Could Michael Jordan Still Play at 50?

Seeing Jordan on cover of SI this week got me wondering if Jordan could still play a few minutes and be effective.

 

No. He was falling apart at 40. I suppose if you wanted him to play 2 minutes a game and bring him in at the end you could put his fat ass in the post at the end of the game and use him as a closer, but at 50 he'd be more LaTroy Hawkins in that role than Mariano Rivera. He could probably draw some fouls with his pump fakes, but that's about it. Also, you'd have to deal with him bitching about not playing 38 minutes.

 

Poker and golf?

Absolutely.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121551/index.htm

 

That picture is so dumb.

32 was Marcus Allen's number.

 

The strip across the top caught my eye. Another Miracle in 84? Nope. Not close.

 

My mistake. I do think he would have been falling apart at 40. Knee injury at 38 that finished his season, then played all 82 while turning 40 in Feb. of final season. I don't think the 2004 season would have gone as smoothly as 2003, but perhaps. But I don't know if even training would help him at this point. At that age your body's going to have a limited number of trips up and down the court (similar to Kobe last year hardly practicing at all, saving himself for the games). Serious training would open him up to the chance of picking up an injury before he even gets the chance to play.

Now, do I think Kareem at 65 would be better in the final minute of a game than Dwight Howard because he could throw up a hook from 12-15 feet? Yes.

 

And he's not wearing his I hate white people hat.

 

He's wearing his I Hate White People face

 

Gretzky would be a better hockey player at 50 than Jordan would be a basketball player at 50.

 

Wrong, Gretzky would be killed playing at 50.

 

If the true question is could he play a few minutes and still be effective? Sure...

Would that include him driving to the hoop? No... Would that include him dunking? No...

I think he could go out there and hold his own for five minutes or so. Pass it around, shoot a 3, nothing special... He wouldn't embarrass himself.

Could he play anything resembling a full game? Hell no...