2002–03 Washington Wizards season

The 2002–03 NBA season was the Wizards' 42nd season in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the Wizards acquired All-Star guard Jerry Stackhouse from the Detroit Pistons,[2][3][4] and signed free agents Larry Hughes, Bryon Russell, and Charles Oakley.[5][6][7][8] Retired All-Star center Patrick Ewing was hired as the team's assistant coach.[9][10] The Wizards got off to a 6–4 start to the season, but then struggled losing six straight games afterwards, and held a 24–25 record at the All-Star break.[11] The team finished fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 37–45 record, which was the same as the previous season.[12]

2002–03 Washington Wizards season
Head coachDoug Collins
General managerWes Unseld
PresidentWes Unseld
Owner(s)Abe Pollin
ArenaMCI Center
Results
Record37–45 (.451)
PlaceDivision: 5th (Atlantic)
Conference: 9th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionComcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
RadioWTEM

Stackhouse averaged 21.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, while Hughes averaged 12.8 points and 1.3 steals per game, and Tyronn Lue contributed 8.6 points and 3.5 assists per game. In addition, Christian Laettner provided the team with 8.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while second-year forward Kwame Brown provided with 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and second-year center Brendan Haywood contributed 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.[13]

This marked the final season for All-Star guard Michael Jordan, who retired for the third and final time, playing his final game in a 107–87 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on April 16, 2003.[14][15][16][17] Jordan averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them.[13] He also made his final All-Star appearance in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.[18][19][20] Following the season, Russell signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, while Tyronn Lue signed with the Orlando Magic, Oakley was released to free agency, and head coach Doug Collins was fired after two seasons.[21] (See 2002–03 Washington Wizards season#Regular season)

Offseason

NBA draft
Main article: 2002 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 11 Jared Jeffries Forward  United States Indiana
1 17 Juan Dixon Guard  United States Maryland
2 38 Rod Grizzard Guard  United States Alabama
2 39 Juan Carlos Navarro Guard  Spain FC Barcelona (Spain)

Roster
2002–03 Washington Wizards roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOBFrom
C 5 Brown, Kwame 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1982-03-10 Glynn Academy (GA)
PG 3 Dixon, Juan 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 164 lb (74 kg) 1978-10-09 Maryland
C 00 Haywood, Brendan 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 268 lb (122 kg) 1979-11-27 North Carolina
PG 20 Hughes, Larry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1979-01-23 Saint Louis
SF 1 Jeffries, Jared Injured 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1981-11-25 Indiana
SF 23 Jordan, Michael (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1963-02-17 North Carolina
PF 44 Laettner, Christian 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1969-08-17 Duke
PG 10 Lue, Tyronn 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1977-05-03 Nebraska
C 34 Oakley, Charles 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1963-12-18 Virginia Union
SF 2 Russell, Bryon 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1970-12-31 Long Beach State
SG 21 Simmons, Bobby 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1980-06-02 DePaul
SG 42 Stackhouse, Jerry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1974-11-05 North Carolina
PF 36 Thomas, Etan Injured 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 256 lb (116 kg) 1978-04-01 Syracuse
C 55 White, Jahidi 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 290 lb (132 kg) 1976-02-19 Georgetown
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Regular season
Jordan during warm-ups for the last Wizards home game, on April 14, 2003. The jersey is a throwback to the Washington Bullets uniforms.

Jordan announced he would return for the 2002–03 season, and this time he was determined to be equipped with reinforcements, as he traded for All-Star Jerry Stackhouse and signed budding star Larry Hughes. Jordan even accepted a sixth-man role on the bench in order for his knee to survive the rigors of an 82-game season. Heading into the season, as he was still dealing with injuries, Jordan started the first 15 games coming off from the bench. However, a combination of numerous team injuries and uninspired play led to Jordan's return to the starting lineup, where he tried to rebound the franchise from its early-season struggles after a 6–9 start. The move led to mixed results, as several of Jordan's younger teammates complained about playing in Jordan's shadow and his unfair expectations of them.[22]

By the end of the season, the Wizards finished with a 37–45 record once again. At the age of 40, Jordan ended the season as the only Wizard to play in all 82 games, as he averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals in 37.0 minutes per game. He also became the only 40 years old in NBA history to score over 40 points in a game,[23] which he did several times during the season.[24] In addition, Jordan became the oldest NBA player in NBA history to average at least 20 points at the age of 40.[25] This was also the first season where Jordan was not the team's better scorer, as Stackhouse averaged 1.5 more point per game, but Jordan still led the team in steals at 1.5 per game, while Christian Laettner led the team in rebounds at 6.6, Stackhouse in assists at 4.5, and Brendan Haywood in blocks at 1.5.[13]

After the season, Wizards' majority owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as team president, much to the shock of teammates, associates, and the public. Jordan felt he was betrayed, thinking that he would get his ownership back after his playing days ended, but Pollin justified Jordan's dismissal by noting that Jordan had detrimental effects on the team, such as benching Larry Hughes for Tyronn Lue, making poor trades, and squandering the teams' first round pick at the 2001 NBA draft on high schooler Kwame Brown who never panned out. Without Jordan in the fold the following year, the Wizards were not expected to win, and they did not. Despite the signing of future All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas, which had been made possible by Jordan's previous cap-clearing maneuvers as a team executive, the team stumbled to a 25–57 record in the 2003–04 season.

Jordan's stint with the Wizards was closely watched by both fans and the media. While the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in either of Jordan's two seasons as a player, the team was competitive and sold-out arenas around the league.[26] The Wizards replaced Jordan's managerial role with general manager Ernie Grunfeld. Although the organization fielded a competitive team built around Arenas for several years, the team again stumbled into the lower echelon of the league in the years following Arenas' numerous off the court issues.

Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-New Jersey Nets 4933.598–33–816–2516–8
x-Philadelphia 76ers 4834.585125–1623–1817–7
x-Boston Celtics 4438.537525–1619–2213–12
x-Orlando Magic 4240.512726–1516–2514–11
Washington Wizards 3745.4511223–1814–2711–13
New York Knicks 3745.4511224–1713–289–15
Miami Heat 2557.3052416–259–325–19
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Detroit Pistons5032.610–
2 y-New Jersey Nets4933.5981
3 x-Indiana Pacers4834.5852
4 x-Philadelphia 76ers4834.5852
5 x-New Orleans Hornets4735.5733
6 x-Boston Celtics4438.5376
7 x-Milwaukee Bucks4240.5128
8 x-Orlando Magic4240.5128
9 New York Knicks3745.45113
10 Washington Wizards3745.45113
11 Atlanta Hawks3547.42715
12 Chicago Bulls3052.36620
13 Miami Heat2557.30525
14 Toronto Raptors2458.29326
15 Cleveland Cavaliers1765.20733

Record vs. opponents
2002-03 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MEM MIA MIL MIN NJN NOH NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA WAS
Atlanta –0–32–24–00–22–01–30–21–12–22–01–11–11–32–20–21–32–21–32–13–10–20–21–11–11–11–31–12–2
Boston 3–0–2–24–00–21–12–21–10–22–22–01–12–02–21–22–01–33–14–03–22–20–21–10–20–22–01–21–11–3
Chicago 2–22–2–3–10–21–10–41–11–12–20–21–11–11–22–20–22–21–32–11–31–31–11–10–20–20–22–21–11–3
Cleveland 0–40–41–3–0–21–10–41–11–10–42–01–10–21–20–40–22–21–31–20–40–40–20–20–20–21–13–11–10–4
Dallas 2–02–02–02–0–4–02–04–04–01–14–01–34–02–00–22–22–02–02–01–12–02–22–21–32–22–22–02–22–0
Denver 0–21–11–11–10–4–0–20–40–41–11–30–42–22–01–10–40–20–20–20–20–21–32–20–41–31–31–10–41–1
Detroit 3–12–24–04–00–22–0–1–12–02–21–11–12–03–11–31–12–12–22–22–12–21–10–21–10–21–13–12–03–1
Golden State 2–01–11–11–10–44–01–1–1–31–12–22–22–21–10–21–31–11–12–01–12–02–20–40–41–32–22–02–22–0
Houston 1–12–01–11–10–44–00–23–1–1–12–22–23–11–11–12–21–11–10–22–02–03–11–32–21–32–22–01–31–1
Indiana 2–22–22–24–01–11–12–21–11–1–2–00–21–14–03–12–01–23–13–12–12–21–10–20–20–22–03–11–12–2
L.A. Clippers 0–20–22–00–20–43–11–12–22–20–2–0–42–22–01–11–31–11–11–11–10–21–31–31–31–31–31–11–30–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–11–11–13–14–01–12–22–22–04–0–4–01–12–02–20–21–11–11–11–13–12–22–20–42–22–03–11–1
Memphis 1–10–21–12–00–42–20–22–21–31–12–20–4–2–02–00–41–11–11–12–00–21–31–30–41–31–31–11–31–1
Miami 3–12–22–12–10–20–21–31–11–10–40–21–10–2–1–31–10–40–42–20–40–42–00–21–10–20–24–00–21–3
Milwaukee 2–22–12–24–02–01–13–12–01–11–31–10–20–23–1–0–22–22–23–12–22–20–22–00–20–21–12–20–22–1
Minnesota 2–00–22–02–02–24–01–13–12–20–23–12–24–01–12–0–0–21–12–01–11–13–13–12–22–22–21–11–32–0
New Jersey 3–13–12–22–20–22–01–21–11–12–11–12–01–14–02–22–0–2–23–12–21–31–12–00–21–11–14–00–23–1
New Orleans 2–21–33–13–10–22–02–21–11–11–31–11–11–14–02–21–12–2–3–11–32–12–00–21–10–22–04–02–02–1
New York 3–10–41–22–10–22–02–20–22–01–31–11–11–12–21–30–21–31–3–2–22–22–00–21–12–01–13–11–12–2
Orlando 1–22–33–14–01–12–01–21–10–21–21–11–10–24–02–21–12–23–12–2–2–20–20–21–10–22–02–21–12–2
Philadelphia 1–32–23–14–00–22–02–20–20–22–22–01–12–04–02–21–13–11–22–22–2–0–22–00–21–11–13–01–14–0
Phoenix 2–02–01–12–02–23–11–12–21–31–13–11–33–10–22–01–31–10–20–22–02–0–3–12–23–11–31–11–31–1
Portland 2–01–11–12–02–22–22–04–03–12–03–12–23–12–00–21–30–22–02–02–00–21–3–1–32–24–02–01–31–1
Sacramento 1–12–02–02–03–14–01–14–02–22–03–12–24–01–12–02–22–01–11–11–12–02–23–1–1–33–11–13–12–0
San Antonio 1–12–02–02–02–23–12–03–13–12–03–14–03–12–02–02–21–12–00–22–01–11–32–23–1–3–12–04–01–1
Seattle 1–10–22–01–12–23–11–12–22–20–23–12–23–12–01–12–21–10–21–10–21–13–10–41–31–3–2–02–21–1
Toronto 3–12–12–21–30–21–11–30–20–21–31–10–21–10–42–21–10–40–41–32–20–31–10–21–10–20–2–0–23–1
Utah 1–11–11–11–12–24–00–22–23–11–13–11–33–12–02–03–12–00–21–11–11–13–13–11–30–42–22–0–1–1
Washington 2–23–13–14–00–21–11–30–21–12–22–01–11–13–11–20–21–31–22–22–20–41–11–10–21–11–11–31–1—

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; STL= Steals; RPG = Rebounds per Game; APG. = Assists per Game; BLK = Blocks; PPG = Points per Game

Player GP MPG STL RPG APG BLK PPG
Jerry Stackhouse70653.74.52821.5
Michael Jordan821236.13.83920.0
Larry Hughes67864.63.12412.8
Tyronn Lue75472.03.518.6
Christian Laettner76826.63.1408.3
Kwame Brown80505.30.7807.4
Juan Dixon42261.71.036.4
Brendan Haywood81325.00.41196.2
Etan Thomas3884.30.1234.8
Bryon Russell70703.01.074.5
Jahidi White1614.60.1124.2
Jared Jeffries2082.90.854.0
Bobby Simmons36102.10.633.3
Anthony Goldwire500.60.202.6
Charles Oakley42132.51.061.8
Brian Cardinal501.00.200.8

Award winners
  • All-Star: Michael Jordan (14th)

References
  1. 2002-03 Washington Wizards
  2. "PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL; Pistons' Stackhouse Traded to Wizards". The New York Times. September 12, 2002. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. "Stackhouse Goes to Wizards". Los Angeles Times. Staff and Wire Reports. September 12, 2002. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  4. Wyche, Steve (September 12, 2002). "Wizards Get Stackhouse from Detroit". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. "Wizards Sign Guard Larry Hughes". Associated Press. July 18, 2002. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  6. Wyche, Steve (September 10, 2002). "Wizards Expected to Sign Russell". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  7. Wyche, Steve (October 13, 2002). "Oakley Signs with Wizards". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  8. Smith, Sam (October 30, 2002). "Eastern Conference Capsules". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  9. Wyche, Steve (September 18, 2002). "Wizards Add Ewing as Coach". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  10. Litsky, Frank (September 18, 2002). "PRO BASKETBALL; Only Smiles, No Scowls, as Ewing Says Goodbye". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  11. "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  12. "2002–03 Washington Wizards Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  13. "2002–03 Washington Wizards Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  14. Broussard, Chris (April 17, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Jordan Bows Out for a Third Time". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  15. Wyche, Steve (April 17, 2003). "The Air Finally Runs Out". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  16. "Jordan Starts 'Final Retirement'". Los Angeles Times. April 17, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  17. Smith, Sam (April 17, 2003). "MJ Really Means it This Time". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  18. "Garnett Is the M.V.P. in Jordan's Final All-Star Game". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 9, 2003. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  19. Wyche, Steve (February 10, 2003). "Passing the Torch". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  20. "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  21. Wyche, Steve (May 31, 2003). "Collins Fired as Wizards Coach". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  22. M. Jordan's Legacy Is a Vastly Different Tale of Two Cities
  23. "Jordan becomes oldest player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in a game". United Press International. February 21, 2003. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  24. "Michael Jordan 2002-03 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  25. "The 25 oldest NBA players with the highest scoring averages (>20 ppg)". Interbasket. May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  26. His playing career ends -- with frustration, betrayal and flashes of brilliance
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