On This Date in Sports December 27, 2001: The End of the Streak
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Michael Jordan fails to reach double-digits in points for the first time in 15 years. Jordan, who came out of retirement to play with the Washington Wizards, scored a career-low six points in a 108-81 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Jordan had played in 868 consecutive games with at least ten points dating back to March 22, 1986. Michael Jordan made up for his lousy night two days later by dropping 51 points on the Charlotte Hornets.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn. Raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, Jordan was a late bloomer, not making the varsity team until a growth spurt in his junior year of high school. By the time he was ready to play college basketball, Michael Jordan had developed into one of the best players in the country. He hit the winning shot in the National Championship Game for North Carolina as a freshman in 1982. Two years later, he was named the Player of the Year and played on the Olympic Team.
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In 1984, Michael Jordan was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Draft. He quickly became one of the biggest stars in the NBA as he was selected to play in the 1985 All-Star game as a rookie. Jordan would win the Rookie of the Year in 1985, as the league's popularity began to grow. Injuries slowed Michael Jordan in his second season, but a 63-point game in the postseason set a playoff record.
The 63-point game was the launch of the Michael Jordan era in the NBA. He won ten scoring titles and six MVPs. In 1991, Jordan won his first NBA Championship with the Bulls starting a dynasty that would define the NBA in the 1990s. In 1993 after a third straight championship, Micahel Jordan stunned the sports world by retiring to pursue a baseball career. After a year and a half, he returned late in the 1994/95 season. After getting back in game shape, Michael Jordan and the Bulls won three more championships.
In 1998, Michael Jordan had the perfect ending for his career with the Bulls hitting the game-winner in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. After returning, Jordan took a front-office job with the Washington Wizards, becoming President of Basketball Operations in 2000. Inspired by the comeback of Mario Lemieux with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, Jordan began working out with the Wizards late in the 2000/01 season. On September 25, 2001, Michael Jordan announced that he would return to the game as a player, donating his entire salary to relief efforts to victims of the September 11th attacks.
Michael Jordan was now 38, and the player he was with the Bulls never emerged with the Washington Wizards. Jordan failed to get the Wizards to the playoffs in two seasons, as he was clearly past his prime. Occasionally the old Jordan would come out, but most nights, he was a player who looked old and past his prime. LeBron James would break Jordan's record, which is active at 1,062 consecutive games.