The Story Behind Michael Jordan's Wizards
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- Michael Jordan in a Washington Wizards jersey - so foreign, it felt wrong. Unbecoming, even, for the six-time NBA champion and five-time MVP.
Two decades later, Jordan's brief tenure as Wizards player-owner is mostly referenced as a punchline, but it's not nearly as laughable as you remember it...
Written & Narrated by: Joseph Casciaro (@JosephCasciaro | Twitter)
Produced & Edited by: Stephen Addante (@stephenaddante | Instagram)
Thumbnail Design by: Justin Shipley (@shipleysportstudio | Instagram)
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51 and 45 points as a 39 year-old on a bum knee that was drained of fluid after every game. 🐐
@Ilija Nedeljkovic because bron would join every super team
@Ilija Nedeljkovic remember the lakers without AD? Bron cant carry the lakers lol
@@maryjoyvequizo6361 nobody can carry a team without at least another good player. Jordan kept losing in the first round before Pippen came to help him.
@@NikoNekoa but jordan still made it to the playoffs without pippen. But bron? Fake injury OMG haha
@@maryjoyvequizo6361 Bron also made the playoffs without a star player bruhhhhhhhh
Most impressive thing his last season, played all 82 games. Everyone came to see Jordan and the man delivered and played in every single game.
Played all 82 games smh MJ built different
Kawai Load-Management woulda sat out most.
I'm 41; former D2 college defensive end/linebacker. 6'7", 270lb. I own a landscaping business. I've always done physical work. I've always been in good physical condition just by nature of my job. In 2001, when I was 18, my hero was 38. I didn't understand then what a truly Herculean task he was taking on. When I hit 38, I understood perfectly. I still have the ability to go out and work a long, hard day in the heat, in the cold, swinging an axe, sledgehammer, chainsaw, whatever. It's the RECOVERY that is a bitch. When you get older, you don't recover as fast as when you were a kid. THAT is the truly impressive feat of Jordan's Wizards years. He was an All-Star at 40! AND he was playing on a team of scrubs (he had Christian Laettner for both years, though).
He wasn't Air Jordan in Washington... But Floor Jordan was still kicking asses 15-18 years younger than him... Was playing at an MVP level his first season with Wizards til his knee injury curtailed his season..
Like u said he was Air Jordan until his injury, and he still played 10 more games injured before he shut it down for the season, so that lowered his averages. Before that, I think it was only him and Kobe who were averaging 25-5-5 during that season
And a knee injury is just running into his own teammate, man what it could’ve been
People are bragging about a guy who team sucked and teammates didn't like .I mean in awe of him. Let that be bron 😅😅😅😅😅
@garyrichardson4844 who actually likes Bron as a team mate...the only wizards teammates thar didn't like MJ was Kwame Brown and Stackhouse... and Stackhouse beef is a Carolina beef with MJ
@edwardfisher9930 like I said all of that and they sucked as a team that's why he got fired . Not bron! He does the 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 firing
I was lucky enough to have witnessed his final game played in Phoenix in person in 2003. The game itself wasn’t remarkable at all, as both the Wizards and Suns were struggling; yet seeing the man in action one last time is a memory I will not forget.
NOTE: MJ’s final NBA game was indeed @ Sixers, yet I was referring to THE game I personally attended, and which was in Phoenix in March 2003. Lol.
Im pretty sure his last game in the league was against the sixers
@@emmanuelmarquez7318 yes, it was. But I was living in AZ at the time, and I was referring to his last visit to Phoenix
lucky guy
How old were you then?
@@millionfish I was 30, and before that I saw him played one other time in 97 vs the Blazers
Jordan was obviously very good as a wizard player. But a lot of people make fun of it because Jordan just seemed like a good all-star level player, rather than literal basketball Jesus like he was in Chicago. He seemed human in these last two years, which kinda destroyed the mythical reputation he built in Chicago ending in that game 6 shot
Builds it up even more for me. He was 40 years old averaging 20 in the nba!!! And he was smoking cigars drinking whiskey on the regular imagine he had today’s nutrition and ate some avacados
Because of recency bias the NBA media do it to all stars like bron Kobe when they not winning they cracking jokes
@@cgpxae2119 lmao why avocados?
@@astashasta1 stereotypical “healthy” food
He looked human his last 2 years in chicago and was still the best player in the league lol
Got to see Jordan twice on the Wizards my senior of high school and once as a Bull, in 1993. I was at the Labradford Smith game. It was magical! I don't think he missed, the whole first half. It was like seeing Santa Clause in person. He's the GOAT. 6-0 in the finals. The Bulls never even played in a game 7 in the finals. The NBA was tough, for the first three titles. The only people who would question his goat status are people who didn't get to see him play live.
PREACH.
nah. Lebron is the GOAT. But Mj is a top 10 player though. Somewhere around 8
@@jrsmith1998you need to find your soul.
I totally agree about seeing him live. I was a huge Jordan fan growing up then I got to work at MSG in 92 & 93 so I got to see Jordan live and my jaw dropped. He was even better live in person. He moved faster than everyone on offense and was in the air before anyone knew what happened. I've been to a lot of different sporting events (Giants, Jets, Big East games, Nets, etc.,) but I've never seen a player that stood out like Micheal.
Me being from Washington DC and living there during that time, I never thought MJ would actually come back again to play for the Wizards after all ready being part owner and President of Basketball Operations which was already great because I never thought he would ever be part of the Wizards franchise! I loved every moment of his surprise 2 year comeback to the court as well and being able to go to a live game and also being able to see him on the local DC channel on tv 📺 and also cable channels again was truly amazing! This was one of the greatest moments in NBA history.
This channel needs more love! Totally underrated!
0:10 "What a shot by the greatest player of all time!"
Scottie Pippen: "I took that personally."
Scottie Petty Pippen the most overrated player of all time
@@scarykurapika100yago2 i mean his talent was often overshadowed by Michaels but he was a key piece for their championships and be was beasting during the season where Michael took a break.
@@mouradsaleh2477 Ofcourse every championship team has a keypiece on their team other than the superstars.. And yeah he beasted in the 94 season but did he even won shit? NO lol.. people say MJ never won before Pippen came but MJ in the 80s was tearing the league apart.. he just had a shitty Bulls team.. Pippen wouldn't even be known if he didn't play with MJ.. Dominique, Grant Hill were both better than him.
@@scarykurapika100yago2 part of his greatness was his defensive ability. And I guess the bulls was just a perfect fit for him but that doesnt chance the fact that be was amazing on his own I wouldnt call him overated
I watched that final Chicago game with Wizard’s MJ and had goosebumps. Even rewatching it in YT, still having goosebumps.
It was at once a sign of mortality, and simultaneously the stuff of immortals.
couldn't agree more
It's pretty amazing how the Wizards era MJ is both a testament to what an incredible athlete he is and foreshadowing all the doom Charlotte fans have experienced over the last 15 years.
Couldn’t have said it better - Very few HOF player transition to successful GM or coaches due to a mix of lack of experience and ego
We are finally good
@ Sports is dictated by winning and GM Jordan had more desire reliving his days out as a player than to learn the front office, hiring the right personnel, developing players and turn the franchise into contending status. You pulling the race card and white-man-so-bad narrative just shows how idiotic you sound
@@canadianchungus701 jordan is the goat,but he sucks as an owner ,I think he has never won a playoff series in Charlotte,
even as a Wizard at the age of 38-40 MJ was one of the top players in the league, had he not been injured he may have been top 3 in the league at that point, his last 10 games before his injury he was averaging just over 27 points a game if my memory is correct, and let's face it, he had 0 help on that team and if he would've stayed healthy would have made the playoffs, and when you look at the Wizards the year prior that's an amazing feat, the man absolutely loved to play the game, and to be doing it at that high of a level at that age is very impressive, I'm 37 and I couldn't imagine being able to do the things he did to players 10-15 years younger than him. the GOAT
Him and Kobe were the only ones averaging 25-5-5 before he tore his meniscus
@billblaski9523 right?! MJ had 16 years on kobe. Just thinking about playing now in my late 30s makes my knees hurt 😅
Jordan was getting better and more efficient before his knee injury.
Before his injury, he led the team in scoring, assists, and steals, averaging 25 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals per game.
In his last 20 games up to the injury he averaged:
27.5 - 6.4 - 5.2 - 1.3 - 0.5 on 44%
In his last 10 games up to the injury he averaged:
29.7 - 6.6 - 6.1 - 1.2 - 0.3 on 47%
Almost 30 per game in a season where an average TEAM scored only 95. For comparison, in 2024 teams averaged 114 per game.
In Jordan’s 46 games before knee injury the Wiz had a 26-20 (0.565 win%) record.. (again, this is a team that only won 19 games the season before)
In games without MJ and post-injury, the Wizards had a 11-25 (0.300 win%) record.
This is also despite the absence of Rip Hamilton for about a month during Jordan’s 26-20 stretch.
In the last 16 games that Rip and Jordan played together prior to Jordan’s knee collision, the Wizards went 15-1, and they won 13 straight games when both of them played together.
People act like the Wizard years were so horrible, yet never actually look closer for context.
@@LawrenceAugust_you keep talking about his injury. But injuries happen when you're 39 years old. You can't keep giving him excuses when he does play like he used to. Those wizards teams were nothing. Do you really think they could have won a ring? Stop.
@@biozio186 but when the lakers loose you bronsexuals ALWAYS BRING UP HIS AGE HES 39 WHAT DO YOU EXPECT HIM TO BE?? BUT WHEN THEY WIN ITS ALL OF A SUDDEN LOOK AT WHAT HES DOING AT 39 HES A FREAK OF NATURE.... WELL WHICH ONE IS IT? IT CANT BE BOTH
The 2001-02 season is very underrated. The Wizards would have made the playoffs had it not been for his knee injury which derailed the momentum entirely.
Either way, he is still a top 10 all time great. I have him at #7
@@jrsmith1998 you have Michael Jordan at #7?
@@tashrif46 6 at best.
1) 🐐 James
2) Wilt Chamb
3) Kobe
4) Bird
5) Kareem
6) Magic
7) Air Jordan
@@jrsmith1998 Okay.
I was happy he came back. I never got to see him play live while he played for Chicago, but my brother took us to both games when Washington played against Phoenix. The first time in 2002 he hit the game winner against the Suns. That was his last game winner of his career. I loved Wizards MJ because we got a chance to see him play in person thanks to my brother.
Dude you are always on it . keep it up ✌👍👍👍
he was really good given his age
And 3 year lay off
This Jordan to me is my 🐐 and favorite Jordan of all time because of his I.Q. at the time. Yeah he was a grandpa of the league but this is what makes it so unique. And a year or two later Richard Hamilton got a ring while being schooled by M.J. while he had a short stint (3 years) with the Wizards as well.
Do more of these on hockey players, wrestlers, mma guys!
& mlb players ⚾️
I suggest reading the book "When nothing else matters" it gives all the insider details you want. It's both super critical of MJ and also shows his unbelievable determination.
I wasn't old enough to watch him during his Bulls days but I remember watching him play a bit as a Wizard when I was in the 4th and 5th grade lol
do you rember him in 1998?
If MJ had kept most of the players that were good during his 1st season as a Wiz like Rip Hamilton, I think they could've made the playoffs his last season with the Wiz. Jerry Stackhouse at that time wanted to shine more, but that wouldn't happen with His Airness playing
great video thanks
Man this dude is definitely in the top 3 greatest of all time discussion.
How did you not mention his last game ever… In Philadelphia, we gave him a wonderful sendoff standing ovation cheering “we want Mike!“ Until they put him back in the last two minutes of the game!
I’ll never forgive jermaine O’Neill for ruining his potential game winning shot in the all star game
Dassa fact
Correction with the Vince Carter giving his spot to MJ, Vince was actually bitching about it that the fans voted for him to start instead of MJ he didn't want to give the spot to MJ until the very start of the all star game.
Yeah i think it was Isiah Thomas who convinced Vince to give up his starting stop even if MJ did not want it.
Vince sucked in that game only 7 points and Mike 20 points
I'm 39 years old now, and when Michael Jordan played for the Wizards, I was in high school. At the time, I was too young to fully appreciate his achievements. Now, at 39, while I'm still fit, I'm far from my peak at 25. It's incredible that Jordan, at 38, could compete with world-class 25-year-old athletes. He wasn't just coming off the bench and scoring 8 points; he was still excelling.
I think Larry Hughes and Brendan Haywood our the only players to played along side with Jordan and LeBron.
I am impressed by the results he achieved. I did not remember that 😮
But let's also remember that in the early 2000s the best 9-10 teams of the NBA were playing in the West 😅
You can put Lebrick in that same type of line up and he would probably trade including the owner
Loving this one thanks for sharing very information blessed love to all knowledge is power hopefully everyone pays attention keep up the good work 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
This Lowkey reminds me of 2022 lakers and LeGM. He constructed a team not built for that era and had to put mindblowijg performances just to make them relevant
There relevant regardless of losing , winning or lebron Look how much they talking bout westbrook
I was lucky enough to see him play with Washington.
Here in DC we didn't embrace the name Wizards until the G.O.A.T MJ put the Uni on and we had the J's to match then it was like Wizards uh 😐 😑 😒 👍🏾 👌🏽 🙆🏾♂️ 🆗️ 🤣💯
No one can ever top BLACK JESUS! Still my favorite player today.
You really call that man black Jesus smfh 🤦
His 1998 Game Six shot should’ve been his bow out. But it was HIS career. And not ours.
Crazy cause folk give him credit for that year at 38/39 but my nigga Bron in year 19 CARRYING shit. Show u how biased folk are. That man took Hella breaks thru out his career. Nigga literally pulled the Brett farve 🤔🤣 Bron 19 straight years no retirement still playing 40 mind a night. Mj will forever be the truth but Bron prime was longer .
Is bron prime longer ? Because to me he just finds ways to prolong it because he knows the league is changing but he still wants the cake so bad till the point he tries to make it easier for himself but due to circumstances he has to work harder 😂 jordan got bored left and cameback 2 times he knew he was so good he can just leave and pick up where he left off 😭💯 lebron rn would never do that because he knows his window is closing so he has to make the best of it
Having incredible longevity never made anyone the goat, that's why MJ has been considered the goat over Kareem. Who is my #2.
@@retrosoul8770 Dummy
No need to sugar coat trash, you could have just easily said that Letrash is not even in the same stratosphere as Jordan.
The greatest of all time
That wizard team was dangerous in Eastern conference
bro before you fire shots at the Wizards playoff woes around 16:45😂 do remember the Mike's Hornets quite literally have been the least successful team in the East over that time span
Can u imagine Kobe being the guy Jordan finally loses too in the finals ? 😂
Folks dont understand when Jordan was brought in he was Ted's boy not Abe's. Abe really did not want him. There was a struggle between the old guard and new guard. While Jordan eats the Kwame pick that was Abe's pick. Abe thought he was going to be Wes Unseld. Jordan actually was going to take Tyson Chandler. They brought him back in for another workout the night before the draft. While he was not successful here he brought the Wiz up from a mom and pop organization to a real NBA team from workers and scouts. Thats why Abe fired him Mike was spending money and he was still mad from when MIKE was a player and he told Abe to sell his team during strike negotiations lol
Hard to believe the two worst teams behind wizards were Warriors & Bulls
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Everyone just wanted to keep watching MJ play and he delivered. No one cared that he wasnt as competitively strong as he was when he was a Bull, just the sight of MJ playing basketball was good enough.
The Old Goat
The goat
I think LBJ fans need to watch this if they have doubt Jordan isn’t the goat
lmbo. Yeah. It builds a more solid case in favor of Lebron
@@jrsmith1998 nah not at all bro the era thing matters everything now is iso ball and 3s so not sure what you talking about MJ never had 3 but never really need good 3 point shot bro was just to much even at 40 lets get that straight only thing i can say is LBJ won title as old as he is but the body conditioning was so different back then too even when MJ join the Wizards not sure how people can say that just stop riding LBJ nuts just admit MJ was whole different Monster
@@jrsmith1998
There is NO CASE for LeBron especially when he CHOKES after forming a superteam in his best years. Lol.
@@jrsmith1998 makes Letrash more of an abomination compared to the greatest ever.
@@jrsmith1998 Lol 😂 LBJ in Miami: not one, not two, not three, not four, not five…. Oh my bad he only has 4 🤦🏽🤦🏽🤦🏽 with all that talent in Miami only won twice 🧐🧐🧐
I didnt even realize he played all 82 games and avg 37 mins a game his last year in Washington. Mandela effect, i for some reason thought he was hurt alot that last season
I’m from DC. Michael Jordan should’ve never played for Washington.
The Chicago Bulls should’ve made him part owner of that organization. From the body of work MJ did in Chicago, and for the tremendous influence that he had on the league even to this day, why not reward that man with some kind of major stock & ownership of an organization helped build into a championship franchise? It’s absolutely ridiculous.
This is eerily similar to what's going on with Lebron at the moment. Older teammates, recurring knee issues with bursts of 40 and 50 point games 🤔
really shows how crazy of an athlete lebron is to be doing what he's doing at 39
Take note. He did all of that with that roster. NO Anthony Davis, NO Carmelo, NO Westbrook, all 75yh greatest players of all time. No Dwight Howard (who should have been in the 75th best) and a deep bench. Yet Jordan still played relatively well and even played all 82 games. Just imagine what could have happened if Jordan had the same roster Letrash James has.
Exactly
🤣🤣 being obsessed with another man isn't good for you
Look up what Brown's teammates said about Doug Colins treatment of him.
My memory as a small child was that Jordan was the Coach of the Wizards. And he would sometimes activate himself as a player. Did that actually happen??? Lol
8:28😂😂💀
The GOAT!
Abe Polin gave MJ a raw deal with the Wizards.
Simply the greatest to ever do it
Sick intro brother i can tell you a pro
If MJ would have returned in a good team, he would have now 8 rings...
if only you focused on your nba content then I will subscribe... the power of niche
What’s the name of the track that starts around 16:06?
Wizards MJ was the og LeGm
Facts
🤣 nah he was the legit gm
🤭🤣🤣 he didn't want to say Kwame Brown name.
King of three peat, 3 peat in championships. and 3 retirements lol
This is why unorguably he is the greatest player that has ever played period LeBron will never reach this level never he done passed up his opportunity to do it and now he hurt so but I would love to see LeBron break the scoring title cuz at least he will leave with that but chasing the legacy of Michael Jordan he will never surpass it never nobody will ever mark my words ever
I truly hated seeing MJ in a Wizards uniform. It was wrong in so many ways!
Video starts at 2:00
"He told me his back was hurting... And I took it personally."
What he do that is GREATNESS...he just wanna show or prove to himself he still have one more play and he knows when to hang up the shoes...
Wish jordan played longer. I think he might have got maybe 1 more if he played another 5 years
According to JDRs these wizard years dont count.. but the points assist steals blks rebs etc all counts smh
it became his Farewell Tour that he didn't got in the Bulls.
well deserved like Kobe.
This is impressive when you consider 39 at that time was considered much older than 39 now
How does MJ have all that money but never got his suit tailored?
He should’ve drafted pau gasol
Real Jordan fans know whats up with Jordans Wizards days. At 39 and 40 he was on par with young NBA superstars, averaging even higher than some. He was even in MVP running and playoff running for some time before the injury. Only MJ haters try to discredit that 🤷🏽♂️
OLD GOAT Doing Goat things...
8:27 same af 😭😭😭😭
Wasn’t a bad run with the wizards. But if he never got fat, he wouldn’t have gotten injured. Would have probably made the playoffs. Either way, he still is a top 10 all time great.
Top 10,r u on crack?
I hope you guys invest in a better microphone/voice recorder
i glad MJ not playing in this era..because he will make nba no more competitive.....
Two months and ten days later after Jordan’s final game. Enter Lebron James.
Commenting for algo
Jordan time with the wizards is the last ride
I loved those wizards jerseys
Why do Lebron fans hate MJ.
Because he’s better thann bron
Lmao they don't because they the same ones that wearing Jordan's on their feet haha
@@Ejr82u i Dont own a pair of Jordan's and i dont like MJ
@@Dontresssmith3757 lol ok😉
I don't think they hate MJ, they know how great Mike was, but Lebron is their GOAT and that's fine. MJ fans immediately dismiss them, and come up with 50 reasons why LBJ is not the goat some legit and some bulls**t. But when an old timer says their GOAT is Kareem, Bill or Wilt MJ fans say I give you that old man I never saw Kareem, Bill or Wilt in their prime. It's generational everyone thinks theirs is the best. I think MJ is the best, but if someone else thinks it's LBJ I have not issue with that, LeBron is f**king great and if you don't think so you have not been watching.
This team is now even more dysfunctional, and has a worse owner. How sweet it is.
dysfunctional like the charlotte hornets
Anybody that loves to clown the Wizards Jordan clearly weren’t alive or watching Wizards Jordan.
Cleaning up that mess that came out of the 90s was a pretty hard task to begin with....and then Kwame.
His failure as an executive with the wizards is unparalleled, his solution was to build around himself in a bid to get into the playoffs? At his age? It was a foolish endeavor
Y’all. This video is stretching, he was great in a 35 game period. It barely cover the whole 2 seasons
This never happened. Jordan was never on the Wizards.
I remember I was in 6th grade when it was announced Michael was back. I got kicked out of class cause I kept saying "No fucking way!!!"
How much did he improve the defense, let's say when he and Rip were on the court together
Wasn't it that Michael hit knee to knee with Etan Thomas that shredded up his knee further that took him out in 2002?
I could never watch Jordan on the Wizards
At this point it's legitimately starting to frustrate me that this channel is still so damn small. I don't understand it.
3rd....the bronze like MJ's statue in front of the United Center in Chitown