With the NBA in an indefinite hiatus due to COVID-19, we continue our day-by-day look back at the history of the Philadelphia 76ers. We continue down our path into Sixers history every day as we look to fill the void left by the absence of basketball.
This edition of a throwback takes us back to 2003 when the Sixers welcomed in the Washington Wizards for the season finale. The Sixers had already wrapped up a playoff spot and they were going into the playoffs feeling good about themselves and this should have been a ho-hum game. What made this one special was that it was the final game of Michael Jordan’s incredible career.
April 16, 2003
This game was never close. The Sixers jumped out to a 31-20 lead after one quarter and they sustained a double-digit lead over the course of the game. It was a blowout as Allen Iverson had 35 points and six assists as Philadelphia coasted easily to a 107-87 win.
Therefore, the Wizards took Jordan out in the fourth, but with about 9.5 minutes left in the game, the fans began chanting “we want Mike” as they wanted to give him a proper sendoff. Wizards coach Doug Collins pleaded with Jordan, who did not want to reenter the game due to the score, but eventually, he entered and he was fouled by Eric Snow.
Jordan stepped to the line and made both free throws to put a bow on one of the greatest careers in the history of the NBA. Washington then committed a foul to get him out of there and he received a standing ovation from the crowd and from the players. He finished with 15 points for a Wizards team that could never click in his two seasons there.
Postgame, he told reporters:
It’s time to move on. It’s easier to accept that because physically I know it and feel it….I never, never took the game for granted. I was very true to the game, and the game was very true to me. It was just that simple.
The Sixers went on to the playoffs and they knocked off the New Orleans Hornets in Round 1, but they fell to the Detroit Pistons in Round 2 in six games. [lawrence-related id=29448,29437,29425]