After going out of retirement for the second time, Michael Jordan personally recruited his rival Patrick Ewing to join the Washington Wizards coaching staff. Ewing joined the team as an assistant coach, and from then on he developed a deeper appreciation for MJ's greatness.
Like most of Jordan's former foes, Ewing was also already well aware of what His Airness could do on the court. However, the New York Knicks legend couldn't help but rave about what Michael accomplished during his brief stint with the Wizards.
Admittedly, Ewing never expected to be in a situation like that with Jordan. Yet at the same time, he was glad to have been there and to have had a front-row seat to MJ's final run as a player.
"We were the same age. We came out of high school together. We played together with the Olympics. Won two gold medals together and battled against each other for a lot of years. So to see him at that age still performing at a high level and have the drive to try to help the Wizards be better than they were, I thought was great," Big Pat told Etan Thomas of MJ on The Rematch.
"To see his work ethic and dedication and the things he tried to do to his body to do what he did," Ewing continued. "It was a great experience"
Like Ewing, Thomas was also fortunate to share the court and the locker room with Jordan. He was a backup center for the Wizards when Mike came out of retirement.
Unsurprisingly, Thomas echoed Ewing's remarks about Jordan during that short period of time. As an MJ fan growing up, Thomas never doubted the six-time champion's qualities as a player, let alone as a competitor. In fact, the Syracuse alum is even convinced that Jordan could dominate today's NBA .
"The defense is different. We're watching him against the Pistons — every time he went into the lane, it was a hard foul. All fouls would've been flagrant today. Today, where you can't touch someone? How do you guard him? You think Giannis is a problem? MJ right now… I can't even imagine. I'd say 50, 50 points a game," Thomas once said.
Apart from his athletic abilities, Thomas was also in awe of MJ's undying determination and passion for the game, considering his age when he played for the Wizards.
"We were in the training room, and his knee would swell up after games," he added of Jordan. "It was the nastiest thing I'd ever seen. They drain his knee, and this black tar, goo-looking stuff came out, and I asked him, 'You're MJ, you don't have to play, why are you doing this?' He looked at me and shook his head and had no answer. His drive and push? He had all of that. He was so competitive in practice."
In his two-year stint with the Wizards, Jordan averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. It's also worth mentioning that at 40 years old, Mike played all 82 games in the 2002-03 season.
Even though MJ failed to lead the Wizards to the playoffs, everybody recognized how he gave the team a fighting chance.
After the '02-03 season ended, Jordan officially retired for good. Ewing also parted ways with the Wizards. Technically, MJ and Big Pat only worked together for one full season. Nevertheless, it was more than enough time for Ewing to be reminded of how great Jordan really was.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
