Jordan also denied initial rumors that he was coming out of retirement with Charles Barkley; advised Barkley to keep his job at Turner Network Television. Jordan would ultimately come out of retirement that season anyway, without Barkley.
On June 27, 2001, Michael Jordan made Kwame Brown the first high school player drafted No. 1 in the NBA,
Brown played 12 seasons, but never reached the stardom that Jordan predicted, Brown only played a four seasons with the Washington Wizards before becoming a journeyman. He averaged 6.6 points in 607 games. “Obviously you can see that he Is a well educated kid. He’s done a lot in terms of his basketball capabilities,” Jordan said on draft night in an interview with John Thompson on TNT. “He certainly has the skills. We entertained a lot of possibilities, but none could change our mind in terms of what this kid could do long term for the Washington Wizards.
Jordan is often considered the greatest player in NBA history but this night was full of losses for him. “This kid is gonna fit the bill,” Jordan continued in the interview. “I can only tell you that we have a very good kid coming to Washington, D,C, and we might not need another one.”Scott Salomon joined FanNation on Sports Illustrated in April 2024 covering breaking news and analysis for the Miami Dolphins channel. In June he joined Inside the Heat and Back in the Day NBA. Scott is based in South Florida and has been covering the local and national sports scene for 35 years.