his Utah Jazz teammates would retire from the NBA ringless. However, that wasn’t the end of the Jazz legend’s misery.
In the 2000-2001 season, Malone made headlines when he set the record for the oldest player to have a 40-point game. However, he didn’t hold this record for long.
Soon after, MJ not only beat Malone’s record, but broke his own record as well. It takes a lot to even breach double digits in points at the age of 40. However, Jordan made it look easy.
To this day, His Airness holds the record for the oldest player to score 40 points. He set it while facing the New Jersey Nets on February 21, 2003. He put on an exemplary performance, recording 43 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and four steals. For those in attendance, it was like watching a prime MJ dominate the Madhouse on Madison.
However, MJ broke Malone’s record initially with a 45-point performance earlier that month, when he was 39 years and 349 days old, per StatMuse.
However, Jordan probably doesn’t regret snatching away the record from Malone. The reason is pretty simple, Malone snubbed him once for Scottie Pippen.
Malone once picked Scottie Pippen over MJ
When Malone was once asked to pick his dream NBA team, bias could have been a reason why he chose Scottie Pippen over His Airness.
It was an astounding choice, one that many wouldn’t agree with. However, Malone’s reasoning was actually quite logical. He suggested that Scottie would be his first choice, simply because he watched the Bulls star dominate every statistical category after MJ initially retired in 1993.
It definitely is an interesting explanation for his choice. It is hard to agree with him, because the Bulls didn’t really amount to much under Scottie’s leadership. However, Malone certainly has his reasons for not taking Jordan in his dream team.
