Michael Jordan is back. Again. Those five words brought an avalanche of opinion from ESPN.com users:

Welcome back MJ ...
"Simply the Best." ... Let's enjoy it.

Juan Soto, Jr.
Long Beach, Calif.

Michael Jordan is no fool. He wouldn't come back if he thought he would embarrass himself. I think he's going to surprise a lot of people. It's great to have him back and I can't wait to see him play.

Marilyn O'Brien
Toronto, Ontario

I'll never bet against MJ and the Wiz. The Wiz will win the NBA championship in seven games on the Lakers' home court. Count on the Wizards making the playoffs with the eighth seed, then running the table. MJ is not ruining his legacy, he is adding to it. Picture Jordan shaking Kobe, then going over top of Shaq for the game winner. Storybook ending now complete.

Chad Campbell
Washington, D.C.

		"Michael Jordan coming back again confirms what most of us already have gathered after watching this egomaniac over the last 15 years. MJ needs basketball more than basketball needs him."

At first, I had my doubts about Jordan's return, but let's face it, the U.S. economy at the moment could use some Air Jordan right now!

Alberto
San Juan, Puerto Rico

I remember how excited I was back in March of '95 when he first came back, and I'm just as excited now. The only thing is, he is 38 and this is not the team he left. It will be very interesting to see how the final part of the Michael Jordan Trilogy writes itself.

Syed Saifullah
Ann Arbor, Mich.

I am one of the many that stopped watching the NBA once Jordan left. I stuck to college basketball, where players still have rules to follow or else they are out! In a league where the superstars are mostly anything but role models, I am glad to see him back. So he's 38 and has lost several steps. So he will not be the slam-dunking, smooth-shooting, defensive-pest he once was. So what if Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant will drive past him and Shaq and Vince will dunk right over him? I am glad to see all that Michael Jordan represents back on the court. Especially in a league that seems desperate for respectable role models. And, I am sure Mike still has plenty to give and has several tricks still up his sleeve. It will be interesting and exciting to see what he does on the court. Welcome back, Mike! It's good to see you again!

Marcelo Negro
Williamsburg, Ky.

Right now this country needs a hero more than ever. People are down, the economy is slumping, there's not much to cheer about. But to see Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player ever to lace up a pair of sneakers, come back and give his money to charity, well that just put a smile on my face.

Jesse Como
Naugatuck, Conn.

... Are you sure you want to do this?
MJ should use this time to help out America, not start another "look at me" comeback. With all of his money and influence, he has not been a major spokesman for any social cause. He should follow in Ali's footsteps and become a true role model. We remember Ali as a civil rights leader and a spokesman against the Vietnam War, but all we will remember Jordan saying are catch phrases for underwear ads.

Matt O'Donnell
Santa Rosa, Calif.

I grew up in Northwest Indiana watching Michael Jordan from adolescence to adulthood. I can tell you that it disgusts me to think that he will be wearing a Wizards uniform instead of the Bulls. Personally, still being a diehard Bulls fan, I think Michael should watch the 1998 championship series again and take note on just how sluggish he looked. As that series wore on, you could see how Jordan became exhausted and lethargic. I honestly thought the Bulls would lose that series, as Michael just didn't seem to have the stamina and endurance anymore. Now, three years later he thinks he can come back and play legendary basketball? I don't think so. There's no way he play at a level that he and the fans are accustomed to seeing. It's going to be sad to see my childhood idol and favorite player ruin his legendary status and tarnish the image of that last shot in 1998 that capped a legendary career and sealed a sixth championship.

Mike Williamson
Bloomington, Ind.

What's the point? Is it monetary? He can sure sell back his share of the Wizards at a premium now since he undoubtedly ups the franchises value considerably. It's all so ridiculous. What does he have to prove? This comeback act by great athletes is so tired. Can't they just go out gracefully? Who really cares anymore anyway?

Gerard Carney
New York City

Every young player in the NBA will be looking forward to playing against Michael Jordan. They will make this a trophy of theirs that they beat the best player in the NBA. I mean most of these players were a big fan of MJ. But now they will use him as a measuring stick and probably will tell everyone that they beat down the greatest player in the NBA. And that's very sad.

Jose Lim
San Leandro, Calif.

I was really upset the lockout season robbed us of another Bulls' run; now Jordan has to make it by himself, older and slower, with a bunch of young guys and underachievers. (Anthony Mason anyone?) Good luck Mike; but whatever the end, even if playoffs are far away, we will always remember you as the best player ever -- who once tried to reverse time.

Francois Lemaire
Fresnes, France

Michael Jordan coming back again confirms what most of us already have gathered after watching this egomaniac over the last 15 years. MJ needs basketball more than basketball needs him. So great is MJ's craving for the spotlight that he will drag his almost 40-year-old body out to get pounded by the current MJ's of the league, like Kobe Bryant, all in the hope of getting the crowd to cheer for him one more time. Sure the crowds will cheer and Jordan will score 20 a night (while taking more shots than most teams do) but the legend of Michael Jordan will finally ring hollow. Mike, one day the crowd will stop cheering and will collectively turn away in sadness and pity.

John Joseph
Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Just when the officiating was getting back to normal, here he comes again. Will he be allowed to use two hands to push off this time?

Randy Bailey
Mt. Vernon, Ill.

Rather than wearing No. 23, maybe he should wear No. 001 since those were the odds he gave to a comeback when the rumors first started swirling. Moreover, I'm 99.9 percent sure that MJ's comeback isn't as much for the "love of the game" as it is for his ego.

Todd Weiss
Scottsdale, Ariz.

This is bad for the NBA. Now, instead of airing games that feature the bright young talents in the game -- Kobe, Iverson, Carter, Shaq, Ray Allen, Baron Davis, Michael Finley, etc. -- we'll be forced to watch MJ and the Wizards (clearly one of the most wretched rosters ever assembled, save Kwame Brown who deserves time to develop). MJ is the greatest ever, but it's time to step aside and the let the young kids have their time in the sun -- just as Magic, Bird, and Dr. J did for you. Sadly, his ego won't let him.

Brett Thomas
Chicago

Somebody should show MJ tapes of Magic Johnson's attempts at a comeback. It is a shame that so many truly great athletes make pathetic spectacles of themselves when they could be basking in their successes, imagining themselves to be the dominant figure they once were. Instead they choose to become side-show performers, a small fraction of their former selves.

William Kutschke
Iowa City, Iowa

This is sad. I can't fathom how a 38-year-old anybody will be able to keep up with the young thugs of today's NBA. Even back in '98, MJ had clearly lost more than a couple steps. He rarely charged the basket, relying on his jumper. He was a slower defender in the paint. And now it's more than three years later, he's not played competitively since then and the NBA has a new breed of player. I don't want to see even a 75 percent Jordan. I want to remember the greatest player that ever played the game. This edition is not that player.

Otis
Chicago