Jordan makes modest return in preseason game

Michael Jordan made a modest return to the game, scoring eight points and playing 16 1/2 minutes as the Washington Wizards went down 95-85 to the Detroit Pistons in a preseason game on Thursday.

Jordan -- at 38 the oldest player on the court -- made his presence known in the first 20 seconds by leaping over Piston Clifford Robinson and smacking his jump shot to the sidelines.

"I kind of surprised myself. My engine was pretty good in the first quarter," Jordan said. "I thought I still have room for improvement."

Wearing his old number 23 in the Wizards' dark blue and black colors, Jordan kept up with his own team and the Pistons, bumping and blocking under the basket. More often, he set up his team's offense and yelled directions to his young colleagues.

It was the first time the former Chicago Bulls star had played in an NBA game since June 1998, when he made a last-second shot to win the sixth championship of his career.

Jordan, a 10-time NBA scoring champion, said earlier this month he was returning to basketball because "it's an itch that still needs to be scratched here, and I want to make sure the scratch doesn't bother me for the rest of my life".

"I'm more wiser, I'm more patient and I'm more thankful I can play this game even at the age of 38," he said. "I truly get a pleasure from this."

Jordan quit the NBA after the 1993 season to try his hand at professional baseball but returned to win three more NBA titles. His second retirement in 1998 -- when he said he was "99.9 percent" sure he would never return -- was blamed for a decline in NBA attendances and television ratings.

Much has changed since. Some critics have questioned whether Jordan can compete against young NBA stars, such as the Toronto Raptors' Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who have emerged in his absence.

LESS POWER

Even video game programmers have weighed in, giving their virtual Jordan a little less jumping power than he had in his championship days.

There were no dunks from the free-throw line but Jordan did nearly dunk one pass, choosing a layup instead.

"I'm getting there, to where my elevation is coming back," Jordan said. "I haven't dunked in three years. I'm going through my physical training and my legs will be there when the time comes, but I have to be patient with that."

When he left the game, Jordan was earning $34 million a year before commercial endorsements; this year he'll be paid $1 million, which he has pledged to the relief efforts for the September 11 attacks.

He'll also be playing for a team which has not won a playoff game in 13 years and lost 63 of 82 games last year.

While Jordan's will appears intact, his body has been slower to return to form. During summer workouts, he suffered broken ribs, back spasms and tendinitis in his knee.

The 38-year-old said on Wednesday he was going to sit out the Wizards' first two preseason games. He reversed his decision a few hours later, saying he didn't want to disappoint the thousands of fans who bought tickets for his return.

Some 22,000 fans who showed up for the game seemed ready to welcome him back. When Jordan first took to the court for warm-ups, he was greeted with a long round of cheers that resumed when he took his first shot.

But the cheers did not necessarily reflect the views of his performance.

"He hasn't impressed me," said Tim Dunlap of Fenton, Michigan. "I love MJ. That's why I'm here. But I don't think he's up to par yet."

"I haven't seen anything spectacular, but I think he's holding back," said Dimitrius Bailey of Detroit. "I think he's trying to fill his team out, give them some practice."

The next hurdle in Jordan's comeback arrives on October 30 when Washington opens its regular season against the New York Knicks.