Former Washington Wizards head coach Doug Collins was not surprised by how the media quizzed him for something even juicier than Michael Jordan‘s much-awaited NBA return in 2001.
At the time, the NBA world couldn’t get enough of Jordan updates every single day and they were eager to know if MJ was really recruiting Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing to the Wizards.
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Shortly after news broke that Jordan was making an NBA comeback with the Wizards, rumors swirled that he was bringing Barkley and Ewing along with him. Even though it seemed like nothing was impossible at that point, Collins confirmed that as far as he knew the two legends weren’t playing for the Wizards.
“People have said Michael was going to put together a ’92 Dream Team revisited,” Collins told the media. “That’s not going to happen.”
Doug was only sure about how MJ would play
Instead of further discussing the Barkley and Ewing rumors, Coach Doug focused on the more important things and that was Jordan’s return. For Collins, he couldn’t say more about Barkley and Ewing, but he could certainly talk about how he saw MJ coming in.
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Ahead of Jordan’s highly anticipated return, Collins could already see his former player being effective in the post and relying mostly on his physical strength rather than athleticism. Moreover, Doug hinted at a new version of MJ altogether.
“I could see him playing a lot of small forward,” Collins said of Jordan. “He’s going to do a lot of posting up.”
“I don’t see him necessarily playing the same style as before. He’s so physically strong now. … Who better to reinvent themselves than him?” he enthusiastically added.
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Barkley was too fat to return to the NBA
Even Jordan himself didn’t shy away from talking to the media about his return and the rumors that came with it. At one point, MJ revealed that Barkley seemed interested in making an NBA return.
“I was 218 (pounds), right at my playing weight,” Jordan said in 2001 via ESPN. “I know I can do this. I don’t know about Charles [Barkley]. He wants me to seriously look at him. We’ll see.”
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Eventually, Jordan provided an update on Barkley’s potential NBA return. It divulged that while they did have a conversation, it wasn’t as serious as many had assumed. Only Jordan managed to make his NBA return. At the same time, Chuck remained one of the most recognizable figures in the NBA on TNT.
Years later, Barkley addressed that rumor and admitted to really wanting to return to the NBA alongside Jordan. However, he unsurprisingly failed to get back in shape.
“I had gained a hundred pounds since I retired, and I’ve lost 44 [pounds]. My trainer wanted me to lose about 85 pounds, but apparently, I was really fat,” Barkley said in 2010 during a live TV appearance.
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As for Ewing, he was recruited by the Orlando Magic in ’01 and played one full season with the team. It turned out to be his last year in the league as he officially retired after the season.
In retrospect, it’s quite intriguing to learn that Barkley and Ewing were rumored to be joining Jordan in Washington in ’01. Even though all of them were already old at the time, it would’ve been epic had that rumor been real.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.