The entire Washington Wizards roster knew what Michael Jordan was capable of. Despite his age, Jordan could still perform at a high level. However, from what then-Wizards power forward Popeye Jones understood, MJ was mostly a scorer. He was wrong.
According to Jones, Jordan proved that playmaking was also one of his strongest suits as a player. It happened during a team scrimmage and as Jones described it, MJ was dropping dimes like crazy the entire time.
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The practice game was over, but Jones was still in awe of the nearly 40-year-old legend’s performance. That’s when Jordan reminded him that there was nothing he couldn’t do on the court.
“We started scrimmaging again. And Michael had the same aggression he usually had scoring the ball, but he looked like John Stockton or Magic Johnson,” Jones vividly recalled.
“I was astonished that he had that kind of vision. He was still attacking, but he wouldn’t shoot—he was kicking it out for threes or dropping it off to the bigs in the paint for dunks and layups. I remember after practice saying to him, I had no idea you could pass that way. He just looked at me and said, ‘Oh, I can pass. I see everything. I just want to score.'”
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Jordan always believed he could do anything
Jones wasn’t the only former Wizards player who had an unforgettable moment with Jordan. Former Wizards point guard Chris Whitney also once told a story in which he realized that MJ really had a GOAT mentality as a competitor.
Whitney could still remember how Jordan would make them believe he could do anything as long as the team bought into his approach to the game. As Whitney reflected on it, he understood that MJ did not only prove that he was capable of being an all-around player. He also showed them that there was nothing they couldn’t achieve with him leading the charge.
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“It was amazing to see the work ethic, to see the drive, and he [Jordan] would get on the bus and say, ‘We get to the playoffs, anything can happen,'” Whitney told WTOP News in 2020. “And he would say, ‘Watch. I’m going to turn into something else.'”
MJ failed to do one thing with the Wizards
Looking back at Jordan’s two-year stint with the Wizards, he was able to prove that he could do anything he believed he could do. He showed the entire league that it’s possible to be a team executive and a player at the same time.
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Moreover, MJ defied the laws of time and demonstrated his timeless greatness by not missing a single game in his final season with the Wizards. At almost 40 years old, he averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
In terms of mentality, Jordan confidently took on every younger player put in front of him. In his mind, he was still the greatest player to ever grace the NBA hardwood every time he laced up.
However, there was one thing MJ failed to do during his time with the Wizards – win. Ultimately, many consider his Wizards run a failure. But for Jones, Whitney and his Wizards teammates who witnessed him play and compete, Jordan was still a winner.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.