BOSTON -- Michael Jordan's comeback -- if there is one -- could start at a summer league in Boston.
The Washington Wizards, which Jordan partly owns, are among 10
teams planning to send a squad to the eight-day workout league that
starts July 16 at the University of Massachusetts-Boston campus.
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Jackson changes mind
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Lakers coach Phil Jackson isn't so sure any more.
Jackson, who said recently that he believed Michael Jordan was working out to make a comeback, doesn't see his former player suiting up for the Wizards next season.
"Now, I don't think he's going to play," Jackson told the Chicago Tribune. "I felt for a while that he was, but now that he has the first pick (in the draft) and Doug (Collins) is the coach and he's done some good things with that team, I think there are other things for him."
But if Jordan does return, Jackson said he's sure of one thing: "(Charles) Barkley cannot play. Charles' body isn't the right kind to try to come back."
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The Boston Globe, citing sources it did not identify, said
officials at the school have been alerted that Jordan could begin
his comeback there.
Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said the team was hopeful that
Jordan would play.
"From our vantage point, it would be wonderful," Twiss said.
"There's nothing concrete to say that he was or he wasn't. It
would seem to be a likely starting point should he decide to come
back next year."
However, NBC's Ahmad Rashad reported during the Eastern Conference Finals broadcast that Jordan had denied he would play in the summer league.
Matt Williams spokesman for the Wizards, said it was too early
to know what might happen.
"If he decides to come back it's conceivable he could
participate in the summer league. But at this point it's way to
early to speculate," Williams said.
The Globe reported Sunday that unnamed sources say the school is awaiting final word from both Jordan and Charles Barkley, and possibly Patrick Ewing.
Ewing, a free agent after one season with Seattle, attended high school in the Boston area at Cambridge Rindge & Latin.
Rumors that Jordan, 38, would return have circulated for months.
He is reportedly getting in shape to see if he could handle the
grind of an 82-game schedule at or near the level that earned him
six NBA titles and five MVP awards.
Barkley is also considering a return.
Jordan would have to sell his stake in the Wizards if he
returned as a player.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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