Players Question Jordan Report

Told that Michael Jordan might return to the NBA next season, that Sports Illustrated uncovered a source who claimed Jordan was “90% committed” to playing for the Washington Wizards next year, Horace Grant stopped walking. Just stopped.

“No,” he finally said. “No. No way. I mean, I, I--no.”

He laughed.

“For a guy with so much going for him,” Grant said, “why would he get back into this headache?”

Jordan, retired for nearly three years, is 38.

The magazine also suggested that Jordan would bring his portly golfing pal, Charles Barkley, with him, assuming an MCI Center expansion project could be completed by then.

David Falk, Jordan’s agent, put the likelihood of a Jordan comeback at “less than one-tenth of one percent,” which is considerably less than 90%.

Laker Coach Phil Jackson still talks with Jordan occasionally and did not so quickly dismiss the notion, despite the obvious obstacles. For one, Jackson said, Jordan’s right forefinger remains damaged from an accident with a cigar cutter.

“Yeah, I do think it’s possible,” Jackson said. “More than anything else, he sees guys like [Vince] Carter and Kobe [Bryant], and he says, ‘I can still play these guys. I think I can still have my way with them.’ ”

Jackson predicted Jordan would not play for anyone but the Wizards, the team Jordan serves as part owner and president of basketball operations.

Asked if he had talked to Jordan about a comeback, Jackson said, “We’ve laughed about it.”

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Still suffering from a viral infection, Kobe Bryant sat out his second consecutive game Tuesday night. He hasn’t been with the team since Friday, when he played through the early stages of the illness in an overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

The club was hopeful Bryant would be well enough to travel with the team today, when the Lakers fly to Detroit for the first of five consecutive road games.

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Shaquille O’Neal was fined $5,000 by the league for his criticism of the three referees after Sunday’s loss to the Seattle SuperSonics. Among other things, he called the officials “awful,” and one of them a “skinny head.”

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To make room for Derek Fisher on the active roster, guard Mike Penberthy was assigned to the injured list. He has a sore right shoulder, according to the Lakers.