Home

NBA

Michael Jordan, Who Admitted Playing for Wizards “Exposed” Him, Had Himself to Blame When His Teammates Didn’t Buy Him a Retirement Gift

Published 09/17/2022, 2:30 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Getty

NBA all-time great, Michael Jordan, came out of retirement not once, but twice. Both after winning a three-peat with the Chicago Bulls. After joining the Bulls, Jordan took the league by storm. No one expected a rookie to be as good as he was. He was not just scoring baskets; he was great on the defensive end as well. But his individual brilliance could not be translated to team success. Jordan wanted to win titles to cement his name alongside some of the greats like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, etc.

Pieces finally came together, and the Bulls became one of the best teams in the league. But the Detroit Pistons proved as a roadblock with their physical defense. However, when the Bulls finally overcame that hurdle, they won the title in 1990. Then there was no stopping ‘His Airness’ and the Bulls as they went on to win three straight rings.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

READ MORE“He Went Straight to the Top”: Father James Was Surprised With Michael Jordan’s Bold Step After Bulls’ “Losing Attitude”

Then MJ shockingly announced his retirement and tried his hands at professional baseball. However, he could not stay away from the game. And he then came back to the Bulls. After initial struggles, Jordan and the Bulls started winning again.

Michael Jordan for the Wizards

Michael Jordan picked up where he left off and won three straight championships again with the Bulls from 1996 to 1998. Then, yet again he announced his retirement for the second time. Interestingly, he again decided to come back at the age of 38 for the Washington Wizards. He was the team’s president of basketball operations before deciding to lace up. However, his second retirement was not successful as the Wizards failed to clinch a playoff berth during his time as a player.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Furthermore, his actions behind the scenes did not go down well with his teammates. As per reports, MJ “poisoned the locker room.” The players did not even want to buy a retirement gift for the six-time NBA champion.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

MJ once revealed the experience he had from his playing time with the Wizards. He said, “I think it exposed me to a lot of decision making. One of the bad decisions I made was to go back and play.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORYBill Russell Career: When Did The Celtics Legend Retire?

What do you make of Wizards’ teammates reactions for Jordan? Do you agree with Jordan’s opinion about him coming back as a player for the second time? Let us know your valuable thoughts in the comments below.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

1,520Articles

One take at a time

Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
Show More>

Edited by:

Vibhanshu Kumar