In 2003, Michael Jordan was finally set to say goodbye to the game he had dominated for two decades. Jason Kidd narrated the story of the final All-Star Game when a 40-year-old Jordan hit a clutch basket that could have won the game before Kobe Bryant stole the show.
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Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 as the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls and dominated from the moment he stepped foot on the court. Popularly considered the greatest player to play the game, Michael achieved huge success, winning personal and team accolades.
However, it had been 19 years since his debut, and it was time to hang up the boots. Playing in his last season with the Washington Wizards, Jordan was selected to represent the East in the All-Star game. A game that went to double overtime was eventually won by the West 155-145.
Michael Jordan lost the game despite Clutch Shot
The 2023 All-Star game in Atlanta featured some of the best talents in the NBA gathered together to give the fans a show. Michael was no longer the player who mesmerized the viewers, but he was still putting up respectable numbers for his age.
The game saw Jordan’s teammates feeding him the ball to commemorate his last game through a big scoring performance. Initially, Jordan was out of rhythm and had missed his first seven shots. But eventually, he found his mojo and started to knock them down. The game went to overtime, and Jordan got the chance to hit what could have been the game-winning shot.
Describing the game, Jordan’s teammate for the Eastern Conference, Jason Kidd, said the following:
“The script was written.”
As fate would have it, Kobe got fouled in the dying seconds at the other end, and he knocked down the free throws to send the game to the second overtime. West went on to win the game, and the script as Kidd said, was written. Michael did not have the ending he would have hoped for, but the fans got their money’s worth.
Michael Jordan was not the same offensive threat
Jordan was averaging 18.8PPG before the All-Star break. Compared to his standards, it would be considered a below-average performance, but take into account his age, and suddenly a lot is put into perspective. Only a handful of players have sustained this level of play at 39 years old.
The numbers, though impressive, did not warrant the high level of defense that Jordan once commanded. There was no need to double-team him or even put the best defender on him. Suddenly his teammates needed equal attention, and he did not have the ball towards the end of the game. To be honest, it wasn’t his most memorable year, but when you have achieved everything under the sun, does it really matter?
