#1 - Michael Jordan
Similar to Andre, I have so much I could say about Mike. Do I recap his amazing playing days? Do I talk about how much I wanted to be like him? How about his advertising campaigns, and how I wanted everything he was selling? No, I think in order for you to understand my appreciation for MJ I should start by telling you the story of my cousin Tony. Why? Because that is where everything started.
My parents were fan-tastic. I couldn’t have asked for better ones. Unfortunately, they never gave me a big brother, something I always wanted. I still hold it against them to this day. But, as the Rolling Stones put it, “You can’t always get what you want.” Tony was my older cousin, by 5 years. My family, at least on my dad’s side, was pretty large. My dad had 10 brothers and sisters. So, when they started having kids, the family started to grow at a rapid pace. When I came along in 1985, Tony was the closest male cousin by age to me. So, I guess it was kind of natural what took place, luckily for me.
Tony and I would hang out all the time. At least it felt that way to me. We started going over to each others house when I was 4. Next thing I know we were spending the night at each others house as well. It was great. I finally had found my big brother. Looking back, I was probably more of Tony’s shadow, but I’m willing to bet he didn’t mind because I was pretty good at sports. We would play basketball, football, baseball, even some tennis. I could hold my own with him, and that is what allowed me to keep hanging out with him. He would never let me win, which was great. It was where I got my competitive spirit from. But there were times when I made him play hard to win. I could go on for a long time talking about memories of Tony. One memory that sticks out for me has to be the time that Tony and I teamed up to take on two neighbor boys in a basketball game. Our two opponents were both older and bigger than me. One was Tony’s age, while the other was just 2 years younger. Playing until it was pitch black Tony and I defeated the “Slosser” boys in a close game. That was a night I will not forget anytime soon. For now though, you have the basis of our “big/little brother” relationship. Moving on.
The year was 1989, and there was a family gathering at Tony’s house. I was not quite 4 at this point, but this is one of my earlier memories. A lot of my relatives were there. Whenever the Florence family gets together, it is usually quite loud. There was an NBA playoff game going on during this get together. The Cleveland Cavs were playing the Chicago Bulls. Tony was a Bulls fan, while the rest of my relatives seemed to like the Cavs. They kept teasing Tony about the Bulls and this young kid on the team by the name of Michael Jordan. Tony tried his best to dish it back, but, you come to realize that you can’t win the war of words with the Florence family. They have too much experience in battles.
Then, it happened. It, was Michael Jordan hitting the series clinching shot as time expired over the outstretched hands of Craig Ehlo. Tony went nuts while the Florence family had to eat all of their words. It was a great moment. I thought to myself, “I could get used to this.” Instantly, at that point, I became a Michael Jordan fan. For that, I have to thank Tony. See, my father didn’t watch professional basketball too much. Occasionally he would turn it on, but he never had a rooting interest. This allowed me to go elsewhere to pick an NBA team. There was Tony, and in turn, there was Mike. The rest was history.
Well, now that I got the background information out of the way, you can start to understand where my infatuation with Michael originated. That is not the end of the story however. During the ages of 7 to 13 I got to witness the greatest basketball player ever to lace them up. I’ll fight you to the death on that one. I’ll get back to that later.
Michael attended the University of North Carolina where he played under head coach Dean Smith. MJ was a solid player, becoming the first freshman that Coach Smith ever started. In the 1982 NCAA Championship, playing against Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas, Michael hit the game winning shot. It was later referred to as simply, “The Shot.” When I was little, I thought this was the greatest shot in the history of basketball. Looking back, it wasn’t nearly as much as “The Shot,” as it was Jordan making it. Had Michael not gone onto such greatness, then it would have simply faded into the history books. Either way, it marked the official beginning of what was to come.
I have read more books on Michael than I can keep track of. My mother knew how much I liked Michael, and I guess she wanted to see me read, so it was a great combination. I firmly believe that I could enter a contest about Michael trivia and be able to do quite well. I’ll take this second to fill you in on some miscellaneous MJ trivia that I picked up at an early age. (Note: I did not look any of this up; believe it.)
1) Michael wore four numbers during his career. #23, #45, #9, and #12. #23 was his primary number, but when he made his comeback from retirement chose #45 for a short period of time. He wore #9 during the 1984 and 1992 Olympics. #12 he wore one time when someone broke into the Bulls locker room and stole his jerseys. Playing against the Orlando Magic, and wearing #12 without a name on the back, Jordan scored 49 points.
2) Jordan chose #23 as his number because his older brother Larry wore #45 in high school. It was Michael’s goal to be half as good as Larry was. Half of 45 (rounding up) is 23. It was as simple as that. On a side note, this is why #12 is my favorite number. As a young kid I just wanted to be half as good as Michael.
3) MJ had a habit of sticking his tongue out often during games. He developed this habit by watching his dad, James, stick out his tongue while working around the house.
4) Michael was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, NY. The family later moved to Wilmington, NC.
5) Jordan, well known for winning several memorable slam dunk contests, also participated in the 3 point contest one year, 1990. He only scored 5 points, lowest in the history of the contest.
6) We all know how he got cut from his high school varsity team at Laney High School. However, he never quit the team and ended up averaging a triple-double his senior year.
7) After winning the Gold Medal in the 1992 Olympic games, Jordan faced a dilemma. He had a contract with Nike, yet his warm up suit the team was wearing was by Adidas. Jordan did not want any problems, so he draped a US flag over the Adidas part of the uniform when he got his gold medal.
8) While Jordan has no tattoos, he does have a brand. During college, he joined a fraternity and he has its logo branded on his chest.
9) MJ was a better baseball player as a young kid than a basketball player. He threw a no-hitter in a Little League regional championship.
10) Lastly, Jordan’s middle name?? That would be Jeffrey.
I have been looking up a lot of information while compiling this list, but I can honestly say that I did not have to look up any of that. I know its boring, but its part of my life. We all know how good Jordan was. It would be silly for me to sit here and recap his ridiculous career. Let’s try to put together in a paragraph all of Jordan’s accomplishments. Giddy up.
Jordan was the 1984 NCAA Player of the Year. He was a junior that season and left school early to enter the NBA Draft. He was the 3rd player chosen behind Akeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. Now playing for the Chicago Bulls, Jordan won the 1985 Rookie of the Year Award. A broken foot the next year sidelined Jordan for the majority of the season. In 1988, Jordan won the Defensive Player of the Year Award. He also won the first of his five MVP awards. In 1991, Jordan and the Bulls finally came through and won the whole thing. Jordan went on to win six championships in 8 years. He was the NBA Finals MVP in every one of his championship years. He left the league with the highest career scoring average. “His Airness” won 10 scoring titles in his 15 seasons. MJ was on the NBA All-Defensive 1st team 9 times. Yeah, Michael was insane.
For the rest of my tribute to Michael I guess it is best to share with you my favorite moments during MJ’s career. The best way to do it is to go in chronological order. I will start in 1992, with an NBA Finals game against the Portland TrailBlazers. The game that sticks out was Game 1.
Leading up to this series, there was a lot of talk about how good Clyde Drexler of the Trailblazers was. Comparisons were being drawn to MJ and Clyde “The Glide” Drexler. Similar to how MJ beat Magic Johnson and the Lakers the year before to win Jordan’s first title, it was now supposedly Drexler’s turn to beat MJ and win his first title. The game was in Chicago and it was on NBC. The commentators for the game were Bob Costas and Magic Johnson. Jordan was never known as a 3 point threat. I mean, he could knock them down if he had to, but he was never looking to shoot too much from beyond the arc. However, in this game, Jordan was on fire from “downtown.” Jordan could not miss. He made a record 6 three pointers in the first half. I wasn’t really sure what I was watching. The best part was that Jordan wasn’t sure either. After making his sixth three pointer of the half, Jordan turned to Costas and Magic and shrugged his shoulders while running back down the court. That was great. Magic made a comment that I will never forget, “Whose game is it? It’s Michael Jordan’s game.” The Bulls went on to win the series in 6 games. After winning the final game in Chicago, Jordan grabbed the ball, jumped up on the scorer’s desk and raised 2 fingers in the air, symbolizing his back-to-back titles. Looking back, it is easy to laugh at comparing Drexler and Jordan. But, at the time, this stuff was for real. Had Drexler won that title, they each would have had one championship.
Michael has said it time and time again that the only way to compare how good a player is/was, was by how many championships that person had. He wanted to be better than Larry Bird and Magic. In his mind, the only way he could do that was to win more titles.
In the 1993 season Jordan again made it to the finals, this time against his friend Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. Michael and the Bulls were actually the underdogs for this series. Barkley had won the MVP, which I couldn’t believe, and the Suns had the best record in the league which meant home court advantage. The Bulls won the first two games at Phoenix, but then lost 2 out of 3 at home, which made the series 3 games to 2 heading into Game 6 at Phoenix. It was a back and forth battle, but throughout it all, I felt safe. In my mind there was no doubt that the Bulls were going to win. Trailing by 2, with less than 10 seconds left, John Paxson (the Bulls current GM), drilled a three-pointer to win the series. It was a three-peat. I can remember myself jumping up and down uncontrollably when Paxson made that shot. Jordan and the Bulls had won three in a row.
After that game, and several weeks down the road, rumors were floating that Jordan was done playing basketball. I dismissed those quite easily. I felt that Jordan was going to play forever. Then, when his father died, it all changed. Jordan dropped the sneakers for the cleats and tried to play baseball. This was a different experience for me, seeing Jordan struggle. People may say that his decision to play baseball was a mistake. Those people are looking at that way too one-sided. Jordan needed to do that for himself and for his dad. I truly believe that by playing baseball, Jordan was getting over his father’s death.
A year and a half later, rumors were starting to swirl around again. MJ was being spotted around the Bulls’ practices. All of a sudden, there was hope. It was my mother who informed me that Jordan was coming back to play basketball. We were in the kitchen and she asked me if I heard the news. Then she said that Michael had issued a press release saying simply, “I’m back.” I was thrilled to say the least.
Jordan came back in the middle of the 1995 season and his first game was against the Indiana Pacers. I watched in my living room as Jordan struggled in his first game back. He shot the ball miserably and the Bulls lost, two things I wasn’t accustomed to with Jordan. 1) Not playing well and 2) losing. I thought it was because he was wearing #45. It just didn’t feel right. Several weeks later, Jordan brought back #23, and he started to play a little better. The Bulls swept their first round playoff series and were facing the Orlando Magic in the second round. Led by Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway (he used to be good, believe it or not) and Shaquille O’Neal, the Magic were a formidable foe. The Magic won in 6 games, but the defining moment for me was watching Jordan get stripped from behind by Nick Anderson in the closing seconds of Game 6. That was not supposed to happen, Jordan was supposed to hit the game winning shot. That was a low point.
In 1996 the Bulls acquired power forward Dennis “The Worm” Rodman. This guy was a total character. He would change the color of his hair before each game and often was ejected from a game by getting in a fight, head butting the official, or kicking a camera guy in his “happy place.” But, he could rebound and play defense with the best of them. In my opinion, this was the best basketball team ever assembled. They went on to win 72 games, beating the old Lakers record of 69. They won the championship, beating the Seattle Supersonics in the finals. People look at that Bulls team and say that they were not even the best Bulls team ever. They also say that the only reason that the Bulls won all those games was that they were a product of a watered down league. While the league might have been watered down, they still had to go out and win all of those games. Also, this was the best Jordan played as well, in my opinion. He was frustrated from his playoff loss the year before, and came out with vengeance. He was not going to lose. They had great role players and played total team basketball. I’ll take that team against any other basketball team in the history of the NBA, and I will like my chances in a seven game series.
The next year, with the same team, the Bulls went on to win yet another title. In the championship they beat the Utah Jazz in 6 games. During that series, I witnessed the best performance ever on a basketball court by anyone. It should come as no surprise to who it was.
The series was tied at 2 games a piece entering a critical Game 5. Before the game started all the coverage on NBC was how Michael had come down with an illness. Speculation was that Jordan had developed food poisoning the night prior to the game. He was throwing up and barely could get out of bed. Somehow, someway, Jordan was able to play. How he was able to play as well as he did, is beyond me. On the verge of collapsing, Jordan put up 38 points, including the game clinching 3 pointer with under 20 seconds left. The memory that sticks out in my mind the most has to be when Pippen walked with Jordan to the sideline during a timeout. Jordan had his head on Pippen’s shoulder and it appeared as if Pippen was more or less carrying the sick Jordan to the bench. For those of you that do remember, last year I had started compiling a list of Jordan’s Top 50 games. However, like most things, I didn’t finish it midway. Had I finished it, this game, would have been number one. In a tight Game 6, Jordan found an open Steve Kerr to deliver the series clinching shot and the Bulls fifth title in the last seven years.
The entire team came back for another title run the next year. Here is another trivia question for you. Who holds the record for largest individual season contract in sports? It’s not Alex Rodriguez, who makes a little over 25 million per season. Nope, its Michael Jordan. He signed a one year contract in 1998 for just a shade over 30 million dollars. Not too bad.
The Bulls were playing the Jazz again in the finals, but what not too many people remember is that the Bulls went 7 games against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls were able to get past that and were looking for their 6th title in 8 years. Up 3 games to 2, the Bulls headed to Utah looking to end it. The Jazz had other things on their mind of course. The Jazz were up by 3, with 40 seconds left. That is when MJ took over and cemented his legacy.
Jordan had the ball, made a quick move to the lane and finished with an uncontested lay-up with 35 seconds on the clock. Still up by 1, the Jazz dumped the ball down to Karl Malone underneath. Jordan came from the other side of the court, snuck up behind Malone, and stole the ball from the “Mailman.” Now, with the ball in his hands, you just knew that Jordan was not going to give it up. Coach Phil Jackson knew better than to call time-out and let Jordan dribble down the court. With Byron Russell guarding him, Jordan made 2 moves, faked out Russell, went to his right, and drilled a jumper, nothing but net, to take the lead with under 5 seconds left on the clock. It was a perfect ending for the perfect player. After John Stockton missed his shot to win the game, Jordan, grabbed the ball and this time using two hands, symbolized the six rings he had gathered in the last 8 years. From my living room I stood, with that big smile on my face. I knew that Jordan was not going to come back. I knew this was the end. It was, without a doubt, a perfect ending.
Jordan retired after that season, but came back, yet again. This time, he played for the Washington Wizards. There really isn’t too much to talk about with Jordan and the Wizards. Yeah, it was nice to see him still playing, and still competing, but at the same time, I would have rather wanted Jordan only playing in a Bulls uniform. Either way, it gave me two more years to watch MJ, and it gave me a chance to watch him leave for good, at the All-Star Game.
I know I’m leaving out so many great Michael moments. That is the beauty of Michael however, you could talk forever about him, and still not mention it all. He was just that good. As with Andre, I have this feeling that I will meet Michael one day. Maybe even play some golf. How about this foursome: myself, Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi (plays left-handed, and is a scratch golfer), and Michael Jordan. Words can not describe what that moment would mean for me.
Jordan transcended sports by becoming a huge advertising tycoon. Every single company wanted MJ to promote their new product. They figured people would want to buy it if they saw it with Jordan’s face next to it. It worked on me. Everything Jordan promoted, I wanted. That goes with Gatorade and the classic “I want to be like Mike” song, to Wheaties, to Hanes, to Nike products, to McDonalds, all the way to the movie “Space Jam.” I just had to have it. Do I own the “Space Jam” soundtrack? You better believe it.
To me, Jordan was sports. Jordan was my icon; he was who I aspired to be. A big part of the person I am today comes from Michael. The beauty of it is that I didn’t realize how lucky I was to get to watch Jordan play. He will be talked about for years and years. There are kids today that know of Michael, but never got to see him on TV. Even with myself, I didn’t get to witness him when he was a young high-flying kid, winning slam dunk contests. No, instead, I witnessed a mature Michael, one with the purest jump-shot I have ever seen. A Michael who made you feel safe when you were watching. If the game was on the line, he was going to get the ball, and he was going to make it. What makes that incredible is that everyone knew what was going to happen, and MJ still delivered.
Now, knowing fully that I will not be a professional basketball player, I still strive to be like Mike. His passion, his focus, his joy, his hard work, his perseverance, his responsibility, his influence, his competitive nature, his winning, his leadership, his respect, his trust, his loyalty, and most of all, his character, are all things that I want to have in my life.
On my Little Tikes basketball hoop in my basement I spent numerous hours pretending to be Mike. Pretending to make the game winning shot, pretending to make that crazy move, pretending to be the best. It has officially come full circle. As a young kid, I wanted to be Mike. Now, I understand, I just want to be LIKE Mike.
Michael was the best, hands down. If you want to get into a big debate with me, tell me someone else was better than Michael. You are either just trying to piss me off, or have no idea what you are talking about. Only one other person can be in the conversation for best basketball player ever. Who is that? Bill Russell. It was Russell and Jordan. Russell won more championships and was an outstanding basketball player. I still give Jordan the nod. Jordan was the best.
When you think of basketball, you think of Jordan. The NBA today is still trying to catch up from his departure. Jordan gets ultimate respect. Rappers still use him in lyrics, LeBron James uses his number, Kevin Garnett still carries on his powder slapping routine, and everyone, myself included, still wants to be like him.
From Jeremy Miller to Michael Jordan and everyone in between, the list is finally complete. Thank you for riding along with me on this 8 month endeavor. What will I talk about now? Honestly, I have no idea. It might not even be about sports. Who knows? I don’t. What I do know is that I am glad I made this list, and more importantly that I followed through on it.
I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from Michael. “I can accept failure, but I can not accept not trying.”
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