Thursday, January 14, 1999
Michael Jordan’s legacy lives on in fans’ hearts
COLUMN: Society astir with inspiring player’s retirement from
NBA
At 9:02 a.m. Wednesday, the announcement everybody dreaded was
made official.
"I am here to announce my retirement from the game of
basketball."
Michael Jordan, the man who single-handedly took the National
Basketball Association to a level that was never seen by an
American sport, will no longer be gracing arenas with his court
presence.
The questions surrounding the Michael Jordan mystery have
finally been answered, though unfortunately it was an answer that
none of us wanted to hear.
His Airness has left the building.
At a time when the NBA needs No. 23 the most, his refusal to
save a league that leaned on him like Tito and Jermaine leaned on
another Michael is to be commended.
Though ESPN, the L.A. Times, every media outlet and even good
friend Charles Barkley warned us all, it was still a shock. Jordan
had nothing left to prove and simply could not compete against
himself anymore.
That’s a shame for anyone who has ever seen Jordan set foot on
the hardwood.
Jordan was the premiere reason to watch the NBA. Even young NBA
hoopsters with a seemingly "me-only" attitude toward the game are
paying homage to Michael. Baller and part-time thug Allen Iverson
said, "I didn’t want to play this game until I saw Michael
Jordan."
Since Jordan took the torch from Magic Johnson and Larry Bird
and made it burn 10 times brighter, Mike has brought smiles to
countless faces, including mine.
I never thought that I could like a basketball player more than
Magic Johnson. Growing up in Los Angeles while "Showtime" was at
its peak, Magic was the man who made the Lakers run. He was the
reason I fell in love with basketball, and he was the reason that I
watched the NBA.
But then Magic retired and Jordan replaced him. I take that back
– he did more than replace Magic – he took the electricity of the
game to a level reserved for papal visits. And he did it night
after night in whatever arena he would play.
Watching Jordan play is something indescribable. It’s like
watching Mozart compose a symphony or Da Vinci creating a new work
of art. Michael Jordan is the best ever at what he does. When God
created Michael Jordan, he created the perfect basketball
player.
From his days as a scrawny, quiet, Adidas-wearing hoopster at
North Carolina University to a cigar puffing, effervescent yet
ultra competitive dominator for the Bulls, Jordan was always the
man.
His legend began when he sank the game-winning shot for the
Tarheels to defeat Georgetown and win a national title.
His career came to a close in the same fashion – hitting the
game-winning shot in game six of the NBA Finals against the Utah
Jazz last spring.
Jordan was always doing everything that could be done on a
basketball court. He retires as the third-leading scorer in the
history of the league. He had 10 scoring titles, five most valuable
player awards, 11 all-star appearances, nine all-defensive first
team appearances, and most importantly, six national titles. No
other player has a resume with half of the accolades that Jordan
earned.
The knock on Jordan as a youngster was that he was a ball-hog, a
selfish player who could not win titles by himself. After leading
the league in scoring as a rookie, he poured in 63 points in a
playoff game against the Larry Bird-led Celtics in the 1985-86
playoffs. The Bulls, however, lost and the critics said that he
took too many shots. For the next four years, the league belonged
to Los Angeles, Boston and Detroit.
But as soon as the Bad Boy Piston era culminated, Jordan learned
that his amazing physical game needed to be complemented by some
sort of mental edge. He came into the 1990-91 season with a more
team-oriented concept and soared by the Lakers’ A.C. Green and Sam
Perkins, switching hands in the air, and laying in one of the most
memorable shots in history, picking up a ring and a legend.
What Jordan was also picking up was the hopes and dreams of fans
across the world. With the help of Nike, Gatorade, Hanes, Hebrew
National, Rayovac, McDonald’s and numerous other companies, Michael
Jordan was quickly becoming the most famous man in the world. And
he handled it with grace and dignity. He could easily have resented
the constant attention and harassment he received, but he chose not
to. He epitomized the way that an athlete should handle
himself.
Michael Jordan earned in excess of $47 million in 1998 from
endorsements and Forbes estimated that he has been worth $10
billion to the world economy since the beginning of his playing
career. Through it all, Jordan has been classy and accessible to
the public.
Even with allegations of off-court gambling, Michael came out of
it shining like the sun in the Sahara Desert. It just showed that
the competitive thirst of the man could never be quenched.
Perhaps the only thing he didn’t dominate in his tremendous
career occurred when he first retired in 1994. He decided to do
something that he hadn’t done in 15 years – play baseball. And he
decided to do it on a professional level.
Though many in the media and on the sidelines thought it was a
complete joke, he succeeded. Imagine not doing something for half
of your life and not completely falling on your face. Jordan
finished with a batting average over .200, which is amazing
considering that hitting a pitched ball is the hardest thing to do
in all of sports. He even added a few home runs and a handful of
stolen bases.
But when No. 45 came back to the Bulls for a late season run
once the players’ strike quelled his quest for the major leagues,
he smoked the Knicks and Spike Lee like a Cuban stogie. He scored
55 points in the most historic spot in the league. And though he
couldn’t lead the Bulls to a title that year, he proved that he
will always be the greatest player to lace up a pair of
sneakers.
For all of the kids wearing the Jordan jerseys and the Jordan
sneakers from the San Fernando Valley to Shanghai, Michael Jordan
was the reason to play basketball. He was the modern day knight in
shining armor.
I will miss No. 23. I will miss the high-flying, slam dunking,
tongue wagging Mike of the late ’80s. I will miss the savvy,
trash-talking, pure shooting, slashing Michael of the mid-’90s.
I’ll even miss the commercials.
But more than anything, I will miss the way that when Jordan and
the Bulls were on TV, people all over would stop and become fans,
if only for that instant.
Jordan brought people from all walks of life together for a
common cause, invoking a passion for hoops inside everybody.
Because deep inside, we all want to be like Mike.
Lovett would like to wish a Happy 25th Anniversary to his
parents, Stu and Dena. He also dedicates this column to Paul Saario
and Tony Fong, both of whom will be in mourning for the ’99 NBA
season. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]
Lovett
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