Posted on 04/14/2003 7:12:24 PM PDT by GulliverSwift
April 14, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Michael Jordan received a U.S. flag from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, beginning a night of honors for Jordan during his final home appearance as an NBA player.
A bigger tribute was scheduled to take place after Monday's game between the Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks, with the details kept secret.
Rumsfeld, who received a loud ovation, presented Jordan with a flag that flew over the Pentagon on the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Jordan cradled the flag in his right hand, his head bowed, before the national anthem was played.
Jordan's introduction during the starting lineups was a letdown, with the cheers not much louder than the ones for Rumsfeld. The MCI Center crowd gave Jordan a standing ovation that lasted a mere 25 seconds, some 3 1/2 minutes shorter than the one he received in his final game at Chicago earlier this season.
Then again, Jordan himself tried not to make a big deal out of the game, with the greater focus on what he says will be his final NBA game ever -- Wednesday's season finale at Philadelphia.
``It's just another night, really,'' Jordan said after the morning shootaround. ``I know that this is my last home game in Washington, D.C., and that is something I definitely will treasure, but I woke up this morning and I thought that there was this certain feeling that I should be feeling -- and I had breakfast, coffee, did my normal stuff -- and nothing seems out of the ordinary.''
For his teammates, there was a sense of melancholy that they were sending Jordan out on a losing team.
``We're disappointed it's MJ's last game, that we didn't make the playoffs,'' guard Tyronn Lue said. ``Hopefully, Michael will go out at his last game at home with a win.''
Although he couldn't produce a winning record, Jordan brought national exposure and big profits to the Wizards, who shattered attendance records over the last two seasons. All 82 home games in the 20,000-seat arena were sellouts, averaging 5,000 more fans per game than in the season before Jordan returned to the court.
But that was nothing new for Jordan, who regularly sold out Chicago Stadium and the United Center during his 13 seasons with the Bulls. The last time Jordan played a home game that wasn't a sellout was Nov. 20, 1987.
The 40-year-old Jordan has been feted everywhere he's gone this season, with huge cheers and video tributes at away arenas. The Denver Nuggets gave him a motorcycle last month, and the Miami Heat retired his No. 23 last week.
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Well boo frickin' hoo. Obviously the author is a RAT.
And this is in Washington, which is a liberal bastion. His support is a lot stronger than the press would let you think it is.
Phil Jackson is the one who got Jordan to endorse Bradley. Bradley and Jackson were team mates on the New York Nicks during the 1960's. Considering Jackson refused to publicly endorse a black candidate for Senate from North Carolina running against Jesse Helms, I'm not sure Jordan is all that political a person.
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