‘No Offense’: Bradley Beal Reveals Why He Hated to See Michael Jordan Play for Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are playing like a top-notch NBA team lately. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 games, climbing up the EC ladder and now sitting at a convincing 10th position. If they continue the glorious run, their play-in chances, which were looking grim in March, will soon become a reality.

On Sunday night, the Wizards defeated the Cavaliers 119-110 even after trailing until the final quarter. As almost always, Bradley Beal remained the top scorer for the team and helped the offense during the clutch time. But it was something that he said later that became the headline.

Bradley Beal on Michael Jordan’s time in Washington

Michael Jordan, upon retiring from the Bulls after the 1998 championship win, joined the Wizards as their VP of Basketball Operations. Soon, an itch to make a return forced him to come out of his retirement to play for the Wizards in 2001. That very year, MJ first saw the Wizards losing eight straight games in November and then winning nine consecutive games in December. 

Now, the Wizards themselves are on an 8-game win streak, something that is happening after 19 years in the franchise history. In the post-game interview, just as Beal learned this, he reacted with a reflexive “damn”. Then, he honestly added how he did not enjoy MJ playing for any other jersey than the Bulls’ iconic red. Check out his comments –

Air Jordan, even after averaging 21.2 points, 5.9 boards, 4.4 assists, and 1.5 steals for the Wizards across two seasons, failed to help their playoff chances. It was an unceremonious ending to his otherwise unmatched career, and perhaps that did not amuse the young fan in Beal. 

Read also – Bradley Beal Reportedly Enjoys Privileges Akin to LeBron James on Washington Wizards

Wizards guard’s only memory of MJ in DC colors

Interestingly, the 27-YO Bradley Beal was just 9-YO when MJ finally hung his Nike sneakers and left the game in April 2003. So naturally, there is not much that the Big Panda remembers of MJ’s 2-year stint. But he does remember a particular play where Jordan blocked Bulls’ Ron Mercer and stole the ball in an epic duel. 

In this game, MJ had scored 29 winning points against his former team and helped the Wizards win 89-83. If this memory of Beal is anything to go by, one can expect him to seek inspiration from MJ and help the Wizards reach the playoffs this year.

In the coming week, they’ll face some tough challenges coming from the Spurs, the Lakers, and the Mavericks. Do you think their winning streak can still touch double figures? Help us know in the comments.

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