Jordan's announcement will be low-keyed

Associated Press

Forget about a big news conference announcing Michael Jordan's return. Word is more likely to come via fax.

Jordan is now in no rush to announce his decision on playing again in the NBA and plans for a major media appearance have been all but shelved in the aftermath of Tuesday's terrorist attacks.

It was expected that a news conference would be held Sept. 20, but Jordan apparently felt such a spectacle would be inappropriate.

A source close to Jordan, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed a report in yesterday's Washington Post that Jordan's announcement will be more low-key.

Word probably will come via fax, although the means and time are still being determined, the source said.

Jordan has come out of retirement via fax before. In March 1995, he announced his return to the Chicago Bulls with a two-word bulletin: "I'm back!"

Knowing that Jordan could call at any time, the Washington Wizards' staff has been ready for weeks to stage a news conference at the MCI Center with just a few hours' notice.

The day before Tuesday's attacks, Jordan's comeback was the sporting talk of the nation's capital. He strongly indicated Monday in a discussion with three reporters in Chicago that he would return from his three-year retirement and play for the Wizards, saying he was doing it "for the love of the game."

It remains all but certain that he will make his intentions known before Oct. 2, when the Wizards are scheduled to begin training camp in Wilmington, N.C.

Jordan, the team's president of basketball operations, would need to sell his ownership stake in the Wizards if he played.

IN THE COURTS

• Sprewell's suit reinstated: A federal appeals panel in San Francisco has reinstated part of Latrell Sprewell's $30 million suit against the NBA and his former team, the Golden State Warriors.

The legal action followed a 1997 spat with coach P.J. Carlesimo during a practice in which witnesses said the player grabbed the coach around the neck and threatened to kill him. An arbitrator cut Sprewell's suspension from a year to 68 games and overturned the Warriors' decision to terminate the last three years of his contract.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Sprewell's case last year, but changed its mind yesterday.

The panel said Sprewell, now with the New York Knicks, could sue the organizations on claims that they "intended to vilify Mr. Sprewell and prevent him from making and enforcing contracts with others because of his race."