Michael Jordan warned Wizards teammates against expecting Bulls era to return: "My job is not to try to carry this team"

Michael Jordan warned Wizards teammates against expecting Bulls era to return: “My job is not to try to carry this team” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Most Michael Jordan fans prefer to leave the Washington Wizards chapter when talking about his illustrious career. After all, he legendary guard enjoyed most success playing for the Chicago Bulls between 1984 and 1998, delivering the franchise six championships and timeless memories.

Three years after his last NBA game, Jordan felt a strong urge to return to the hardwood, despite being the president and minority owner of the Wizards. Unable to resist the desire to play again, he announced a second return from retirement in 2001.

Jordan had a new vision set in the nation’s capital. He believed he could help the franchise get back to winning ways.

Unfortunately, this would not turn out to be the case for an aging Jordan, who did admit his younger teammates lacked the hunger to win. Toward the end of his second season with the Wizards, the veteran guard conveyed a stern message to the locker room.

“Everybody’s got to soul search. Everybody’s got to look themselves in the mirror and say, ‘What can I be doing differently to help the situation turn around?'” stated MJ, who was on a six-game road trip with the Wizards in March 2003.

“I’m not going to try to save this team. It’s not my job. My job is not to try to carry this team like I did in ’84 for the Bulls. We’ve got young, talented players on this team. If they’re going to sit back and expect that I’m going to score 50 points, they got a nice little awakening coming up. I told them at halftime, ‘I’m not going to try to carry the team,'” added Jordan, who ultimately retired at the end of the 2002-03 season.

What went wrong

Jordan started playing for the Wizards at 38. Though he did have the competitive zeal and skills, he wasn’t the same Air Jordan. Making matters worse for the ten-time scoring champion was his knee issue.

MJ’s traditional working methods never sat well with his teammates, especially Kwame Brown. Emerging players like Jerry Stackhouse and Richard Hamilton expressed their discontentment with His Airness, finding it difficult to coexist with him. The unrealistic expectations and constant media attention resulted in disappointment.

The positive takeaways

During his two years in Washington, Jordan averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals. Even with age not on his side, he led the Wizards to an 18-game improvement from the previous season, finishing 13th in the league MVP race.

Turning 40 during the 2002-03 season, the fourteen-time All-Star played all 82 games. Sadly, he failed to make the playoffs in both his seasons with the Wizards.

Jordan could still play, but departing on a winning note in 1998 would have been the perfect storybook ending to one of the greatest careers in American sports history.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.

Michael Jordan warned Wizards teammates against expecting Bulls era to return: “My job is not to try to carry this team”

Tags: