His Airness is back.
Michael Jordan, widely believed to be the greatest basketball player ever, is returning to the NBA again, this time as a member of the Washington Wizards.
'I am returning as a player to the game I love,' Jordan said in a press release issued Tuesday.
Jordan signed a two-year contract for the veteran's minimum of $1 million. In addition, Jordan said he would donate his entire salary to relief efforts in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
The five-time NBA regular season Most Valuable Player delayed his announcement by one day due to a licensing disagreement with one of his sponsors.
When Jordan retired for the second time after winning his sixth NBA Championship, Jordan said he was '99.9 percent' certain that he would never play again. But the tenth of a percent he left open allowed Jordan to come back at any time.
Now he has, and the entire league is feeling the impact.
'The greatest player in the history of the game is joining my team, and for that I am extremely honored and pleased,' Wizards owner Abe Pollin said.
The ripple effect has trickled all the way to NBA commissioner David Stern.
'I am happy to welcome Michael Jordan, the player, back to the NBA, although as commissioner, I am sorry to lose him in the boardroom,' Stern said. 'Michael has always brought joy to basketball fans around the world, and in these difficult times, we can all use a little more joy in our lives.'
Jordan won 10 scoring titles and is the NBA's fourth all-time leading scorer with 29,277 points. He averaged a league-record 31.5 points per game in the regular season during his career.
