NBA: Wizards start with a loss

The world has watched Michael Jordan sail high above the rim, hoist championship trophies and MVP awards, but for the first time in 15 years the player's legions of fans saw him start an NBA season on the bench.

The greatest player of his generation -- perhaps the best NBA has ever seen -- was playing in a new role as super-sub as his Washington Wizards launched a new season with a 74-68 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

One of the planet's most recognisable athletes, Jordan looked unfamiliar and out of place on the sidelines as the season, which he has indicated will be his last, tipped off without him.

In the end, Jordan worked 25 minutes, scored just eight points and was held scoreless in the second half but seemed unconcerned about the result or his uneven performance.

"I felt fine, I didn't favour my knee, I felt good," said Jordan, who turns 40 in February.

"It's a starting point, I'll manage to get up to 30-32 minutes on a consistent basis.

"It was bearing, I think with back-to-back games coming I think Doug was just trying to get a good feel with what he can get away with and how I rebound tomorrow."

The winner of six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and five league MVP awards to compliment them, Jordan watched anxiously as his Wizards slipped behind.

With 3:50 left in the opening quarter and the misfiring Wizards trailing 18-11, coach Doug Collins could resist no longer, looking down his bench to his 39-year-old guard, sending Jordan onto the court to the wild applause from the pro Raptors crowd.

MAIN DRAW

Despite failing knees increasing years and declining minutes, Jordan remains the NBA's biggest drawing card, the game pulling in 20,164, the largest ever to attend an NBA game at the Air Canada Centre.

Jordan came off the bench again with just under four minutes to play in the second quarter scoring his first points of the season on a gently arching shot from the top of the paint, slowly beginning to find the rhythm to his game that use to find him

But there were far more clunkers than classics on this night from the 10-time All-Star.

Standing at the free throw line with just under five minutes left to play, Jordan missed both shots then clanged a breakaway dunk off the rim drawing howls of laughter and taunts of "air ball" from the crowd.

"I've never seen Mike miss a couple of free throws and a dunk late in a game," said Collins. "That's when he's usually money in the bank.

"He still trying to get accustomed to coming off the bench, we're just going to have to figure how to get Michael in the mix."