The unbelievable has happened.
Looking back on this man’s career, everything has been unbelievable so why should we be surprised?
Yesterday, the waiting game ceased as Michael Jordan announced to the world that he will make his second comeback to the National Basketball Association and play for the Washington Wizards.
In a written statement released by his management agency, Jordan simply said, “I am returning as a player to the game I love.”
Up until Friday, Jordan was a partial owner and team president of the Wizards organization. NBA rules states that you cannot compete on the court if you are the owner of the team. As a result, the former NBA superstar sold his shares and resigned as president.
The five-time league MVP signed a two-year contract with Washington worth the league minimum for veterans with over ten years of experience. For two years he has been giving out the athletic contracts, now, once again, he received one.
His management agency also proclaimed that Jordan will donate his entire salary from the upcoming season to the relief agencies working with the victims in the D.C. and New York City attacks of September 11th.
Jordan wanted to make the announcement official Monday but was unable to because of some last minute business decisions.
From the time he was a player, to an owner, now back to a player, Michael has built a monopoly in the advertising industry. He has become successful at this by selling himself. The King of Commercials had to clear up a licensing agreement with one of his many sponsors – video game mogul EA Sports – before he could officially sign a contract with the Wizards.
One man who is overjoyed by the return of arguably the best player ever to touch a basketball court is NBA commissioner, David Stern. He told ESPN.com that “I am happy to welcome Michael Jordan, the player, back to the NBA, although, as commissioner, I am sorry to lose him in the board room.”
“Michael has always brought joy to basketball fans around the world, and, in these difficult times, we can all use a little more joy in our lives,” Stern added.
There has been continuous speculation that Jordan was thinking of making a comeback for some time now. It started at the end of the 2000-2001 NBA campaign when he told Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly that he wanted to form a team in Washington that would be made up of pro hoops’ veterans such as Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and himself.
Keeping in mind that Jordan said he was “99.9% sure” there would not be another comeback after his retired from the Chicago Bulls in 1999, sports writers believed that Jordan was merely teasing the media. They obviously were mistaken.
Jordan worked diligently all summer with the hope of polishing off the skills that have dazzled fans for the past two decades. Rigorous exercise and the occasional pick-up games against some of the NBA’s elite such as Michael Finley and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, gave people clues that Jordan’s return would become a reality.
One of his close observers was recently hired Wizards head coach Doug Collins. In an ironic change of events, Collins will now be coaching the man who hired him for the job after he had been out of coaching for a couple of years. What will the dynamics of that relationship be?
There are a lot of other questions to be answered as well.
For starters, how good will number 23 perform? His body bares the scars of 38 years of life and fourteen strenuous years in the NBA. He has been plagued by minor injuries during many of his pick-up games including a couple cracked ribs and a sprained ankle. What will happen when he goes up for a rebound and gets an elbow from a Shaquille O’Neal or a Tim Duncan?
The next question to be asked is, will Jordan be able to play alongside inexperienced players?
Last year, the Wizards were 19-63 on the year and did not even come close to making the play-offs.
All these questions will begin to be answered October 30, when Jordan and the Wizards open the regular season against one of his long time rivals, the New York Knicks, in the Big Apple.
Make sure you tune into the game. You might see something unbelievable.