Returning to the city where he is an icon, Jordan scored 16 points and the Washington Wizards matched their win total for all of last season in a lethargic 77-69 victory over the woeful Bulls on Saturday.
Jordan's No. 23 jersey hangs from the rafters of the United Center and outside is a large statue of perhaps the greatest player in NBA history, who led the Bulls to six NBA titles in the 1990s.
With that as a backdrop, Jordan made his first appearance at the United Center since Game Five of the 1998 NBA Finals and received a three-minute standing ovation during pre-game introductions.
Michael Jordan makes his first return to Chicago on Saturday.(AP Photo)
It would have been much longer had the lights not been dimmed before the Bulls' players were announced, a move that drew boos from the sellout crowd of 23,534.
Jordan was far from spectacular, making 7-of-21 shots from the floor and committing a season-high nine turnovers. He also had 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals, enough to help the Wizards (19-18) snap a four-game losing streak.
The current crop of Bulls bear no resemblance to the glorious teams of the past, losing for the 200th time since Jordan retired for a second time.
The Bulls missed their first 13 shots and shot a dismal 24.7 percent (22-of-89). Oly a late rally prevented them from having the lowest percentage in NBA history set by the Milwaukee Hawks in 1954 (22.9 per cent).
Chicago shot a woeful 17 percent (7-of-42) before intermission, the worst shooting half in franchise history. It did not have a basket until Brad Miller's layup with 5:56 left in the first quarter.
Chris Whitney scored a season-high 20 points for Washington.
Ron Artest and Ron Mercer scored had 14 points for the Bulls. Artest made 3-of-15 shots and Mercer was 6-of-16.
