WASHINGTON – On the court, Michael Jordan was always one of
a kind. His chances of playing again? A mere one in a thousand.
Responding to comments made by fellow Washington Wizards owner
Abe Pollin, Jordan again played down the notion that he's planning
a comeback, repeating his previous estimate that he's "99.9
percent sure" that he's retired for good.
"I haven't wavered one bit from what I've been saying," Jordan
told The Washington Post for Wednesday's editions. "If I had to
answer today, I'm 99.9 percent sure I won't play again.
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Magic doesn't expect
a Jordan comeback
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One part of Magic Johnson says he would love to see Michael Jordan make a return to the NBA, but another side says it probably won't happen.
In an interview with WCVB-TV in Boston, where the former All-Star guard with the Los Angeles Lakers was involved in a charity event, Johnson said as a fan he would certain enjoy watching Jordan play again.
Johnson added, however, he doesn't think the Wizards can compete for a championship even with Jordan, and he doubts if Jordan would want to return and play for a second-rate team.
– ESPN.com news services
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"I'm not going to come back as a showpiece. I wouldn't even
think about it unless I thought I could maintain the level of play
I had when I left. I'd only come back doing everything I always
did. And I'm nowhere near that, nowhere close to that. I haven't
played in three years."
While Jordan has been adamant in his denials, he has yet to
completely close the door on a comeback bid. He has also yet to
deny the rumors in a public forum, instead using more low-key
method of private, one-on-one interviews to make his case.
Which is why his oft-stated one-tenth of one percent chance has
been enough to keep the comeback stories afloat for two months, and
why his latest statement will do little to end the speculation.
Even some of Jordan's friends, such as golfing buddy and Pittsburgh
Penguins star Mario Lemieux, have not believed him.
Lemieux, speaking Tuesday after a Penguins practice, said he
talked to Jordan in the last 10 days and made it sound like His
Airness was all but ready to don the uniform.
"He's going to give it a shot and he's working very hard,"
Lemieux said. "He's taking his time. He's taking a few months to
get ready, but I'm sure when he gets back, he'll be the best player
again."
Jordan was the talk of the nation's capital on Tuesday, the day
after Pollin went on television to reveal his "gut feeling" that
"the odds are that he's going to come back" and play for
Washington next season.
"I didn't think he'd come back when I first heard the talk,"
Pollin said. "But when Mario Lemieux came back to the Penguins, it
stirred something in Michael."
A Jordan comeback would be bigger than that of Lemieux, one of
the owners of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, who ended a 3½-year
retirement in December.
Pollin's words were stunning, given the business relationship
between him and Jordan. As the team's president of basketball
operations, Jordan is answerable only to Pollin.
Jordan also owns a small piece of the Wizards, and he would have
to divest his ownership under NBA rules before returning to the
court.
The man who recruited Jordan to Washington 15 months ago,
however, doesn't see a comeback taking place. Ted Leonsis welcomed
Jordan to town on Jan. 19, 2000, making him a partner in a group
that owns all of the NHL's Washington Capitals and a portion of the
Wizards.
"He owns a part of the Wizards, he owns a part of the
Capitals," Leonsis told WTOP radio. "There would have to be lots
of discussions between Michael and me, Michael and Abe, Michael and
the league, and none of that is happening. If this was real, I
think we would be further down that road."
Pollin and others who give credence to the possibility of a
Jordan comeback usually cite three pieces of evidence: Jordan's
workouts with the Wizards and his admission that he is playing
basketball recreationally at a health club; Charles Barkley's
statement that he would like to play with Jordan in Washington next
season; and Jordan's sheer competitiveness that is fueled by the
knowledge he still had plenty left when he retired from the Chicago
Bulls after the 1997-98 season.
"Sure, it's fun to think about it," Jordan told the Post,
"seeing where I am in terms of fitness and psyche. But look at the
reality of it. Where's the test? Playing against guys
recreationally at the health club? I'm not even in position to
think about it. Right now, it's recreational to me if I'm not
capable of playing at that level, I wouldn't do it. I'm nowhere
near what would have to be to even consider playing."
The factors working against a Jordan comeback are his age – it's
doubtful he can still dominate the game at 38 – and his preference
to live in Chicago. He would actually have to start showing up for
the games if he were playing, abandoning his current routine of
staying with his family and running the Wizards by telephone.
Jordan practiced with the Wizards last week, wearing his old No.
23. He rolled his eyes in disbelief when the subject of a comeback
was broached by reporters afterward.
"The only thing this signals is that I'm getting some
exercise," Jordan said at the time.
While there are those who believe a comeback will happen and
those who believe it won't, a common middle-ground is that Jordan
simply hasn't made up his mind and therefore is reticent to deny
the rumors before a larger audience.
"I think he's waiting to see what he feels like when he's out
there," Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Jordan's former
coach with the Bulls, said recently. "I think he will have a
parachute in case he doesn't want to do it, in case he feels like
it's not worth it, in case he doesn't feel he can play up to the
level he wants to."
Jordan has a five-year contract with the Wizards. He initially
retired as a player in 1993 after winning three NBA titles with
Chicago and tried to make a career in professional baseball. But he
returned to the Bulls for the NBA playoffs in 1995 and played
through 1998, winning three more titles.
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ALSO SEE
Air debate stirs on: Lemieux says Mike can come back
Wizards owner says he thinks MJ coming back
AUDIO VIDEO
 Wizards co-owner Ted Leonsis explains the contract matters that would stand in the way of a comeback.
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Majority owner Abe Pollin doesn't know for certain, but believes Jordan will play for the Wizards (Courtesy: Comcast Sportsnet).
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Mario Lemieux feels his success has given Michael Jordan added confidence.
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Phil Jackson anticipates another Michael Jordan comeback (Courtesy: WBBM).
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