Alright, so today I’m gonna walk you through my little deep dive into the 2002 Washington Wizards roster. It started pretty simple, just a random thought that popped into my head: “What was that team even like?” You know, the one with MJ playing for them?
First thing I did was hit up the search engine, just typed in “wizards 2002 roster.” Boom, tons of results. I clicked on a few of the usual sports sites like ESPN and Basketball-Reference. I wanted to see the actual lineup, not just some highlight reel.
The Lineup
So, I started piecing together the roster. Obviously, Michael Jordan was there. But who else? I saw names like Jerry Stackhouse, Christian Laettner (remember him?), and Larry Hughes. Some guys I vaguely remembered, others not at all.
- Michael Jordan
- Jerry Stackhouse
- Christian Laettner
- Larry Hughes
- Richard Hamilton
- Tyronn Lue
Diving Deeper
Just seeing the names wasn’t enough. I started clicking on each player to check out their stats. How many points were they averaging? What was their role on the team? I was surprised to see that Stackhouse was actually the leading scorer that season, not Jordan. Shows what I know!
Then, I got curious about the team’s overall record. How good were they, really? Turns out, not that great. I think they were around .400 that season? Definitely not championship material. I started digging into game logs, box scores, trying to understand their wins and losses.
The Coaching Situation
Of course, I had to look into the coaching staff. Doug Collins was the coach back then. I remember him being a pretty intense guy. I wondered what his strategy was for that team, especially with Jordan on board. Did he try to build around MJ, or did he try to create a more balanced offense?
Random Observations
Along the way, I stumbled across a few interesting tidbits. Like, I forgot that Richard Hamilton was on that team for a while. And Tyronn Lue, the guy who’s now a head coach, was a young player trying to make his mark. It’s funny how things change.
What I Learned
So, what did I learn from all this? Well, the 2002 Wizards were a bit of a mixed bag. They had some recognizable names, but they weren’t exactly a powerhouse. It was cool to see Jordan playing in a different jersey, even if he wasn’t at his peak anymore. It was mostly a nostalgia trip, but hey, that’s what makes it fun.
Anyway, that’s my little journey into the 2002 Wizards roster. Hope you found it interesting!
