Michael Jordan came back to his hometown of Wilmington, NC, and to the game of professional basketball after retiring in 1998. 

Jordan began his association with Washington Wizards as president and minority owner in 2000. In October of the same year, he brought the NBA team to the University of North Carolina Wilmington for their training camp. A sold out crowd watched the team at the end of their week-long stay in Trask Coliseum. At that time, the Wizards announced plans to return to UNCW in 2001 for their training camp. This move was anticipated by the Wilmington community, but the excitement and anticipation reached a high when Jordan announced that he would return to the NBA as a Washington Wizards player for the 2001 season.

UNCW was immediately launched into national and international news as it would serve as the location where Jordan would make his latest debut. News media from around the country, including ESPN, came to UNCW to cover the event.

Jordan played again with the Washington Wizards in Trask Coliseum in 2002.  In later years, when Jordan was affiliated with the Charlotte Bobcats, UNCW welcomed this club for training camps. 

Sources:

The Seahawk student newspaper--September 7, 2000, p 18

The Seahawk student newspaper--August 30, 2001, p 17

The Seahawk student newspaper--September 27, 2001, p 16

The Seahawk student newspaper--October 4, 2001, p 13-15

The Seahawk student newspaper--October 18, 2001, p 19, 21, 24

The Seahawks tudent newspaper--October 13, 2005, p 9

UNCW Magazine--Fall/Winter 2001

Related:

News articles about Michael Jordan's summer basketball camp at UNCW in 1987.