Last season, the Charlotte Bobcats finished with a dismal record of 21-61 in the National Basketball Association.
On top of having a truly pathetic record, the Bobcats also finished with the lowest field goal percentage in the league (.425), only had 93.4 points per game, and averaged a dastardly 40.3 rebounds per game.
His Airness, Michael Jordan, just so happens to own the team.
Right now, it’s looking like the only option left for MJ if he wants his team to succeed is for him to suit up and show the his team how it’s done.
People may think Jordan switching from an executive role to that of a player would be crazy, but it actually wouldn’t be the first time he did it.
Remember back in the early 2000s when he switched gears as an executive with the Washington Wizards and once again proudly wore No. 23?
And also don’t forget that back in the mid-1990s, Jordan retired and became a minor league baseball player, only to eventually come out of retirement and play more ball with the Chicago Bulls.
So, he’s already established some precedent for mounting comebacks.
Now, I know that Jordan has already reached the half-century mark in his life. This means that his playing may be improbable.
However, you cannot forget that Jordan himself said in his 2009 Hall of Fame speech that he may one day return.
During that September 2009 speech, he said: “One day you may look up and see me playing a game at 50. Don’t laugh. Never say never.”
So there’s that.
A lot of folks don’t think Jordan could make an impact in the game anymore. While it is true that he’d be the oldest National Basketball League player ever , there is still a good chance he could make a difference.
After all, he is referred to as the best player of all time. He may be old, but it’s not like he’s forgotten everything he did that made him great.
When Jordan officially left the league as a player for the last time in 2003, he was averaging 45 percent from the field. He also averaged 20.0 points and over six rebounds per game, according to the NBA’s official website.
Yeah, that was about a decade ago, but it isn’t like His Airness left basketball entirely after he retired. Rather, he has been immersed with the Bobcats, and has even practiced some with the team, hosted camps, and even beat Michael Kidd-Gilchrist , the No. 2 overall draft pick who Jordan picked up for his struggling Bobcats, in a game of one-on-one.
So clearly, the old man still has some game! He isn’t a young whippersnapper anymore, but he isn’t yet father time yet, either. At the end of the day, he’s still Michael Jordan, the best player to ever play the game.
Now, the only roadblock that may come up to stop MJ from playing for his team is the NBA’s rules regarding owners playing. Technically, Jordan wouldn’t be allowed to play for a team he owned. So, he could simply sell the team to someone else, or there is a loophole he could exercise, which is more likely and practical.
In the NBA’s rules, in Article XXIX, Section 8 , it says, “…no NBA player may acquire or hold a direct or indirect interest in the ownership of any NBA team.”
There’s a clause, though, that says current players can own stock in companies that are publicly traded that directly or indirectly own NBA teams. So that’s another option for Jordan; he could simply switch Bobcats ownership over to being publicly traded.
So, is Jordan coming back and playing this season very likely? Probably not.
But is it possible? Well, you could argue anything is possible with Michael Jordan. I mean, the man knows how to fly!
Author Greg Edwards has no connection to the Charlotte Bobcats other than being a longtime fan of the organization’s current owner, Michael Jordan.