Michael Jordan once told his Wizards teammates that he would show them how to score 20 points in a quarter so they can go sit down afterwards
Michael Jordan retired as the greatest basketball player of all time but also, as the one of the greatest in multiple facets of the game. He is undoubtedly in the uppermost echelon of perimeter defenders, in-game dunkers, and of course, scoring. Jordan had a variety of ways he could put the ball in the basket and he proofed this with MasterClasses night in and night out.
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Jordan would average less than 26 points a game in merely one of his Chicago Bulls seasons and that would be his injury-riddled sophomore year. Both his years with the Washington Wizards in the early 2000s would also have him average less than 26 but considering the fact that he was well into his late thirties, it’s alright to give him a pass.
Michael Jordan was no slouch in the 2001-02 season as he was even on the MVP leaderboards at one point while averaging 23 points per game on the season at age 38.
Michael Jordan confidently told his Wizards teammates that he’ll show them how to score 20 in a quarter.
Michael Jordan came out of retirement a second time to suit up for the Wizards for two seasons. In a preseason game prior to the 2001-02 season, Popeye Jones, MJ’s Wizards teammate, talked about how the ‘GOAT’ told them he’d teach them how to score 20 points in a single quarter and then go sit down.
“We were playing in one of our first preseason games. We were playing Miami and we were in the tunnel ready to walk out. Jordan said, ‘I’m going to show you guys how to score 20 points in a quarter and sit down,’ and at the end of one, he had 18. Then he went ahead and sat down. That was unique.”
It’s safe to say that Michael Jordan most certainly still had it in him, even at age 38, and it’s a shame that he injured his knee during the season, derailing their Playoff hopes.
