career. He was just
the fourth player to reach that milestone, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Karl Malone.
But Chicago fought back in the second half, and with fifteen seconds left, Bulls guard Ron Mercer swooped in for a layup.
Jordan went up with him.
And up. And up. At the top of his leap, he reached for the ball.
He didn’t block the shot. He
caught
it. And when he came back down to earth it was clear to everyone that Michael Jordan could still do things on a basketball
court that few others could.
The crowd went wild, and the Wizards hung on to win. After the game, a smiling Jordan admitted, “I can jump pretty high.”
But all was not well for Jordan. Though he continued to play hard throughout January and February,he was plagued by continuous pain in his right knee. Doctors at first suspected it was tendonitis. When nothing they did seemed
to help, Jordan knew it was time to take a closer look.
At the end of February, he went into the hospital for exploratory surgery. Jordan was fearful doctors would fine a career-ending
injury. To his relief, the problem turned out to be loose cartilage, a condition that can often be corrected. Surgery was
performed, and Jordan was placed on the Wizards’ injured list.
Soon after the surgery, rumors began circulating that Michael Jordan was going to announce his retirement. Speculation lasted
days, until at last Jordan put all rumors to rest. He would return to the game as soon as his recovery allowed.
Jordan worked hard to get back in top form in the months that followed. When the 2002 season began, he made it clear he was
ready, emotionally and physically.
“My love for the game of basketball continues to drive my decision [to play],” he stated. “I am feeling very strong, and feel
that the steps I took in the off-season have allowed me to return to the game in great condition.”
Jordan went into the 2002–2003 season ranked first in NBA history in scoring average, with 31.0 points per game. He was also
second in steals, fourth in total points and field goals made, and fifth in free throws made. Anything he did in the upcoming
months would only add to those already impressive totals.
Jordan had originally opted to rest his knee during the preseason and watch the games from the sidelines. But in a preseason
game on October 21, he came off the bench with less than eight minutes left in the second quarter. In typical fashion, he
sank a turnaround jumper three minutes after entering the game. He drained three more in the third quarter for a total of
eight points in fourteen minutes of play.
Coming off the bench was something new for Jordan — but it was something he knew he was going to have to get used to. His
knee wasn’t one hundred percent yet, and although he was in good shape, other younger players were in better condition. So
for the first time in years, he would be the strong sixth man on the team until he was truly ready to take his place among
the starters.
Still, joining the game midway was not easy. During his first outing, against the Toronto Raptors onOctober 30, he couldn’t seem to find his rhythm. He took to the floor with less than four minutes left in the first quarter.
When he left after having played for twenty-five minutes, he had hit only four shots out of fourteen. He also went zero for
two from the foul line. Perhaps the most telling of all was the slam dunk that clanged off the rim. The Wizards lost 74–68
— and sports networks replayed the flubbed dunk over and over while speculating that Jordan was past his prime.
Jordan rebounded the next night, scoring twenty-one points in as many minutes in a win against the Boston Celtics. Yet he
still seemed off his game. By the last week of November, he hadn’t moved from substitute to starter or reached the thirty-point
mark, something that had once been so easy for him.
It may be that Jordan could see the writing on the wall.
the fourth player to reach that milestone, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Karl Malone.
But Chicago fought back in the second half, and with fifteen seconds left, Bulls guard Ron Mercer swooped in for a layup.
Jordan went up with him.
And up. And up. At the top of his leap, he reached for the ball.
He didn’t block the shot. He
caught
it. And when he came back down to earth it was clear to everyone that Michael Jordan could still do things on a basketball
court that few others could.
The crowd went wild, and the Wizards hung on to win. After the game, a smiling Jordan admitted, “I can jump pretty high.”
But all was not well for Jordan. Though he continued to play hard throughout January and February,he was plagued by continuous pain in his right knee. Doctors at first suspected it was tendonitis. When nothing they did seemed
to help, Jordan knew it was time to take a closer look.
At the end of February, he went into the hospital for exploratory surgery. Jordan was fearful doctors would fine a career-ending
injury. To his relief, the problem turned out to be loose cartilage, a condition that can often be corrected. Surgery was
performed, and Jordan was placed on the Wizards’ injured list.
Soon after the surgery, rumors began circulating that Michael Jordan was going to announce his retirement. Speculation lasted
days, until at last Jordan put all rumors to rest. He would return to the game as soon as his recovery allowed.
Jordan worked hard to get back in top form in the months that followed. When the 2002 season began, he made it clear he was
ready, emotionally and physically.
“My love for the game of basketball continues to drive my decision [to play],” he stated. “I am feeling very strong, and feel
that the steps I took in the off-season have allowed me to return to the game in great condition.”
Jordan went into the 2002–2003 season ranked first in NBA history in scoring average, with 31.0 points per game. He was also
second in steals, fourth in total points and field goals made, and fifth in free throws made. Anything he did in the upcoming
months would only add to those already impressive totals.
Jordan had originally opted to rest his knee during the preseason and watch the games from the sidelines. But in a preseason
game on October 21, he came off the bench with less than eight minutes left in the second quarter. In typical fashion, he
sank a turnaround jumper three minutes after entering the game. He drained three more in the third quarter for a total of
eight points in fourteen minutes of play.
Coming off the bench was something new for Jordan — but it was something he knew he was going to have to get used to. His
knee wasn’t one hundred percent yet, and although he was in good shape, other younger players were in better condition. So
for the first time in years, he would be the strong sixth man on the team until he was truly ready to take his place among
the starters.
Still, joining the game midway was not easy. During his first outing, against the Toronto Raptors onOctober 30, he couldn’t seem to find his rhythm. He took to the floor with less than four minutes left in the first quarter.
When he left after having played for twenty-five minutes, he had hit only four shots out of fourteen. He also went zero for
two from the foul line. Perhaps the most telling of all was the slam dunk that clanged off the rim. The Wizards lost 74–68
— and sports networks replayed the flubbed dunk over and over while speculating that Jordan was past his prime.
Jordan rebounded the next night, scoring twenty-one points in as many minutes in a win against the Boston Celtics. Yet he
still seemed off his game. By the last week of November, he hadn’t moved from substitute to starter or reached the thirty-point
mark, something that had once been so easy for him.
It may be that Jordan could see the writing on the wall.
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