Michael Jordan left the court on June 14, 1998, against Utah in the NBA Finals, with a shot against Bryon Russell that has since been considered the greatest moment in playoff history. A dream end to a career, with his hand reaching toward the sky.
A few months later, Jordan returned to the NBA. Not as a player, but as a leader in Washington. The idea of a comeback, which had been 99.99% ruled out the day he retired in 1999, began to gain ground.
Even retired and now president of a franchise, Michael Jordan continues to train. As usual, in the summer, he invites several NBA players to come with him to Chicago. The Wizards then hire coach Doug Collins, Jordan's former coach in the late 80s. This is probably the trigger for the comeback for the six-time NBA champion.
He donates his salary to the families of the victims of September 11
On September 25, 2001, “His Airness” held a press conference: he was back! His motivations were simple: he wanted to play for the love of the game, and as a result, he decided to donate his salary to the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks. It was like an itch, and I didn't want it to itch for the rest of my life. » he explains. ” I'm not afraid of a challenge and that's why I said 99.99% in 1999. You never know. »
The number 23 will no longer be on the red jersey of the Bulls, but on the blue of the Wizards, a struggling team that has just drafted 19-year-old high school student Kwame Brown in first position.
Michael Jordan wants to challenge the new generation
A new generation of players took over after the lockout-marred 1998-1999 season. Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and others like Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett became the standard-bearers of the post-Jordan NBA. But he, as an absolute competitor, wanted to test himself against the young guns of the 2000s.
Michael Jordan's first steps in his new colors begin in the most famous venue in the world: Madison Square Garden, on October 30. And it is the beginning of a two-season adventure that will allow an entire generation to see and discover the best basketball player of all time.
Despite incredible performances for a player of his age, he failed, not managing to get the Wizards into the playoffs, and today, he recognizes that it was a failure.
“This is one of the most disappointing things” he had acknowledged in 2015. “I originally wanted to make it a winning franchise, we had different goals. We achieved some of them, and there were some that I didn't achieve. But I wouldn't change anything that happened to me because it's a learning process, and it was a learning experience. Although I didn't achieve all of my goals in Washington, I learned a lot. There's positives and negatives, and it's helped me become a better owner and a better person.. »
