The Washington Wizards were desperate to end the Michael Jordan era, they used more than $51 million to finally get out of it.
After winning his sixth NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1998, Michael Jordan retired for the second time in his career.
Many expected it to be a permanent decision, but the Bulls legend shocked the world with his return to the league in 2001.
This time around, Mike signed with the Washington Wizards, but his final NBA stint pales in comparison to his time with the Bulls.
By the end of the 2002-03 season, it was clear that Jordan was no longer the superstar he once was. MJ decided to retire for one last time, but the damage was already done to the Wizards franchise.
However, a new era blossomed for the franchise when they signed Gilbert Arenas to a five-year, $51.2 million deal ahead of the 2003-04 season.
In a January 2024 episode of Gil’s Arena, the former NBA star revealed his discussions with the Wizards organization. Arenas claimed that the Wizards front office wanted him to ‘erase Jordan’s name.’
“When I went there, they said, ‘If you get [us] out of this Jordan era, you’re taken care of.’ So, I didn’t even go back to renegotiate.
“All I heard was, ‘You get me out of this,’ like erase Jordan’s name? It’s just the competition. Cool!”
At the time, Arenas was weighing his options between the Wizards and the LA Clippers after spending two seasons with the Golden State Warriors.
Ultimately, Arenas signed with the Wizards as the pitch to erase Jordan’s name lit up his competitive fire. Agent 0 spent eight years with the team, averaging 25.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
A huge reason why fans consider MJ as the GOAT of basketball is his ability to win come playoff time. After all, he had a perfect 6-0 record in the NBA Finals.
However, when he joined the Wizards, Mike was out of his prime. He averaged just 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game over a two-year stint.
More importantly, the Wizards missed the playoffs in both of those seasons. While MJ was making just over $1 million per season with the team, the front office was apparently over him.
Sure, Jordan had a few great games for the Wizards, but overall, the decision to play for the team remains questionable even today.
