Most fans identify Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, and there are good reasons why they do. But Jordan ended his pro career in Washington, DC, not Chicago, IL. Here’s how it went down.
The 1998 NBA Finals featured the Utah Jazz versus the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls had a great team with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr. The Jazz featured their greats, Karl Malone and John Stockton.
The Bulls led the series 3-2 when they traveled to Salt Lake City for Game 6. The game was coming down to the wire. After a Jazz turnover, the Bulls got the ball with a few seconds left in regulation, and the Jazz held a one-point lead. With a win, Utah would return to Chicago for Game 7. If the Bulls won, they would claim the championship, their sixth in the Jordan era.
You could cut the tension with a knife. You knew Jordan would take the last shot—if it went in, it would be the last shot of his career. Jordan went one-on-one with Jazz guard Byron Russell, and here’s what happened.
It was an incredible play and a perfect ending to a magnificent career—or so we thought.
On January 19, 2000, Jordan became part-owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. Everyone was excited about what he could do for the Wizards in a front office capacity. But there was more. Jordan toyed around with the idea of playing again. Mario Lemieux, a friend of Jordan, had made an NHL comeback, so why not Jordan?
More than a year later–and just a couple of weeks after 9/11 happened–Jordan returned as a player. Jordan said his salary would go to 9/11 relief efforts. But on the court, Jordan couldn’t get the Wizards over the hump. His stats were good (21.2 points-per-game over two seasons), but the team never made the playoffs, largely because he wasn’t surrounded by a playoff-quality surrounding cast.
Michael Jordan will be remembered as the NBA GOAT and how he made a run at being a dual-sport pro (basketball and baseball), just like Bo Jackson did (NFL and MLB). Fans know both.
But it’s also fair to say that if you inform fans that Jordan played NBA ball for the Washington Wizards, many will likely respond, “Huh?!”
