Michael Jordan’s years with the Washington Wizards are often seen in a negative light. After all, he was well past his prime at this stage of his career. Yet, if former NBA players Rasheed Wallace and Bonzi Wells are to be believed, he was still an incredible player.
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Wells initially started by simply stating, “Pump fake Jordan was still lethal”. Then Wallace added to his point, speaking about his experience playing against Jordan in Washington.
Rasheed shockingly went as far as to say that the Chicago Bulls legend was more dangerous at this stage of his career. While he did admit that he had lost his athleticism, apparently he was still very much an incredible player in every other regard.
“I think he was a little bit more dangerous when he was with the Wizards. He didn’t have the athleticism that we were used to seeing MJ have. But… his angles were a little bit more sharp. You know you wasn’t going to move him, he was a strong two-guard… And his shot became more dangerous, you know? He became more solid as that veteran player”
As mentioned previously, nobody in the NBA community looks back at MJ’s time in Washington fondly. However, he was still an incredible player during his stint there.
It is likely that, much as Wallace and Wells did, most players still feared him in the NBA. Unfortunately, this couldn’t quite save his stint in Washington from disaster.
Jordan’s Washington era came to an unfortunate end
Jordan joined the Wizards as part owner and President of Basketball Operations in 2000.
Of course, he initially hoped to sit back and try to turn things for the better from the backseat. However, when things just couldn’t work out the way he wanted, he decided to become a player for the franchise in 2001.
He then played two seasons (2001-02, 2002-03) where he averaged a little over 20 points per game. However, while his performances were not bad, the team failed to get better overall.
Eventually, in 2003, Jordan stepped down from his position, with NBA Insiders claiming that the franchise had effectively fired him.
And so, while on the court, he was still magnificent. Things just couldn’t work out for him as upper management of the Washington Wizards.
