duncan228
09-11-2009, 05:12 PM
Jordan shies away from 'greatest' tag (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=afp-basketnbafamejordan&prov=afp&type=lgns)
Michael Jordan, his imminent induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame firing a wave of "greatest ever" praise, shied away Friday from the ultimate accolade.
"It's a privilege, but I would never give myself that type of accolade because I never competed against everybody in this Hall of Fame," Jordan said at a press conference hours before he was to be enshrined.
"So it's too much for me to ask, and too much for me to accept."
Jordan, whose amazing aerial acrobatics, fierce competitive streak and marketing savvy transformed both his sport and sports business around the world, leads a stellar class of 2009 inductees.
The group also includes Jordan's 1992 Olympic Dream Team colleague and San Antonio Spurs standout David Robinson, Utah Jazz stalwart and '92 Dream Teamer John Stockton and longtime Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
"It's truly a pleasure for me to be a part of this and contrary to what you guys believe, it's not just me going into the Hall of Fame, it's a group of us," Jordan said.
"And I'm glad to be a part of them and believe me, I'm going to remember them as much as they remember me."
Stockton is the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals. Robinson won two NBA championships with San Antonio and was NBA Rookie of the year in 1990 and Most Valuable Player in 1995.
But it was Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, earned five regular-season MVP awards and six NBA Finals MVPs, who held center stage.
"Everybody's here to see Michael," Charles Barkley said. "He's the greatest player of all-time."
"I think this is a greater honor for the Hall of Fame than it is for Michael," Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said Thursday.
"It's really incredible that this many years after he retired he's still probably only behind Tiger (Woods) as the second-most popular athlete in the world. That's a wonderful tribute to him."
In fact, Jordan blazed the path that golfer Woods now treads as a global star who transcends his sport.
Shoes bearing his nickname, "Air", helped Jordan make more than 100 million dollars a year from endorsements and salaries above 30 million dollars. Children all over the world sported replicas of his jersey number 23 as they tried to be like Mike.
He starred as himself in the children's movie "Space Jam" - which grossed 230 million dollars worldwide.
Jordan's drawing power remains so huge that Friday evening's enshrinement ceremony was moved from the Hall of Fame to Springfield's Symphony Hall, where the capacity of 2,600 is more than double that of the Hall of Fame facilities.
His fellow inductee Sloan said it was no more than Jordan's due.
"To see what Michael has done not only for the Chicago Bulls but throughout the whole world of basketball is really mind-boggling," Sloan said. "I don't think anybody could do as good a job as he has done representing the game. That's unique."
Michael Jordan, his imminent induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame firing a wave of "greatest ever" praise, shied away Friday from the ultimate accolade.
"It's a privilege, but I would never give myself that type of accolade because I never competed against everybody in this Hall of Fame," Jordan said at a press conference hours before he was to be enshrined.
"So it's too much for me to ask, and too much for me to accept."
Jordan, whose amazing aerial acrobatics, fierce competitive streak and marketing savvy transformed both his sport and sports business around the world, leads a stellar class of 2009 inductees.
The group also includes Jordan's 1992 Olympic Dream Team colleague and San Antonio Spurs standout David Robinson, Utah Jazz stalwart and '92 Dream Teamer John Stockton and longtime Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
"It's truly a pleasure for me to be a part of this and contrary to what you guys believe, it's not just me going into the Hall of Fame, it's a group of us," Jordan said.
"And I'm glad to be a part of them and believe me, I'm going to remember them as much as they remember me."
Stockton is the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals. Robinson won two NBA championships with San Antonio and was NBA Rookie of the year in 1990 and Most Valuable Player in 1995.
But it was Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, earned five regular-season MVP awards and six NBA Finals MVPs, who held center stage.
"Everybody's here to see Michael," Charles Barkley said. "He's the greatest player of all-time."
"I think this is a greater honor for the Hall of Fame than it is for Michael," Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said Thursday.
"It's really incredible that this many years after he retired he's still probably only behind Tiger (Woods) as the second-most popular athlete in the world. That's a wonderful tribute to him."
In fact, Jordan blazed the path that golfer Woods now treads as a global star who transcends his sport.
Shoes bearing his nickname, "Air", helped Jordan make more than 100 million dollars a year from endorsements and salaries above 30 million dollars. Children all over the world sported replicas of his jersey number 23 as they tried to be like Mike.
He starred as himself in the children's movie "Space Jam" - which grossed 230 million dollars worldwide.
Jordan's drawing power remains so huge that Friday evening's enshrinement ceremony was moved from the Hall of Fame to Springfield's Symphony Hall, where the capacity of 2,600 is more than double that of the Hall of Fame facilities.
His fellow inductee Sloan said it was no more than Jordan's due.
"To see what Michael has done not only for the Chicago Bulls but throughout the whole world of basketball is really mind-boggling," Sloan said. "I don't think anybody could do as good a job as he has done representing the game. That's unique."