2002–03 Washington Wizards season

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

The 2002–03 Washington Wizards season was the 42nd season for the Washington Wizards in the National Basketball Association, and their 30th season in Washington, D.C..[1] This also marked the 15th and final season for All-Star guard, and NBA legend Michael Jordan, who retired for the third and final time at the age of 40. 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] Retired All-Star center Patrick Ewing was hired as the team's assistant coach.[8][9]

With the addition of Stackhouse and Hughes, the Wizards got off to a promising 6–4 start to the regular season, but then fell below .500 in winning percentage by posting a six-game losing streak afterwards. The team posted a five-game winning streak between December and January, and later on held a 24–25 record at the All-Star break.[10] However, the Wizards lost 8 of their final 11 games of the season, and finished in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a 37–45 record, which was the same record as the previous season, as the team missed the NBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.[11]

Stackhouse averaged 21.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, while Jordan finished second on the team in scoring averaging 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and Hughes provided the team with 12.8 points and 1.3 steals per game. In addition, Tyronn Lue contributed 8.6 points and 3.5 assists per game, while Christian Laettner provided with 8.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and second-year forward Kwame Brown averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, rookie point guard Juan Dixon contributed 6.4 points per game, but only played just 42 games due to injury, second-year center Brendan Haywood averaged 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Russell provided with 4.5 points per game.[12]

Jordan played his final NBA game on April 16, 2003, in a 107–87 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at the First Union Center.[13][14][15] During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Jordan was selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his 14th and final All-Star selection.[16][17][18] Jordan scored 20 points despite only making 9 out of 27 field-goal attempts; however, the Eastern Conference lost to the Western Conference in double-overtime, 155–145.[19][20]

The Wizards finished second in the NBA in home-game attendance behind the Detroit Pistons, with an attendance of 827,093 at the MCI Center during the regular season.[12][21] Following the season, Russell signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, while Lue signed with the Orlando Magic, Oakley was released to free agency, and head coach Doug Collins was fired after two seasons with the Wizards.[22] (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. Player Height Weight DOB From
C 5 Kwame Brown 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1982-03-10 Glynn Academy (GA)
PG 3 Juan Dixon 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 164 lb (74 kg) 1978-10-09 Maryland
C 00 Brendan Haywood 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 268 lb (122 kg) 1979-11-27 North Carolina
PG 20 Larry Hughes 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1979-01-23 Saint Louis
SF 1 Jared Jeffries 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1981-11-25 Indiana
SF 23 Michael Jordan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1963-02-17 North Carolina
PF 44 Christian Laettner 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1969-08-17 Duke
PG 10 Tyronn Lue 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1977-05-03 Nebraska
C 34 Charles Oakley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1963-12-18 Virginia Union
SF 2 Bryon Russell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1970-12-31 Long Beach State
SG 21 Bobby Simmons 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1980-06-02 DePaul
SG 42 Jerry Stackhouse 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1974-11-05 North Carolina
PF 36 Etan Thomas 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 256 lb (116 kg) 1978-04-01 Syracuse
C 55 Jahidi White 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 290 lb (132 kg) 1976-02-19 Georgetown
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

After Jordan announced he would return for the 2002–03 season, he was determined to be have reinforcements around him. He traded for All-Star Jerry Stackhouse and signed budding star Larry Hughes. Jordan even accepted a sixth-man role to prepare himself for the rigors of the 82-game grind. Still dealing with nagging knee issues, he came off from the bench in the first 15 games. However, a combination of injuries and uninspired play led to Jordan's return to the starting lineup, where he tried to put the team in playoff contention after a 6–9 start. The move led to mixed results, as several of Jordan's younger teammates complained about playing in his immense shadow and as well as what they perceived to be unfair expectations for them.[23]

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. 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-year-old in NBA history to score over 40 points in a game,[24] which he did several times during the season.[25] In addition, Jordan became the oldest NBA player in NBA history to average at least 20 points at the age of 40.[26] This was also the first season in which Jordan was not his team's high scorer, as Stackhouse averaged 21.5 per game. Jordan paced the team in steals (1.5 per game), while Christian Laettner led the team in rebounds (6.6), Stackhouse in assists (4.5) and Brendan Haywood in blocked shots (1.5).[12]

After the season, Wizards' majority owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as team president, much to the shock of teammates, associates and fans alike. 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. Despite the signing of future All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas 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, despite the Wizards not being in the upper tiers of NBA standings, the team sold-out arenas around the league.[27] 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 49 33 .598 – 33–8 16–25 16–8
x-Philadelphia 76ers 48 34 .585 1 25–16 23–18 17–7
x-Boston Celtics 44 38 .537 5 25–16 19–22 13–12
x-Orlando Magic 42 40 .512 7 26–15 16–25 14–11
e-Washington Wizards 37 45 .451 12 23–18 14–27 11–13
e-New York Knicks 37 45 .451 12 24–17 13–28 9–15
e-Miami Heat 25 57 .305 24 16–25 9–32 5–19
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Detroit Pistons 50 32 .610 –
2 y-New Jersey Nets 49 33 .598 1
3 x-Indiana Pacers 48 34 .585 2
4 x-Philadelphia 76ers 48 34 .585 2
5 x-New Orleans Hornets 47 35 .573 3
6 x-Boston Celtics 44 38 .537 6
7 x-Milwaukee Bucks 42 40 .512 8
8 x-Orlando Magic 42 40 .512 8
9 e-New York Knicks 37 45 .451 13
10 e-Washington Wizards 37 45 .451 13
11 e-Atlanta Hawks 35 47 .427 15
12 e-Chicago Bulls 30 52 .366 20
13 e-Miami Heat 25 57 .305 25
14 e-Toronto Raptors 24 58 .293 26
15 e-Cleveland Cavaliers 17 65 .207 33

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kwame Brown 80 20 22.2 .446 .000 .668 5.3 .7 .6 1.0 7.4
Brian Cardinal 5 0 3.0 .250 .000 1.000 1.0 .2 .0 .0 .8
Juan Dixon 42 3 15.4 .384 .298 .804 1.7 1.0 .6 .1 6.4
Anthony Goldwire† 5 0 6.8 .571 1.000 .800 .6 .2 .0 .0 2.6
Brendan Haywood 81 69 23.8 .510 .633 5.0 .4 .4 1.5 6.2
Larry Hughes 67 56 31.9 .467 .367 .731 4.6 3.1 1.3 .4 12.8
Jared Jeffries 20 1 14.6 .476 .500 .552 2.9 .8 .4 .3 4.0
Michael Jordan 82 67 37.0 .445 .291 .821 6.1 3.8 1.5 .5 20.0
Christian Laettner 76 66 29.1 .494 .125 .833 6.6 3.1 1.1 .5 8.3
Tyronn Lue 75 24 26.5 .433 .341 .875 2.0 3.5 .6 .0 8.6
Charles Oakley 42 1 12.2 .418 .824 2.5 1.0 .3 .1 1.8
Bryon Russell 70 23 19.8 .353 .329 .768 3.0 1.0 1.0 .1 4.5
Bobby Simmons 36 2 10.5 .393 .000 .914 2.1 .6 .3 .1 3.3
Jerry Stackhouse 70 70 39.2 .409 .290 .878 3.7 4.5 .9 .4 21.5
Etan Thomas 38 0 13.5 .492 .638 4.3 .1 .2 .6 4.8
Jahidi White 16 8 14.4 .472 .680 4.6 .1 .1 .8 4.2
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Wizards only.

Player statistics citation:[12]

Award winners

  • All-Star: Michael Jordan (14th)

References

  1. ^ "2002-03 Washington Wizards Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2004.
  2. ^ "PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL; Pistons' Stackhouse Traded to Wizards". The New York Times. September 12, 2002. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "Stackhouse Goes to Wizards". Los Angeles Times. Staff and Wire Reports. September 12, 2002. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  4. ^ Wyche, Steve (September 12, 2002). "Wizards Get Stackhouse from Detroit". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Wizards Sign Guard Larry Hughes". Associated Press. July 18, 2002. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Wyche, Steve (September 10, 2002). "Wizards Expected to Sign Russell". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Wyche, Steve (October 13, 2002). "Oakley Signs with Wizards". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  8. ^ Wyche, Steve (September 18, 2002). "Wizards Add Ewing as Coach". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  9. ^ Litsky, Frank (September 18, 2002). "PRO BASKETBALL; Only Smiles, No Scowls, as Ewing Says Goodbye". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  11. ^ "2002–03 Washington Wizards Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  12. ^ a b c d "2002–03 Washington Wizards Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  13. ^ Broussard, Chris (April 17, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Jordan Bows Out for a Third Time". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Wyche, Steve (April 17, 2003). "The Air Finally Runs Out". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  15. ^ "Jordan Starts 'Final Retirement'". Los Angeles Times. April 17, 2003. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  16. ^ Sheridan, Chris (February 9, 2003). "Something Old, Something New on Court at All-Star Game". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  17. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  18. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  19. ^ "Garnett Is the M.V.P. in Jordan's Final All-Star Game". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 9, 2003. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  20. ^ Wyche, Steve (February 10, 2003). "Passing the Torch". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  21. ^ "2002–03 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  22. ^ Wyche, Steve (May 31, 2003). "Collins Fired as Wizards Coach". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  23. ^ Lee, Michael (April 23, 2005). "M. Jordan's Legacy Is a Vastly Different Tale of Two Cities". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015.
  24. ^ "Jordan becomes oldest player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in a game". United Press International. February 21, 2003. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  25. ^ "Michael Jordan 2002-03 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Leung, Stewart (May 8, 2018). "The 25 oldest NBA players with the highest scoring averages (>20 ppg)". Interbasket. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  27. ^ Morrissey, Rick (September 10, 2009). "His playing career ends -- with frustration, betrayal and flashes of brilliance". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016.
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