Michael Jordan fans usually try to forget about Michael Jordan’s strange two-year run with the Washington Wizards.
The six-time NBA champion has won it all with the Chicago Bulls and cemented his position as the greatest basketball player ever to set foot on the hardwood. If anything, some saw his attempts to win another title in his late 30s as a feeble attempt to cash in on his legacy one more time.
However, the stat sheet will tell you that even an old MJ was still doing work against elite NBA players who were almost a decade younger than he was. The fact that he could still dump 20 points on any team is a testament to how great he is as a basketball player.
One of his former competitors during his time in the nation’s capital added to his legend by pointing out one thing that made Washington Jordan a tough opponent to crack.
Rasheed Wallace thinks Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards was a more dangerous opponent
In a recent episode of The Sheed and Tyler Show, the former Detroit Pistons big man talked about Jordan’s stint in DC and how he was a much more difficult opponent to crack.
Per Fadeaway World’s Gautam Varier:
“I think he was a little bit more dangerous when he was with the Wizards,” Wallace said. “He didn’t have the athleticism that we were used to seeing MJ have, but I’m with Bonzi (Wells), his angles were a little bit more sharp. You know you wasn’t going to move him, he was a strong two-guard… And his shot became more dangerous, you know? He became more solid as that veteran player.”
“He’s still out there talking s***,” Wallace added. “… He dropping dimes, it was like, ‘Damn.’ But the only thing he was missing was (athleticism). That’s it. His jump shot was still killer.”
It’s not like Wallace was taking his hot takes out of thin air. Jordan averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.5 steals during his two-year stint with the Washington Wizards. These are numbers any player can easily replicate.
Credit: Getty Images
While his run in Washington didn’t result in any meaningful playoff runs, it doesn’t tarnish the incredible legacy MJ built for himself through three decades of professional basketball.
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