While
Jordan was never the greatest teammate, he was able to carry his team to victory. In Washington, though, he wasn’t able to make the Wizards a success. Instead, the team was stuck in an awkward situation, catering to a legend who had lost a step.
During his time with the Wizards, Jordan didn’t pull any punches; he criticized his teammates publicly and questioned their desire. While it’s one thing to push everyone to the brink in pursuit of a championship, things will land a bit differently on a mediocre team thats not even headed for the playoffs.
During his time with the Washington Post, Mike Wise had an off the record conversation with
Wes Unseld about Jordan’s comeback with the Wizards. While the details remained off the record for years, we now know what the D.C. legend said.
Wise explained on a recent episode of
Slate’s Hang Up and Listen podcast. “He said, ‘Michael has been great for many of us in this organization in ways that has raised the value of the franchise, has made us respectable in other ways. And yet, he’s poisoned the locker room.”
Understandably, Wise asked Unseld how he knew that Jordan had ruined the locker room. The big man responded with a damning piece of evidence.
“How do I know that? I just went around and asked every player if they would chip in for a retirement gift for him, give him something nice. All of them turned their backs on me,” Unseld explained, according to Wise’s retelling. “And [Wise] said, “Every player?” And [Unseld] goes, “Unanimous.”
