Why Michael Jordan Really Went To The Wizards
Ladies and gentlemen ... Michael Jordan! Considered by many (including the NBA's own website) to be the greatest baller to have ever played the game, along with one of the greatest athletes of all time, Michael Jordan's legendary status extended out of our solar system all the way to Moron Mountain, the home of Space Jam's talent-stealing Nerdluck aliens. Some players couldn't stand Michael Jordan because of his fiercely competitive nature and his crippling trash talk, but he helped lead his Chicago Bulls to six championships, despite retiring twice during some of his prime playing years.
Michael Jordan's first retirement
Michael Jordan's first retirement came after the tragic death of his father in 1993, resulting in Jordan's decision to try his hand at professional baseball. His father had always thought he should be a pro baseball player, and according to ESPN, with a couple more years of practice he could have made it from the minor leagues to the MLB.
Then Michael Jordan returned to the NBA in 1995, and he played for three and a half more seasons, winning a championship with the Bulls in each full season before retiring again in 1998.
Why Michael Jordan went to the Wizards
In 2000, Michael Jordan acquired an ownership and team executive role with the struggling Washington Wizards, but watching from the owner's box proved too frustrating for the uber-competitive Jordan who was nearing the end of his 30s. In 2001 he ditched his suit in favor of a basketball kit.
Announcing in a statement "I am returning as a player to the game I love," according to the Chicago Tribune, Michael Jordan returned to the league on September 25, 2001. His contract paid him $1 million, which the Washington Post reports he donated to victims of the September 11 attacks.
Michael Jordan's last professional basketball act
While the team didn't win a championship, Michael Jordan's final return helped fill seats while also fulfilling his competitive nature. It also allowed him to help the team he had formerly owned as both a player and teacher, and his salary went to a worthy cause –- a worthy final act for this magical baller.