Michael Jordan set some more records after coming back for a final bow with the Wizards from 2001 to 2003.
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If there was one athlete in history who had nothing to prove, it was Michael Jordan. There has never been a player more dominant at age 35 than Jordan was in 1998. His Bulls were finishing their second threepeat – a feat bettered only by the mythical Celtics teams of the 60s.
Jordan had an obsession with the game. The way Mike declared in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech that he might even stage a comeback if he felt like is testament to this. The man loves basketball to death, and he outworked everyone in his time to get to where he was.
51 points.
38 years old.
Coming off a career-low six points.19 years ago today, Michael Jordan reminded the world who he was. pic.twitter.com/aeOGcppXLG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 29, 2020
Jordan was the GM and a part-owner for the Wizards starting in 2000. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he announced his decision to return as a player with the Wizards. Jordan also said he’d donate his salary from the season to victims of 9/11.
Michael Jordan dropped 51 points on Charlotte
On December 29th of 2001, a 38-year-old Michael Jordan set a franchise record by scoring 24 first-quarter points. He finished the game with a total of 51 against the Charlotte Hornets. The fact that this came as a response to him scoring a career-low 6 points in the game before adds to his legend.
This also made him the oldest player to score 50 points in the NBA – a record he would hold for over 17 years. Jamal Crawford later broke this record with the Suns in Dirk Nowitzki’s final game.
Jordan had several more 40-point games before he retired. But he was unable to lead the Wizards to the playoffs. Nevertheless, his Wizards tenure added to his legacy in a lot of ways. It proved that he wasn’t just an all-time great athlete, he also had skill to manage age.
