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 coach	Doug Collins
General manager	Wes Unseld
President	Wes Unseld
Owner(s)	Abe Pollin
Arena	MCI Center
Results
Record	37–45 (.451)
Place	Division: 5th (Atlantic) Conference: 9th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
Radio	WTEM
< 2001–02 2003–04 >

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 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. Name Height Weight DOB From 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 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1981-11-25 Indiana SF 23 Jordan, Michael 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 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 Doug Collins Assistant coach(es) Johnny Bach Larry Drew Patrick Ewing Brian James Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended 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-year-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 in which Jordan was not the team's best scorer, as Stackhouse averaged 1.5 more point per game. However, Jordan still led the team in steals at 1.5 per game, while Christian Laettner led the team in rebounds at 6.6, Stackhouse led in assists at 4.5, and Brendan Haywood led 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 v t e	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
Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	12	23–18	14–27	11–13
New York Knicks	37	45	.451	12	24–17	13–28	9–15
Miami Heat	25	57	.305	24	16–25	9–32	5–19

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	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	New York Knicks	37	45	.451	13
10	Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	13
11	Atlanta Hawks	35	47	.427	15
12	Chicago Bulls	30	52	.366	20
13	Miami Heat	25	57	.305	25
14	Toronto Raptors	24	58	.293	26
15	Cleveland Cavaliers	17	65	.207	33

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	–	0–3	2–2	4–0	0–2	2–0	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–2
Boston	3–0	–	2–2	4–0	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–2	2–0	1–3	3–1	4–0	3–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–2	1–1	1–3
Chicago	2–2	2–2	–	3–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	2–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–3
Cleveland	0–4	0–4	1–3	–	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–2	0–4	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–4
Dallas	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	–	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–0	2–2	2–0
Denver	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	–	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–4	1–1
Detroit	3–1	2–2	4–0	4–0	0–2	2–0	–	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–1	2–2	2–2	2–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–0	3–1
Golden State	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	4–0	1–1	–	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	2–0
Houston	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–4	4–0	0–2	3–1	–	1–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–0	1–3	1–1
Indiana	2–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	–	2–0	0–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	2–0	1–2	3–1	3–1	2–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–2
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–4	3–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	–	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–0	4–0	–	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–1
Memphis	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	0–4	–	2–0	2–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–1
Miami	3–1	2–2	2–1	2–1	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–2	–	1–3	1–1	0–4	0–4	2–2	0–4	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0	0–2	1–3
Milwaukee	2–2	2–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	–	0–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	2–1
Minnesota	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	–	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–0
New Jersey	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–2	1–1	1–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	–	2–2	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	3–1
New Orleans	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	–	3–1	1–3	2–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–1
New York	3–1	0–4	1–2	2–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	–	2–2	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–2
Orlando	1–2	2–3	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–2	1–1	0–2	1–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	–	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–2
Philadelphia	1–3	2–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	4–0	2–2	1–1	3–1	1–2	2–2	2–2	–	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–0	1–1	4–0
Phoenix	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	3–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	–	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–1
Portland	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–3	–	1–3	2–2	4–0	2–0	1–3	1–1
Sacramento	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	–	1–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–0
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	4–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	–	3–1	2–0	4–0	1–1
Seattle	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–3	1–3	–	2–0	2–2	1–1
Toronto	3–1	2–1	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	–	0–2	3–1
Utah	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	4–0	0–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–0	–	1–1
Washington	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–2	0–2	1–3	1–2	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	—

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

Washington Wizards statistics

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.

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^{[dead link‍]}

• Washington Wizards on Database Basketball
• Washington Wizards on Basketball Reference