Knicks legend Patrick Ewing waxes lyrical on Michael Jordan’s relentless work ethic during Wizards era

Despite winning six NBA titles, and retiring twice, Michael Jordan came out of retirement for a third time ahead of the 2001-02 season. However, he was no longer with the Chicago Bulls, as he played for the Washington Wizards.

With Jordan’s return and Knicks legend Patrick Ewing serving as an assistant coach, there was buzz around the Wizards that didn’t exist the season before. In the 2000-01 campaign, Washington only won 19 games.

During a recent interview with Etan Thomas, Ewing talked about how impressed he was with Jordan’s work ethic and his dedication at that stage of his career.

"To see him at that age still performing at a high level and have the drive to try to help the Wizards be better than they were, I thought was great," Ewing said on Tuesday, via 'The Rematch.' "To see his work ethic and dedication, and the things he tried to do to his body to do what he did. It was a great experience."

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While an eight-game losing streak early in the season hampered the team, it rallied by winning nine straight in December. The Wizards entered the All-Star break with a five-game win streak and a 26-21 record.

Jordan was averaging 25.1 points before the break but a knee injury forced him to just play 60 games.

Patrick Ewing dismisses notion that Michael Jordan was one of his toughest rivals

Throughout his career, Patrick Ewing did not win an NBA title. One of the main reasons was that Ewing and the Knicks repeatedly collided with Jordan and the Bulls in the postseason.

From the 1988-89 campaign to the end of Michael Jordan's tenure with the Bulls in 1998, the two team battled it out in the playoffs five times. Jordan was 5-0 against Ewing.

The only time Ewing and the Knicks beat the Bulls was during the 1993-94 season, when Jordan was playing baseball.

While many define the Knicks-Bulls rivalry from that era as Jordan vs. Ewing, the New York legend doesn't see things that way.

On the "Club 30" podcast with NHL legend Henrik Lundqvist, Ewing dismissed the notion of a rivalry.

"You talk about Jordan, he didn’t play in my position," Ewing said on May 7. " ... To me, when I’m playing against Hakeem, when I’m playing against Shaq (O'Neal), when I’m playing against David (Robinson), those are the three top guys."

While the two spent years battling on the court, they joined forces in Washington as a player-assistant coach duo.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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