Michael Jordan’s dominance on the court often made opponents assign their best defender to guard him. Consequently, whenever that strategy failed, it forced teams to resort to desperate measures. Michael Redd experienced this firsthand in the 2001/02 season when he was unexpectedly asked to guard MJ as his former teammate, Ray Allen, couldn’t keep up.
Advertisement
On the Knuckleheads Podcast, the 44-year-old revealed the intricate details of this story from his second NBA season. When his Milwaukee Bucks visited Jordan’s Washington Wizards in the capital, head coach George Karl initially assigned Allen to guard the 5x MVP.
As the game progressed, however, Jesus Shuttlesworth struggled to contain The Black Jesus. This forced Karl to make a surprising change, directing Redd to take on the task of guarding Jordan. This unexpected move left the latter in disbelief, as he recently recalled,
“Getting back to the Wizards, he [Michael Jordan] wasn’t who he was but he was still incredible… He was cooking Ray [Allen] in DC and George Karl says, ‘Redd, get in there and guard Jordan’. I’m like, ‘Ray can’t guard him. What am I gonna do?’. It was my second year in the league… but MJ was tough obviously”.
This incident came to light shortly after Redd’s admission that the 6x champion was one of the ‘first persons to bust his a**’. Given MJ‘s performance during the game, his statement remained justified. After all, a 38-year-old Jordan showcased his caliber on this occasion, recording 31 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
Even more remarkably, MJ pulled this off just weeks after his second return to the NBA. When he announced his decision to join the Wizards after a 3-year retirement, many fans doubted whether he could still make an impact.
This game reminded them of his greatness while showcasing his effectiveness even at the twilight of his career.
Despite the odds and injuries, Jordan maintained this impressive form, averaging 22.9 points, 5.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. His efforts also brought the Wizards to the brink of the playoffs. However, the franchise fell short with a 37-45 run during the regular season.
Nonetheless, MJ’s performances earned him yet another All-Star selection that season, adding to the uniqueness of his legacy.
