When the Washington Wizards drafted Brendan Haywood he realized that he was going to be playing with the one and only Michael Jordan. With that in mind, Haywood made the most of the opportunity to soak up everything he could from the six-time champion.
For Haywood, there was no better way to spend his rookie season in the NBA than learning from the GOAT. Just as he anticipated, Jordan himself taught him the tricks of the trade.
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According to Haywood, he learned a lot from his mini 1-on-1 training sessions and lectures with MJ. Even after he retired, Haywood still remembers the valuable insights Jordan imparted to him.
“Playing with Mike, you got a chance to see what the greatest player in the game did to prepare,” Haywood told The Ringer. “So, you understood the work ethic. Watching film. You know, taking things serious. Taking the game and your scouting reports serious. Mike took everything serious. He was always, before the game, reading the scouting report.”
“So, if a guy couldn’t go left, he was gonna make you go left all game,” he continued. “And he expected you to do the same. Don’t let guys beat you with their strength. Force them to beat you with their weaknesses. Pay attention. Do the little things.”
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Jordan also taught Haywood something about winning
Apart from preparation and a few in-game techniques, Jordan also showed Haywood that winning doesn’t get old. Haywood saw how a true winner approaches the game by watching Jordan’s admirable practice habits.
Haywood knew that he witnessed how greatness is built firsthand. However, he admitted that he appreciated the things he saw from MJ more as he matured as a player.
“It was great for me, as a young guy, to see a guy who was, at that point, 40 years old, but who was still doing every little thing that it took to be successful,” Haywood said of his fellow UNC alum.
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Besides the legendary work ethic and mentality, Jordan was also big on efficiency. Like Haywood, former Wizards shooting guard Rip Hamilton also benefited from Mike’s mentorship.
As Hamilton described it, His Airness was the type of player who always got down to the nitty-gritty, especially in working on his moves. In fact, Jordan helped Hamilton become one of the best mid-range shooters in the league by teaching him his most unguardable offensive move.
“I remember one time I was playing against him, and he took two hard dribbles to the basket and pulled up, and he was like, ‘Rip, add that to your game. That’s the hardest play in the game of basketball to guard.’ And I was like, why? And he was like because as a defender, they are backpedaling, so he can’t jump to the highest point to block your shot. He’s always off-balance, and you’re always on-balance,” Hamilton revealed.
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“People all across the league kept hitting me up like, ‘How did you get your medium-range game so good?’ From the tools of Michael Jordan. From the opportunity to be around him for the two years I was in Washington,” he continued.
Jordan left his mark on the Wizards
On paper, many believed that Jordan failed as a player during his two-year stint with the Wizards as far as winning goes. Under his leadership, the Wizards improved their record but never made the playoffs in 2002 and 2003. Despite this, most Wizards players who shared the hardwood and the locker room with MJ felt they already won.
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For some of them, the short period of time they spent with Jordan as their teammate and boss was the most meaningful and unforgettable part of their careers. In fact, to hear Haywood and Hamilton still reflect on the stories and experiences they had with Jordan to this day only proves that His Airness really left his mark on that young Wizards team.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.