Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

When Jordan was spotted outside the practice facility by an acquaintance reporter, the latter similarly raised the question of whether he would play in the final game.

"There's still some light at the end of the tunnel," said Jordan abstractly, "at least a little light, that's the way I see it." Explore more at empire

Jordan came to the practice court, not to train, but to return to his office to prepare for the offseason work.

Upon returning to his old office, he openly discussed plans for renovating it during the offseason.

For the final game of the Wizards' season, Jordan was not present at the MCI.

For all the fans who wanted to catch a last glimpse of him, it was a huge disappointment.

In the end, the Wizards lost their home game to the 76ers and finished the season as ninth in the Eastern Conference.

Jordan had to come to terms with his emotions; his playing career was over, and from now on, he wouldn't be playing in games anymore, a transition he had to adapt to.

Moreover, there would no longer be a three-year itch; he no longer missed the competition.

The revenge taken by Yu Fei had become a cultural phenomenon.

It completely surpassed Larry Bird's abuse of Dr. J and Larry Holmes' brutal beating of an aging Ali, becoming the newest case of just how miserable a former star could be in his later years.

Jordan tried not to think about these things.

Next, the focus for the Wizards Team would be the draft in June and free agency signings during the offseason.

But theoretically, Jordan was still a Wizards player; he had not officially announced his retirement, and his executive powers had not been officially recognized, which meant he could not give orders.

Pollin's attitude toward restoring Jordan's management status was ambiguous; he insisted on waiting until the end of the season to negotiate (after the Finals).

That meant, during this time, Jordan had to participate in management work as a Wizards player.

At the same time, the team had a legitimate reason to use his name to trick fans into buying tickets for the next season.

This situation caused Jordan unrest; he found that his future had no guarantees.

To "remind" Pollin that His Airness was not necessarily tied to Washington, Jordan deliberately had one of his media friends pose a question to him: "Jerry Krause has left, if Jerry Reinsdorf invites you back to Chicago to manage the team, would you accept?"

"I knew you were going to ask that," Jordan responded with a charismatic smile, "Clearly, my goal is to return upstairs (to the Wizards' presidency). I hope... it can be fulfilled. But if not, obviously, I have other options. Not just Chicago. I have other options. So, ideally, I'd stay here, move the team in the right direction according to my vision. That's what I truly want. And Chicago is the second goal, the second thought—along with any other opportunities."

Jordan did not entirely dismiss the possibility of Chicago.

His message carried a hint of warning; he wanted Pollin to know that if he didn't want to continue the partnership, then he had "other options." In his view, this implied a potential position, not just in Chicago, but also with the brand-new Charlotte Team in the future.

As Jordan's voice transmitted through the microphone, the atmosphere around him changed. He was no longer an employee, no longer expressing steadfast commitment to the organization he represented; he was now a "free" player. His words reflected the mindset of a player, yet soon he would be a former professional player. After two failing seasons, everything around him had changed, but he behaved as if he commanded the same respect and prestige he did at the height of his career.

Jordan's words triggered things he couldn't control; he had no loyalty or sense of belonging to the Washington Wizards, he simply wanted power over the team.

In the past, his commercial value granted him license to say whatever he wished; he never learned how to show respect for the franchise. He still possessed the arrogance of a young megastar, even though Yu Fei had repeatedly reminded him through brutal reality: when the magic of being a superstar fades, your life will be completely different.

A few days later, news from Chicago announced that John Paxson had been hired as the executive vice president for the Chicago Bulls and became the team's chief basketball operations officer. None of the Bulls officials had contacted Jordan or sent anonymous messages through the media suggesting that the Bulls were interested in negotiating with him after his contract with the Wizards expired.

Soon, there were reports suggesting that, like the Wizards' higher-ups, the Bulls management doubted whether Jordan's abilities as an executive could match his abilities as a player.

And thus, Jordan's plan to return to Chicago had failed before it even began.

What was worse, a week later, Yu Fei was voted the Most Valuable Player of the regular season.

"The trade" was brought up again.

The criticisms of Jordan spread throughout Washington, and even The Washington Post, usually favorable to Jordan, considered the trade as the worst mistake in the history of the Wizards.

The Washington Times sharply pointed out, "Do we really want to entrust the future of our team to someone who puts personal interests and whims above the good of the team?"

Jordan's public defense began to crumble.

The notion of refusing to let him take the helm of the Wizards again became mainstream.