Michael Jordan's UNDERRATED years as a Wizard 

If Jordan had stayed healthy in the 01-02 season, how far do you think the Wizards would have gone?

He blew his knee out at 40 and immediately tried to get back on defense. Absolute savage!

Jordan at age 40: *plays all 82 games* Kawhi: *sweats nervously*

random nba player: "my back hurts" 🐐: "So you have chosen *51 points dropped on your head* "

His Wizards days pretty much prove of having no issue with Zone defense. MJ once stated he would never had same NBa achievements if Zone was in NBA, but he was referring to real Zone like college and with hand checking, not with not true Zone in today's game due to 3 second rule, no hand checking and spacing. Early 2000 Zone was implemented and handchecking was still present, and an old MJ had no issue with it.. Wizard MJ is underrated for sure ..

I bought a ticket to watch Jordan & The Wizards play against The Clippers. I got the ticket for $20. He was the highest scorer on either team, and shot the winning shot. It was amazing! Best $20 I ever spent.

This should be in the Last Dance doc as a bonus.

When MJ would put up those 40-50 point games with the Wizards, it was almost enough to make you cry. At his age and coming off a few years of retirement, it was amazing to watch. It was this nearly 40 year old guy who was literally not just A living legend but THE living legend. When he had randomly had those games where he looked 5 years younger, it was unreal. The guy was far past the peak of his powers but he was still able to do incredible things against people half his age.

In my opinion, this video is what solidifies MJ as the GOAT. He proved that he could dominate in today's NBA, and also had the longevity produce for many more years after the 98 season. If he didn't retire twice in the 90s, he'd also probably be the all time points leader, and hold many of the playoff totals records that Lebron currently holds. While Lebron may end up with the greatest career of all time, MJ is the greatest player of all time.

The only player wearing a retired jersey during the game with a statue in front of his home stadium. Goat shit

To be 40 years old and STILL be the go to guy in ANY professional sports is unbelievable and pretty much says it all....The GOAT... Period!

I saw him as a Wizard. Oohs and ahhs every play. Worth the experience.

This video now feels like a nice complement to "The Last Dance" documentary. For someone that has always been curious of MJ's ternure with the Wizards, this is really good stuff.

I was more impressed with Michael Jordan being 40 + years old scoring, rebounding, and still being athletic with arthritic knees than his years in his prime. You don’t appreciate it until you get up there in years

Wow! The only player to ever score 50+ in 3 different generations 🔥🔥🔥

My favorite moment in this video is when he knocked knees on his injury and with in SECONDS he was running to play defense! I show my son this and he said Dad, let's watch Space Jam again!

I'm 51 years old and I'm convinced that there will never be another one like Michael Jordan. He changed the NBA, his footwork, his shots with a perfect parabola, full of magic, his competitiveness, his professionalism and desire to improve, his speed, vision and intelligence, he had it all. Amazing Michael Jordan, he's timeless.

The fact that prior to the injury, he was approaching his former self as the season went on, despite being almost 40, is ridiculously scary. 14:09 No, that's just not fair.

When you can score 50 points at the age 39 that man can NEVER be considered overrated

I’m 45 yrs old and watching this man growing up was an absolute privilege. He alone changed the love of the game. He made everyone a better more competitive player and brought the sport to another level.

Jordan at 40 snatched the ball from the air with both hands & prevented the expected full lay -up!

This dude dropped 40 point games at the age of FOURTY! Case closed my dude.

Mike was putting up max contract numbers at 40... Sheesh!!!

His wizards days are so underrated to be 38-40 and still be absolutely balling impressive af even if it wasn't as good as with the bulls

Jordan scored 40 points on 50%FG 8 times as a wizard. Chris Mullin did that 7 times in his entire Career.

Finally somebody made this video. I watched every wizards game start to finish. The disrespect from today i swear. People dont realize how great the Wizards were(only because of Jordan) before he was injured. That knee clash with Thomas... ill NEVER forget watching that moment live. One of the biggest what ifs in nba history for me. Jordan doesnt clash knees with Thomas = wizards make playoffs, mj win ANOTHER mvp, mic drop on any Lebron/Kobe vs MJ goat conversation of today. That would be the year to bring up. Man it makes me mad at why that had to happen.

Most NBA players would kill to have the production of a Wizard Jordan even at their prime.

Thank you so much for making this video. I learned a lot. It gets so tiresome hearing people discredit him when he WAS producing remarkably irregardless of his age. The fact is he set the bar so high it was unreachable. And as we have seen in the last dance documentary, they build you up to break you down. They look for any reason to say "he's not that good." Jordan showed that his entire career. Had a few bumps along the way but until there comes another player to perform as well as he did at that age, I don't want to hear the judgements. When you age you get slower. Overall athletically you deteriorate. You need longer recovery times, and you're more susceptible to injury. Maybe it's the fact that Jordan was almost superhuman that people feel the need to hold him to the high standards he set in the prime of his career. But if you have half a brain, and look at the numbers and be honest with yourself, he did not tarnish his reputation or ruin any perfect ending. He played until he couldn't any longer and as he did his entire career, he gave it all.

Back when I was 18, my friend and his pops let me and another friend tag along to a Wizards game. It was the first - and only - time I got to see MJ - my idol growing up (like most American kids) - play in person, so I was PUMPED! That game was against the Hornets, the game Doug Collins was talking about, where Jordan dropped 51. To this day, it's one of the greatest moments of my life, something I'll never forget!

The narrative that Jordan’s wizards days were bad HAS to be eradicated. This man is a beast

The way he explained it was nothing short of beautiful 😂

Any Jordan fan knows that this man's pure talent, skill and determination would've destroyed anyone in the league now, just as it did back in the 80's, 90's and early 00's.

I'm from Chicago and lived the entire Jordan era, I saw him play live when he still had hair, mid 80's. I always tell people if he didn't get injured during his wizards years he would've had them in the finals.

The most under appreciated NBA RU-vidr out there.

he was arguably a top 10 player at ages 38-40 thats incredible

This is unbelievable statistics! Well done MJ.Earned my respect as the greatest ever.

Why i still watch mj to this date instead of watching the replays of modern NBA? Cant get enough of his grace and glide moves.. its a thing of beauty to watch.. even if u repeat itover and over again.. wow man... just love it

This is the type of story that Sportscenter needs to be doing instead of always finding 10 different ways to talk about LeBron 6 days a week. That crap is annoying.

Thank you for this video, I’ve been saying his Wizards years are criminally underrated for awhile now. He really is the GOAT

Nevermind he scored 40,50 pts. What's amazing is that he did it efficienctly, making around 50% of his shots, considering he was a perimeter player. Plus, his defense was impeccable.

"The deck was stacked against him" That is the perfect storm that made Jordan ditch retirement AGAIN. I've never seen another athlete that thrives on pressure, trash talk, the fire to win, and pushing others around him to be better. I'm from Wilmington and graduated from Laney. It's something I will always be proud of. I still drive by his childhood home almost daily.

Don't ever tell me LeBron is better!!!! MJ GOAT

It's amazing how he was able to play at such a high level for so long. He carried a team at age 40.

Dude you deserve some type of award for this

i spent most of the mid to late 90's in the persian gulf and missed almost all of jordans games. but i was able to watch his wizard seasons when i returned home. i didnt even care how old this man was...i was scrambling to find channels that showed washingtons games. and i loved every second he was on the floor

He's just the greatest ever. That's why Kobe learned a lot from him.

#99 is not used in hockey anymore because of Wayne Gretzky. I think #23 should not be used in basketball because of Michael Jordan.

Thanks for this, I never realized how impressive his tenure with the Wizards was. This officially seals the goat argument for me!

The biggest thing no one mentions is that early 00's was a defensive driven league just check out 2001-2003 League Average 95ppg and now 2019- 2022 League Average 111ppg that's a big difference.

A fantastic breakdown of those years... I was watching every game...and yeah...he WAS getting better... His young teammates were starting to believe as well... The Wizards were in the hunt for real... Showing how legitimately great Michael was himself and how much better he made everyone else around him... That DAMN knee injury... What ifs...

So many people forget he was an MVP candidate until the injury. Thanks for reminding everyone.

THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME. THE BIGGEST SUPERSTAR IN THE WORLD. No one is more recognisable than Michael Jordan

Great content! In many ways, I appreciated Jordan's game MORE when he played for the Wizards, because it didn't come easy for him. At that age, he really had to work to get his points and help his team win games.

One question: How can anyone argue against this?

Finally, an NBA video that uses factual arguments instead of emotional ones.

They honestly need to do a documentary on his Wizard years

I think the fact that he makes his teammates better as a leader and motivator due to his competitive edge is so underrated

He drops 30 on the Celtics at the Fleet Center At 39 He drops 40 points on the Knickerbockers at Madison Square Garden At 40 He averaged 20 points per game in his brief stint with Washington

Great vid didn't know old Jordan stats were better than most superstars' today, let alone prime Jordan.

Had just started watching basketball in 2001 and never had the chance to watch him play before his comeback. What a beast even at age 38, maybe he looks weird in a blue uniform to others, but I was so hyped every time they put the wizards on TV.

Mike was an old man schooling guys half his age. Absolutely the GOAT #MJ23

Most advance fadeaway shot, no one can stop, even at 40 yrs old👍 G.O.A.T

Imagine if MJ gotta ring with the wizards..

Wizard Jordan...a little bit overweight, knees destroyed, vertical jump, strengh and speed decreased...his physical gifts were gone... but the Airness had tons of knowledge, full of fundamentals, grace, that footwork, that freaking fade away jumper, so fine, so fine...like a teacher, an old professor with his wisdom and show us how was the greatness...

I have to say thank goodness for RU-vid. Now we have time to actually analyze things and break them down instead of relying on the media’s narrative. Back in those days there wasn’t social media which is a gift and a curse. But now news stories and things that were skimmed over are now being carefully analyzed. Great job with this video 👍🏽 it’s well explained and goes against the media’s agenda to destroy these years of Jordan’s career without context.

This takes Mike's legacy to a whole new level. At that age it's fundamentals, mental toughness, and will.

The ONLY player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game in three different decades!!! No other player in history has done even 40 points in a game in three different decades! Mr. Michael Jordan = GOAT!!!!! (7:23 - 7:39)

I saw Mike play at Madison Square Garden when I was a kid. The things he could do on a basketball court is amazing.

I live in Maryland, and when Jordan was on the Wizards I watched the most NBA games I have ever watched. I was a baby and a kid during his first run in the NBA, so when he came back a 2nd time I got to enjoy him as a teenager.

He’s just unbelievable. He’s the absolute G.O.A.T.

This documentary should be renamed .... “The After Party “.

I agree I been saying this from day one Jordan took that Wizards team to the playoffs and showed them how to win like he said he was..He doesn’t get enough credit for that

Wait a minute.. a 40 yr old with two busted knees played all 82 games? That itself is impressive! While new players of today got load management and only play if they wanted to.

Unparalleled Greatness! MJ could have played in any Era, against anyone, Period! Some say they don't believe in G.O.A.T. conversation. There is some merit to points that they make when you factor in players positions 1 - 5, their proposed responsibilities while on the floor and their individual achievements. But when you watch this guy, when you see the way defense was played back in the day when OG's like myself were coming up; I mean you're talking about meniscus tares, arthritis, ribs and other physical issues he had that we're unaware of, his Overall Complete Body Of Work, from the start of his career to the end of it, "Seriously, What Other Conclusion Can Your Draw"? This is to me, the one single Athelete who's whole body of work while playing basketball won't and will never be duplicated! Some of his records, yes, they'll be broken, but if that happens the player that does will have played longer and against much, MUCH Softer defenses if we're talking about offensive accomplishments. Also, think about other Great Players who are considered Elite, not only in Basketball, but in all Sports!🤔 And what they've said about him, in reference to their measuring their standards to his! Based on their commentary, Is There Any Doubt? He was and still is "The Gold Standard", when it comes to those before him, his peers, those he played with and against, and you certainly can't compare ANYONE who's playing now to him, and remember, "I'm Talking About His Whole Body Of Work", not just a certain category. So for me, there is such a thing as "G.O.A.T. Conversation. MJ's the guy!!!!! I also appreciate another very important point that was expressed in this Video! "THAT WAS, MICHAEL JORDAN PLAYING FOR THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS FOR FREE, DONATING HIS CONTRACT EARNINGS TO THE 911 VICTIMS!!!!! It's been said that away from the game, there's a lot more that he should have done, but what you don't realize is, he's done some really Tremendously Incredible things for the City Of Chicago, for The State of Carolina, from disaster relief, to impoverished inner city youth, and all other different types of charities! I applaud his efforts because those are things he's done, behind the scenes, not wanting any publicity, or self acclaim for, and even though there are those who have publicly said he doesn't do enough, he, "Being The Class Act That He Is", isn't foolish enough to be baited into coming out and telling everyone what he's done or his past deeds during his playing days, just to shut up a few naysayers! All of the many who have benefited I think is all that's important to him and in a way, I credit his first wife with probably helping him to see things from the common perspective, not that he couldn't on his own, but our wives help us to see and recognize and do things, giving us insight from a woman's perspective. Excellent Video 👍 my friend! You got yourself a new subscriber today. Keep'em coming.

Great video! Thorough break down and analysis. I am almost 50 and I have never seen a player as good as MJ. Glad I grew up watching him.

Another reason why MJ is the Goat

He’s the greatest hooper all time and it ain’t close

WOW! I didn't know any of these details about Jordan's last two years with the Wizards. To me, this just confirms even more that he is the GOAT!!! Great video!!!

Had no idea about how well the Wizards were playing (and Jordan) until his injury. That's nuts.

There's been plenty of super stars in the NBA.. But Jordan was something else.. Doesn't matter what generation. I've never seen any other player in my lifetime play the game damn near flawless.

I was young and also didn't have access to ESPN when Jordan was in his prime. I was so excited when he came out of retirement and played for the wizards. I watched every game that was on ESPN and definitely noticed him getting better every game. So glad I got to watch him. Yes he wasn't as flashy but you could see the wisdom in his moves. It is like when I played against my 65 year old professor in racquetball. I was faster and stronger but he knew exactly were that ball was going every time!

I was at a Nets vs Wizards game. At the time, the Nets were competing for a title. I remember a young Richard Jefferson had a look of helplessness on him as Jordan just toyed with him.

I recently looked up hall of famer stats when they were at the end of their career (if they didn’t play at 38-40) or their 38-40 year old seasons. Some big men have good rebound seasons for obvious reasons, but offensively no one was as potent. Made me appreciate those years more.

That 15-1 streak with RIP just got to show that Jordan is aiming for the playoff and probably aiming to win the finals. Sadly the injury happens.

Didnt realize all this Jordan is the goat

Not going to lie....opened my eyes big time...don’t know all of that! Top ten player at that age? That’s unfucking real!

MJ's 2000-01 stats adjusted for the modern NBA's (2018-19) pace of play: 25.1 PTS 6.2 RBS 5.5 ATS. Not bad for a 38 YO.

Just want to say your manner of speaking is sooo cool and calming...plus you make soooo much sense👌

Wow. Never heard it from this perspective. THe fact that Jordan doesn't agree with people's opinion on him being the GOAT because he's respected all the greats before him, that's the definition of humble. I can spot fake humbleness and real humble. It's 100 percent genuine. I have a replica jersey of his mid-80s uniform in my closet.

Wow, this vid is the definitive answer that Mike is the best ever.

Listening to bro giving me chills

I don’t think people truly understand how insane 51 points at age 40 is. And to then follow up with the next game going for 45 points with 10 rebounds and 7 assists. He almost had a 40-point triple double DIRECTLY AFTER A 50 POINT GAME. This is even more impressive when considering the era MJ played in before, where every game you got beat to hell by teams like the pacers and the pistons

Great video. I never watched MJ with the Wiz when i saw MJ hit the floor face down. Years later i watched his Wiz highlights i was AMAZED...GOAT

When a team you never even played for retires your number you must be the GOAT! There's a reason why Lebron had to change to #6 when he took his talents to South Beach.

This video is so Through...i love this. Especially the last fact at the end.

Why is noone talking about how he donated his salary to 9/11 victims?

Many were calling MJ the G.O.A.T. before he even wore a Chicago Bulls uniform. There's another video on RU-vid that talks about his run in the 1984 Olympics. He led a bunch of college players to an 8-0 record over the U.S. team was full of professional NBA players and all of them were All-stars. That team had Bird, Magic, Isaiah and a slew of other all time greats who were IN THEIR PRIME but our Olympic college team had Michael Jordan! The pro players couldn't win one game against him and his college squad led by Bobby Knight. Just let that sink in for a while.

I don’t know, but I wouldn’t underrate Micheal a bit even if he’s 72 years old, you know. Goat

I didn't really know any of his stats at the Wizards. Glad I found this video! subbed.

This is a great video it really puts Michael Jordan's greatness into perspective.