Michael Jordan

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

How ungracious an acceptance speech.

 

I never would have ever guessed that he was so petty and bitter.

[bobbob1313]

the NBA is becoming professional wrestling.

[cryptique]

I'm a lifelong Bulls fan and huge Jordan fan ... but from what I've read about his speech, even I have to agree that he's an enormous tool for doing what he did. This will tarnish his legacy far more than his three retirements and his incompetence as a front-office executive.

[Good Old Neon]

Michael, I'm really happy for you. I'll let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!

[Guest Speed Racer]

Michael, I'm really happy for you. I'll let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!

 

Did you see Beyonce in Utah with the flu? Dancing on a broken ankle?

 

**********

 

As a child in the early 1990's in Chicago, Jordan and the Bulls were god-like figures. Bedtime meant nothing during basketball season; when it rained during lunch in elementary school, we watched "Untoucha-bulls," the documentary of the first three-peat; whether you were watching a championship game or not, you knew the moment we won on account of the hollers, firecrackers and gunshots; my mother was hospitalized frequently when I was a kid, right across from the United Center, and I loved visiting her on game nights, looking down on the majestic United Center with it's crazy spotlights. Never did see a game in person. My cousin was an aide to Carol Mosely-Braun, a neighbor of the Jordans, in the early-90s. She invited my cousin over for dinner in 1993 one night, and when my cousin asked what she could bring Carol said, "Oh, I don't know, Juanita's bringing salad..." Sure enough, my cousin had dinner with the Jordans that night.

 

But he retired. And retired again. And we found out he slept around on his wife (which really crushed me, and I think a lot of Chicagoans). And then he went to the Wizards, and retired again. And then he divorced his wife.

 

The one thing he did consistently throughout his career was run his mouth. We only let him get away with it when he was a god, because at that time everything he said was true. I can't believe he's only 46. He's holding grudges like an 80 year-old.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

the NBA is becoming professional wrestling.

 

[MattZ]

Michael Jordan is cut from a different cloth than the rest of us, and the rest of the players who have stepped on an NBA court. What he said, and what he feels, doesn't surprise me. And if people think he came off as petty, to me, it's beside the point. He doesn't operate/exist in the world the way I do.

[Synthesizer Patel]

i just watched this on youtube, and i'd like to ask what the buggery-muffin is ungracious, or even slightly wrong, with what he said? i'm not saying it was the greatest speach i've ever heard, but there was nothing wrong with it. in fact it was actually quite good to hear a speach that didn't involve a turgid blanket-bombing of inane love-spunk.

[caliber66]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMMBWJJPjSE

 

This video?

 

Petty and bitter? Did I miss something? He called his brother short and said that negative reports in the media motivated him to be a better player, then he took a good-natured jab at Byron Russell. Was there something else?

 

edit: looks like that was a condensed vid and he took some shots at Jeff Van Gundy. I read an article that takes him to task for his anecdote about Byron Russell. I see nothing wrong with the Russell story.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Yea, I don't understand the backlash. I thought it was a good speech. Like someone said, MJ is not a regular basketball player. When you're never touted as anything less than THE greatest basketball player ever, how do you expect the guy to be humble?

 

I enjoyed watching the speech. He's clearly still competitive as fuck, and good for him. He explained that that competitive drive is what made him the player he was, and referenced specific examples. I'd much rather hear that than a bullshitted speech full of nothing but stuff like "thank you Coach Smith!" When someone is as mesmerizing an athlete as Jordan, aren't people curious what makes him so fucking good? Call him a douche if you want, but he explained just what did make him so good. The only line I had a bit of a problem with was the line about his kids, but even that is plenty logical when you consider just who their dad is. There's basketball players, then there's great basketball players. Then there's Michael Jordan. That's more than a lot to live up to.

 

From what I've read, Russell was honored to be mentioned in the speech, and issued a playful one on one challenge to Jordan.

 

All this hoopla is just foolish. Michael Jordan is just not like anyone else who has ever played basketball. Inducting anyone else this year was just a mistake.

[sureshot]

Was, and always will be, the G.O.A.T.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owY34aRiBNU

[Good Old Neon]

I’ll probably get slammed for this, but to keep things in perspective, Michael Jordon excelled at putting a ball in a hole. He did it better than just about anyone else, but still, a ball in a hole.

[Guest Speed Racer]

I've only read the transcript, so I don't have any tone of voice or body language to go off of, but what bothers me the most is that we KNOW he's the best, and he knows he's the best (isn't that why he's standing there?) but he still turns the speech into a "Best of Jordan" reel. When he mentions people who motivated him, it was generally along the lines of "They said I couldn't do it; I showed them! He said he could beat me - ha!"

 

A lot of people who helped him were genuinely interested in helping him, and they seemed to be tossed aside in a speech that largely celebrated Jordan's own triumphs. Acceptance speeches are rarely intended to actually be about the person accepting the award; no matter how gifted an individual is, lord knows there are hundreds of people who put up with him to get there with nary a pat on the back.

 

I can see why people are upset. I think it's pretty tasteless, but I also don't find it out of character for him. Not to quote an comic book movie I strongly dislike, but with great power comes great responsibility. I don't care if you're Michael Jordan - if you're so awesome, show me how awesome you are at being polite.

[Guest Jules]

I’ll probably get slammed for this, but to keep things in perspective, Michael Jordon excelled at putting a ball in a hole. He did it better than just about anyone else, but still, a ball in a hole.

What's your point?

[bleedorange]

What's your point?

 

I think he means that we should be talking about 9/11 instead.

[Gobias Industries]

What's your point?

 

I think there's supposed to be something sexual implied, but I could be wrong.

[sureshot]

As a child in the early 1990's in Chicago, Jordan and the Bulls were god-like figures. Bedtime meant nothing during basketball season; when it rained during lunch in elementary school, we watched "Untoucha-bulls," the documentary of the first three-peat; whether you were watching a championship game or not, you knew the moment we won on account of the hollers, firecrackers and gunshots; my mother was hospitalized frequently when I was a kid, right across from the United Center, and I loved visiting her on game nights, looking down on the majestic United Center with it's crazy spotlights. Never did see a game in person. My cousin was an aide to Carol Mosely-Braun, a neighbor of the Jordans, in the early-90s. She invited my cousin over for dinner in 1993 one night, and when my cousin asked what she could bring Carol said, "Oh, I don't know, Juanita's bringing salad..." Sure enough, my cousin had dinner with the Jordans that night.

 

I regrettably never did attend a game either. But Jordan is ingrained into my childhood memory more than any other sports star...

 

Arguing on the playground who would get to be Michael and who would get to be Scottie.

 

Every kid wanting to "be like Mike".

 

The triangle offense.

 

Staying up way past my bedtime to watch those nail biter west coast games against the Jazz.

 

The NBA on NBC, with Marv Albert building up the storylines before every game. That classic John Tesh theme song.

 

Hating the Knicks and the Jazz something fierce.

 

Zen.

 

The celebration partys after every championship...people running up and down the block banging on pots and pans, the (unfortunate) riots, the Grant Park rallies.

 

After his first retirement, coming down to the breakfast table one day and seeing the Sun Times laying there with nothing but those famous 2 words on the front page in a big black font: "I'm Back."...it was like Christmas morning. Then arguing with friends if he would be as good playing under #45 (he wasn't).

 

Just knowing that as long as Jordan was playing, the Bulls were going to win. The utter dominance was intoxicating.

 

Watching PBS documentaries breaking down just how he was able to physically soar the way he did, and posing the question if he truly crossed the line from jumping to flying. His aura was mythical.

 

Friends recounting seeing championship games being shown at the Vic Theatre.

 

The ever present chewing gum, and tongue wag.

 

The flu game.

 

Wanting to murder Jerry Krause for breaking up the dynasty. I still have the VHS of his final retirement speech from the Bulls, as well as his final game against the Jazz.

 

More than any other star, Michael was Chicago, and Chicago was Michael.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

I’ll probably get slammed for this, but to keep things in perspective, Michael Jordon excelled at putting a ball in a hole. He did it better than just about anyone else, but still, a ball in a hole.

You could use this same logic on pretty much any job.

 

For example,

Shakespeare wasn't so great. All he did was make lines on paper.

 

You've dumbed a complicated game down into the primary objective. But it's so much more than that.

 

EDIT: On the topic of seeing MJ, I was lucky enough to see his last home game for the Wizards. Say what you will about that era of his career, seeing the man play was a memorable occasion. Other than a few of those classic fadeaway jumpers he excelled at, there weren't any highlight reel plays. But...I saw Michael Jordan play basketball. That's all that matters.

[Guest Jules]

I think there's supposed to be something sexual implied, but I could be wrong.

I think you're wrong, but that would have been clever.

[Gobias Industries]

I think you're wrong, but that would have been clever.

 

I think I'm just ahead of the curve.

[Atticus]

I liked the way michael jordan stuck out his tongue. did he mention that in the speech?

[Sir Stewart]

Did he thank R. Kelly?

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I think he means that we should be talking about 9/11 David Foster Wallace instead.

[Good Old Neon]

What's your point?

 

We were getting a bit close to elevating him to godlike status, which, is maybe a bit much for a basket ball player, referring to him as being fundamentally “different” because he excels at throwing a ball in a hole.

[MattZ]

We were getting a bit close to elevating him to godlike status, which, is maybe a bit much for a basket ball player, referring to him as being fundamentally “different” because he excels at throwing a ball in a hole.

 

We were? I assume this is directed at my post which couldn't have been further from my point. I take the blame if I was unclear -- my point was that Jordan exists on a different level from a competitiveness/fire/drive level than everyone else. He got to where he was (in large part) because he had to win everything he ever did. If that's the form his speech took, I can't view that as petty, because it's just how he views the world.