Not only is he one of the best to have ever played the game, but so few ever had the chance to team up with him. It’s truly an elite class of players in the basketball world.
At least one member of that club, however, didn’t appreciate his time next to Jordan like most did.
Longtime guard and current Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse said on ESPN’s “The Woj Pod” on Wednesday that he wishes he never had the chance to play with Jordan on the Washington Wizards during the 2002-03 season — Jordan’s final season.
“Honestly, I wish I never played in Washington and for a number of reasons,” Stackhouse said, via ESPN. “I felt we were on our way in Detroit before I got traded there. It was really challenging to be able to be in a situation with an idol who at this particular point, I felt like I was a better player.”
Stackhouse, at that point, was in his eighth season in the NBA and fresh off a trade from the Detroit Pistons, where he spent the previous five seasons. He averaged 21.5 points and 4.5 assists with the Wizards that year, his first of two with the organization during his 18-year career in the league.