NOSEBLEED SPORTS MEDIA
MJ Mondays
NO DEBATE. JUST RECEIPTS.
VOL. 1, NO. 28 · SEPTEMBER 7, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE SCORED 3,031 POINTS AT AGES 38-40. MOST PLAYERS DON'T SCORE THAT MANY TOTAL.
Points Scored After Age 38 — Jordan vs Everyone
3,031 2,300+ 4,000
MICHAEL JORDAN KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR AVERAGE NBA CAREER
Jordan scored 3,031 points as a Washington Wizard across 142 games at ages 38-40. The Wizards era is
the most polarizing chapter of his career — critics say he tarnished the legacy. Jordan scored more in two
seasons at 38+ than most NBA players score in their entire careers. He averaged 21.2 PPG as a 38-39
year old. He scored 51 points in a single game at 38. The body was declining. The skill and
competitiveness were not.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
Chicago Bulls vs Charlotte Hornets 2001-12-29
7 4 21/38 W
POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS FG RESULT
51 At 38.
THEY SAID HE WAS DONE. HE SCORED 51.
December 29, 2001. Jordan was 38 years old, playing for the Washington Wizards. The world had moved on.
The Bulls dynasty was a memory. Jordan's knees were a problem. He scored 51 points against the Charlotte
Hornets. On a night when the body should have said no, the skill set — built over 17 years of the most
intensive basketball development any player has ever undertaken — produced 51 points. At 38. In a body that
couldn't jump like it used to. From mid-range, from the free throw line, from the post. Jordan at 38 was still
more talented than almost everyone else at 25.
MJ VS TODAY 03
Did The Wizards Era Help Or Hurt Jordan's Legacy?
THE CASE IT HELPED THE CASE IT HURT
PPG AT 38 NO PLAYOFFS
22.9 Missed both years
51-POINT GAME VS TEAM RECORD
Age 38 Below .500
PROVED LONGEVITY FINAL IMAGE
Elite production past prime Not a champion
The Wizards era is complicated. Jordan averaging 22.9 PPG at age 38 would be a career year for most players.
But Jordan isn't most players — his standard was championships, not scoring averages. The Wizards never
made the playoffs. The last image of Jordan on an NBA court was a loss, not a championship. Whether that
matters depends on whether you believe legacies are defined by endings or bodies of work.
Did the Wizards era help or hurt Jordan's legacy?
HELPED — SHOWED LONGEVITY HURT — SHOULD'VE STAYED RETIRED
NEUTRAL — EVERYONE KNOWS HE'S THE GOAT DOESN'T MATTER — 6 RINGS IS 6 RINGS
THE COLDEST MJ MOMENT 04
THE COMPETITOR'S CURSE
He Came Back Because He Couldn't Watch
Basketball Without Playing It.
Jordan's decision to come back as a Wizard was not about money or fame — he had both.
It was about an inability to stop competing. He was part-owner of the Wizards and
attended practices. Watching players who weren't as good as him, at 38, made him want
to prove he could still play. So he gave up his ownership stake, suited up, and played two
more seasons. The body said 38 was too old. The competitor inside said watching from
the sideline was too painful. The competitor won.
THE MJ STAT VAULT 05
PPG — 2001-02 WIZARDS SEASON (AGE
38) POINTS AT AGE 38 — DEC 29, 2001
Higher than most starting shooting guards The highest-scoring game by any player
in the league that year. At 38. After two over 38 in NBA history at the time.
retirements.
PPG — 2002-03 WIZARDS SEASON (AGE GAMES PLAYED IN 2002-03 AT AGE 39
20.0 39-40) 82 He played every single game. At 39 years
Averaged exactly 20 PPG at age 39-40. old. In a body that had played 1,000+ NBA
Playing 82 games. No load management. games.
142 TOTAL GAMES PLAYED AS A WIZARD
Two full seasons. 142 games. 3,031 points. The final chapter that only Jordan could have written.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Derek Harper
DALLAS MAVERICKS / NEW YORK KNICKS · 1983–1999
14.0 PPG · 6.0 APG CAREER AVERAGE — 16 SEASONS
16 Seasons. 14 PPG. Zero Championship Appearances. Zero Recognition.
Derek Harper played 16 NBA seasons, averaged 14 points and 6 assists per game, and was considered one
of the better defensive guards of the 1980s and 90s. He spent most of his career in Dallas — a franchise that
didn't compete for championships during his prime — and then went to the Knicks for Pat Riley's physical
teams. His career was exactly the kind of consistent, professional, under-the-radar excellence that gets
erased by the Jordan narrative.
The Jordan Connection: Harper's Knicks competed with Jordan's Bulls in the playoffs multiple times. His
defensive assignment was to make life difficult for Pippen, allowing Oakley and Mason to focus on physical
play against Jordan. It worked partially. Jordan still won.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
MJ MONDAYS The Jordan Era · 1984–2003
Every Monday. No exceptions.