Jordan scored 15 points in his farewell |
Michael Jordan bade farewell to the NBA with defeat as Washington lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. The basketball legend took to the court on Wednesday with the Wizards already out of the play-off frame and they failed to give him the send-off he deserved, losing 107-87.
Jordan scored 15 points and when he was substituted with one minute and 44 seconds remaining, the Philadelphia crowd gave him a three-minute standing ovation.
He finished a fabled career with 32,292 points, third on the all-time list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.
The 40-year-old Jordan, who inspired the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, has returned from retirement twice before but has ruled out prolonging his career.
"I'm 100% sure," he said. "This is my last year - not 99.9 - 100%."
Jordan led Chicago to three titles in a row but retired in 1993 at age 30 after the murder of his father James.
He made an ill-fated bid to play professional baseball, but returned for the Bulls in 1995.
 This whole generation is a reflection of wanting to be like him |
Jordan sparked the Bulls to three more crowns, the last coming on what could have been his final shot, a title-winning jumper against Utah in 1998. It was supposed to be the last shot for "His Airness", who led the NBA in scoring for 10 seasons, seven in a row.
Jordan goes into retirement again, still with an all-time record career average of 30.2 points a game.
He joined the Wizards as president of basketball operations in 2000 and kept the world guessing about another comeback before pulling on his vest in September 2001.
The gravity-defying moves that defined his youth were gone, but he still carried the team, chiding them to match his efforts.
The Wizards failed to make the post-season, but no-one believes Jordan has tarnished his legacy.
Toronto's Vince Carter claimed: "He's the greatest to ever put on a pair of basketball shoes."
Ray Allen of Seattle said: "Every player in the NBA has been influenced by him.
"This whole generation is a reflection of wanting to be like him."
What he did for the NBA likely will never be fully measured.
Since Jordan joined the NBA in 1984 after leading the US Olympic team to gold in Los Angeles, NBA attendance has doubled to more than 20m a season.
 Jordan's final joust for NBA glory is over |
US television viewership of the NBA more than doubled to over 100m - and there is another 2.5bn watching around the world. The number of international players in the NBA has grown from eight when Jordan began to 68 as he departs for the final time.
Hen becoming the game's global ambassador since leading the US Olympic "Dream Team" to 1992 Barcelona gold.
The average player salary has soared from $325,000 to $4m.
From massive sponsorship deals and merchandise sales to image rights and record TV deals, Jordan lifted basketball's earning power to unimagined heights.
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