Antawn Jamison Thinks MJ Could Come Play At 50 Years Old And Still Score 10 Points A Game

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michael Jordan has been retired from the NBA for a decade, but he warned at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2009 not to count him out from making one last comeback. “One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50,” Jordan said near the close of his speech, eliciting laughter from the crowd in Springfield, Mass. “Oh, don’t laugh. Never say never. Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” Jordan turns 50 in about a week on Feb. 17. What would happen if he traded in his ownership stake in the Charlotte Bobcats for one more chance to lace up his Air Jordans in the league? Could he do it?

“I wouldn’t doubt that in the right situation with a LeBron (James) on his team or with a Kobe (Bryant) on this team, he could get you about 10 or 11 points, come in and play 15-20 minutes,” said Antawn Jamison before the Lakers played the Bobcats on Friday. “I wouldn’t doubt that at all, especially if he was in shape and injuries were prevented and things of that nature.” That’s saying a lot, considering Jamison has Bryant on his team, and only averages 8.1 points per game in 20.5 minutes per game and he’s “only” 36 years old. Jordan averaged 20.0 points in 37.0 minutes per game in his 15th and final season in the league before retiring for good at age 40. “He wasn’t joking,” said Jamison of Jordan’s declaration at the HOF ceremony. “You hear stories still to this day, especially last year, him going to the practice facility and playing 1-on-1 with the guys and still they can’t stop him.”

First of all, I 100% agree. There is no doubt in my mind that MJ could come back tomorrow and contribute for a team. But more importantly, I love these little stories and rumors. MJ Dominating some 18 year old in practice. MJ thinking about coming back to kick some ass at the age of 50. And I know its not going to happen. Michael is too busy looking awesome in his Acid Washed Baggy Jeans to have time for a comeback. But it’s still incredible that he was so good, and so dominant, and so driven that someone can say this and have everyone stop and be like, “you know what, yeah he probably could”. What other athlete could that ever happen for? If you told me Shaq was coming back for the Heat I would say no fucking way, he’s too fat and unmotivated. And Shaq played less than 2 years ago. MJ has been retired for a decade and I still think he could do it. And the best part is you know Kobe and Lebron get fear boners when anyone brings this up. A hot flash of panic knowing they’ll be fucked if MJ decides he wants to win another ring.

PS
This was from the NY Times article about Jay Williams over the weekend. Sums up perfectly why MJ was the best ever. 40 years old. 6 rings, and still playing with a chip on his shoulder. There will never be another person as competitive as Michael Jeffery Jordan. Ever.

(Source) Williams wanted the Bulls to draft him, wanted to follow Jordan, whose locker had sat empty until Williams took it and ratcheted up already enormous expectations. Fans screamed his name while he walked the streets. He drove down Interstate 90, where his face filled a billboard. And he thought to himself, “You made it.”

In his rookie season, Williams played against Jordan, who was then with the Washington Wizards. Jordan went at Williams on several consecutive possessions. Each time, Jordan told Williams how he would score—first over the left shoulder, then fake over the left shoulder and shoot over the right, and so forth—and each time, Jordan scored exactly as he said he would.