?It Spiraled in a Way?: Michael Jordan, Who Refused $10,000,000 from NBA Team, Ended Up Making His Wizards Teammate Hate Playing with Him

Many fans around the world consider Michael Jordan the GOAT of basketball because of his dominance on the hardwood with the Chicago Bulls in the 90s. However, the same cannot be said about his stint with the Washington Wizards. His Airness put up a decent showing for the team despite not achieving any remarkable success in the postseason. However, one of MJ’s then-teammate revealed that he hated playing along side MJ during his stint with the Wizards.

The six-time NBA champion made his second comeback at the age of 38 for Washington. Despite his age and two years of hiatus, Jordan led the team in scoring with 22.9 ppg. While it is not close to his usual numbers, he still led the team in points. However, it apparently came at the expense of other stars on the team.

Former Wizards teammate reveals his regret playing with Michael Jordan

Jerry Stackhouse joined the Wizards in the 2002-03 season, during Michael Jordan’s second year in D.C. Stackhouse averaged a whopping 29.8 points per game for the Detroit Pistons in the 2000-01 season. So expectations were through the roof when he arrived.

The Wizards had a 17-game improvement that year, but still missed out on the playoffs. Stackhouse once opened up about his time with Jordan and the Wizards and noted that he wished he never played for the team. He pointed out that the team started the season well when the offense ran through him, but then went downhill when Jordan wanted the ball more in the low post.

“Honestly, I wished I never played at Washington,” Stackhouse told Adrian Wojnarowski a few years ago. He continued, “So, pretty much everything that Michael wanted to do [we did]. We got off to a pretty good start and he didn’t like the way the offense was running because it was running a little bit more through me. He[MJ] wanted to get a little more isolations for him on the post, of course, so we had more isolations for him on the post. And it just kind of spiraled in a way that I didn’t enjoy that season at all.”

“The kind of picture I had in my mind of Michael Jordan and the reverence I had for him, I lost a little bit of it during the course of that year,” the two-time All-Star added.

Stackhouse also said that head coach Doug Collins looked like he wanted to make amends with Jordan and allowed the offense to run through the five-time NBA MVP. Notably, Collins coached the Chicago Bulls from 1986 to 89. Collins and MJ did not see eye to eye and he was then fired.

However, it has to be noted that Stackhouse’s numbers did not improve after MJ retired from the Wizards. In fact, it went downhill owing to his injury issues. After just two seasons in Washington, the Vanderbilt head coach left the team. He never really got back into his groove despite playing nine more years in the league.

READ MORE – ?Yeah I Could Be a Jerk?I Had a Reason for It?: Billionaire Michael Jordan Cleverly Admits His Defects on Netflix?s ?The Last Dance?, Says MJ Critic Sam Smith

Michael Jordan once admitted it was a bad decision

Like a lot of great players, Michael Jordan wanted more of the ball. But it looked like it hampered the flow of the team. Jordan himself once admitted that it was a bad decision to come back from retirement and play for the Wizards. The 14-time NBA All-Star also rued his decision to try and evaluate the players personally by playing against them during practice sessions. He also noted that he may have been too critical of some players and it was a big mistake.

WATCH THIS STORY – ?I Never Heard It From Michael Jordan?: Hurt By ?The Last Dance? Betrayal, Isiah Thomas Still Seeks An Apology

Ultimately, MJ was fired from his position as the President of basketball operations. When the Wizards owner gave Jordan a $10 million check as a compensatory check, he threw it away and drove out of the arena.