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I am a huge fan of MJ as a basketball player, but yesterday speech was totally inappropriate and distasteful. You just do not do that for such an event.
That's probably because when you met him you were nothing to him but an adoring fan. Fans don't make him insecure, they reinforce him, so he was nice to you. If you were ever his teammate during high school however, and played as well as you could (and the coach dared to pick you over him) he would fly you out to the ceremony to point out to you and everyone else how you were nothing and he was the GOAT.
I never really liked or disliked Jordan all that much (I wasn't an NBA fan when he was playing), but he helped me make up my mind about him; he's a jerk and a jackass of a person, and that's more important than what kind of basketball player he was.
I am a huge fan of MJ as a basketball player, but yesterday speech was totally inappropriate and distasteful. You just do not do that for such an event.
Everyone like this writer acts like its a shock.
Read the Jordan rules. Jordan is a self absorbed head. I hate to go SpursDynasty here but "Nothing new here, Jordan was just being Jordan"
But he was being honest! [/tlong]
There's a time and place for everything and clearly Jordan didn't get the memo. On the distasteful scale, it's Michael Moore territory.
For the record, I don't hate Jordan. He's the best player in the history of the game. Period.
The point of the ceremony is to reflect, appreciate, and recognize others. Jordan's 20-30 minute grudgefest clearly was something I could do without.
First off, I still can't get over Jordan's absolute brilliance, as a basketball player. Even after following his career, yet not seeing him in his prime for a few while, I have to say that it was utterly stunning to watch how perfectly gifted and dominant of a player he was - on both ends of the court. The absolute greatest of all time - no one can touch him.
Now to the present. Knowing that Jordan is the compulsive compe or that he is, the master of getting the last word, and the ultimate "one-up" guy, it wasn't surprising to see him take "pot-shots" at those who he felt "slighted" by. His way of getting the "last laugh" or saying "I told you so".
Much of what the writer stated was very true. Like others, I would have liked to have seen Mike use this night to bestow more thanks on some of his teammates, coaches, trainers and such. Tell some good stories, talk more about his upbringing, and take a vow of utter humility. However, that is not his way. He does STILL carry that grudge in his gut. The only problem is that it is now WELL after the fact and there is no longer a platform or stage left for him to prove himself. Compe ion is over. It's about life now.
The writer didn't lie about the him being an absentee executive and a terrible GM. We all know it. We've all seen it. Maybe somebody should tell him to his face just how much he sucks as a GM. Maybe then he's work as hard at that job, as he does on the golf course. Anyone ever wonder WHY he got fired in Washington?
Outside of sports compe ion, MJ IS pretty lazy. , his own father often told stories on how Mike, as a young boy, paid off his siblings to get out of doing chores so he could go play. In reality, Mike doesn't need that job with the Bobcats. He's too busy running around the world being MJ - international man of leisure -and he's earned that right.
The writer is right on another point - HE WON! It really is over. Mike has nothing left to prove. It's just he seems to be the only one who doesn't know it or accept it. He seems lost without the sport he loves. He seems to be searching for that next level of compe ive challenge - and he can't seem to find it.
SenorSpur, I think that's a pretty fair view on it.
People are right that it's Michael Jordan so he can do whatever the he wants. Yes, he can be the compe or or jerk (however you want to view it) he is, and it's genuine. That's really who he is as a person.
I just think it's sad that he cannot evolve as a person, someone who matured with time to appreciate all of his achievements in a more humble way without needing to bring down people in order to demonstrate how great he was. It's just unnecessary to me. Sure, he can do whatever the he wants, say whatever the he wants, curse on stage and people will be amused because it's "Michael." He can do it, but why does he? Why does he need to be that way even now? People do change. The older you get, the more you should be appreciative and thoughtful and respectful. He's stayed in the mindset of a 16-21 year old boyIIman phase. For me, that's what caught me as sad, as pathetic. Just grow up already.
I think that's the point. Michael was being an a%%...
So the dude that beat him out for the high school team deserved to be criticized? For what exactly??
Didn't he say something along the likes of he probably has just as much game now as he did then?
It's strange because when I saw those all those tears when he took the podium, I expected something so much different from him.
WTF are you talking about? The point of the ceremony is to recognize the people that are going into the Hall. There is no requirement for the inductee to act in any specific manner.
Your right. Everyone is free to be an asshole! We are just stating that jordan is one. We are not stating he wasn't free to act like one. You are free to go to a wedding in your thong tlong or go to a funeral drunk. It's just in bad taste.
We'll agree to disagree then. I didn't think he showed bad taste at all yesterday.
Jordan has always been way over-rated. I remember when the Sporting News picked him player of the year after his sop re season. What a joke. He was not better than Ralph Sampson, Pat Ewing or Keith Lee at that time.
He didn't do anything wrong, lol
He was just poking fun at the people he played against, because they inspired him. he thanked them for it.
2nd. He had a great chance, great forum to put a bowtie on his career.
Maybe I expected too much from him.
Of course not. That doesn't excuse him from bullying his naysayers and getting in the last word before his induction.
He didn't do anything wrong. Didn't do anything right either.
good article, spot on. But doesnt change the fact he was awesome for the game, and one of the very best to play it. The price of absolute compe iveness has to be paid and he's doing it now.
There is nothing to excuse him for. His naysayers were dumb s.
I have met some NBA players who people think are really nice who have acted like real jerks (you'd be surprised) and I have met some who people think are real assholes who have been really nice. Can't that be true of anyone you meet?
I think Jordan rather go down as being seen as a arrogant, brutally honest, sincere person rather than a weak,lying two face......
The mans ego is out of this world no doubt. But man, there will NEVER be another like him.....
I love watching Jordan play in those golf tournaments and get his ass handed to himself, even though he is a good golfer.
who knows Jordan well enough to say it's just "Jordan being Jordan"? whether you like his speech or didn't, you can't make the call, obviously. no one on here knows him personally.
i personally believe he was just trying to be funny most of the time. i don't think he meant a lot of it.
that doesn't mean i think his speech was good. i thought it sucked. Stockton's and Robinson's blew his away, esp. Stocktons, which had the right balance of humor and biography. Robinson's was good for the same reasons more or less, but he loses points for starting to go all Christian fundamentalist at the end. Jordan's lacked any kind of balance that they had though.
Forget all the petty bull about guys he annihalted in high school he can't let go of, I thought his most distasteful comment was telling his kids in front of a national television audience that they wouldn't live up to his shoes. I guess thats just MJ being MJ!
He wasn't inducted into the friendship hall of fame. The dude is probably the greatest to play the game and he let everyone know what made him so. I liked it because he was honest. Basketball players talk . Some stop at certain times but others keep going. A 50 year Jordan is still better than Bonner.
David's speech was more about a man that lived a life doing something he enjoys yet had much more to his iden y than his actions on the basketball court. He's always shared that excitement and success with a team, all the ups and downs.
MJ's speech was more about "look who did better than you" and "my mom works 2 jobs." Seriously, did I hear that correctly? MJ's mom works two jobs when her son is the greatest basketball player in history? After the speech, I can't help but feel that the only things he can be proud of were done on the court, things he did for himself because there is an "I" in win.
MJ really did leave it all out on the court, cuz he doesn't have anything now. (not to sound overly outraged, but ya)
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