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Jordan Adds Third Chapter to Career
"I am returning as a player to the game I love," MJ says
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After months of hints, smiles and winks, Jordan finally announced his comeback Tuesday, saying he would play for the Washington Wizards through 2003 and donate his first year's salary to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"I am returning as a player to the game I love," said Jordan, 38 and three years removed from what seemed to be a storybook ending to an unparalleled career. "I am especially excited about the Washington Wizards, and I'm convinced we have the foundation on which to build a playoff-contention team.
His regular-season debut will be Oct. 30 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, and his first home game for the Wizards will be Nov. 3 against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers.
"This is certainly an extremely important moment in the history of our franchise, however our excitement is muted by the world events that surround us," Wizards owner Abe Pollin said.
"The greatest player in the history of the game is joining my team, and for that I am extremely honored and pleased."
"We'll see how fast the No. 23 Wizards jersey becomes the No. 1 selling jersey in the NBA. That probably will start today," Collins said.
NBC said it would change its television schedule to include some Wizards games. Turner Sports will do the same, with TBS in line to air the season opener.
"It will be fun to watch the greatest player ever match up against the NBA's new generation of stars, such as Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen and others," NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said.
Jordan won 10 scoring titles and is the NBA's fourth all-time leading scorer with 29,277 points. He has averaged a league-record 31.5 points per regular season game throughout his career and 33.4 in the playoffs.
Jordan's first retirement came in October 1993, after he led the Bulls to three titles. He played baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization for one season, but he couldn't make it out of the minor leagues and returned to the Bulls in March 1995.
Jordan led the Bulls to three more titles and retired again in January 1999, shortly before the start of the lockout-shortened season. He made his final shot in a Chicago uniform, sinking a jumper over Bryon Russell of Utah in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals -- a play that came to be known as Jordan's "last shot" -- to give the Bulls their sixth title of the decade.
"While nothing can take away from the past," Jordan said, "I am firmly focused on the future and the competitive challenge ahead of me." • Wizards team page
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MJ returns after a three-year retirement |
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