Jordan Cleverly Used Doubts To Fuel His Legend

CLEVELAND - It is officially etched in stone; Michael Jordan is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Man! How did that happen?

Seriously though. Jordan's enshrinement has been a foregone conclusion for at least 20 years given his incandescent skills, epic achievements and seismic impact on sports, culture and big business. He is the most iconic performer in hoops history, his significance is an amalgamation of Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Wayne Gretzky. In short, Michael Jordan was the biggest embodiment of all that a legendary athlete should be. He was remarkably gifted, but that skill was augmented by an incomparable drive, which birthed his impassioned work ethic. He was singularly brilliant, yet hell-bent on winning above all else, which enabled him to imbue his teammates with the requisite confidence to win at a blistering rate.

MJ won a mountain of awards and sassed his competition into submission with his polished fundamentals and superlative athleticism. He was the quintessential star leader and because of the completeness of his game and incorrigible competitiveness, he led his teams into becoming champions many times over.

Last night, we all found out how he became so excellent.

Jordan took to the podium amid a 73 second standing ovation, his face bathed in tears and his voice nearly paralyzed with emotion and served up effusive praise for Scottie Pippen, his superstar sidekick during the Chicago Bulls' trouncing of the NBA in the 1990's. Jordan also spoke glowingly of his childhood influences; Walter Davis and his presenter, David Thompson. Once the tears subsided and the pleasantries had been issued, MJ went on the attack like it was a pivotal NBA playoff game.

He mentioned early basketball rivals such as his older brother Larry and Leroy Smith, a student at E.A. Laney High School who made the varsity basketball team instead of Michael. College roommate Buzz Peterson, whom he secretly targeted to prove himself to be superior to on the court because he was voted top high school player in the state instead of Jordan.

MJ mentioned naysayers in the media, who opined that Jordan was good, but not on the level of then-current stars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. He thanked Bird, Johnson and Isiah Thomas and George Gervin, who were both in attendance for forcing him to take his game to another level after the apocryphal "freeze out" in the 1985 NBA all-star game, during Jordan's rookie year. Best of all, Jordan brought up his first meeting with Bryon Russell, which took place in 1994. Russell taunted the then-retired-and-playing-baseball Jordan by essentially telling him that he could handle him "if he ever caught MJ in shorts." Of course, Jordan un-retired in 1995, then hit a jumper over Russell to win Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals, but more famously, juked him with a crossover (and shove) and drilled a jumper to win the NBA championship a year later.

MJ also "thanked" former New York Knicks coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy for raising his competitive ire, and praised the legendary Dean Smith, his coach at the University of North Carolina as well as Phil Jackson, whom he labeled a pro version of Smith. He "playfully" derided former Bulls GM Jerry Krause (who boycotted the ceremony) and owner Jerry Reinsdorf, both of whom he has a long-standing icy relationship with. He reminded his three children that they have "a lot to live up to" and that he "wouldn't want to be in their shoes if [he] had to."

What I took from Jordan's speech was this: he expertly used the doubts, negative comments and slights (real or imagined) of many people to ignite his already fiery competitiveness. He may have seemed defiant in his words, and in a sense he was. But it was all about him basically saying, "if you ever doubt me, you'll be proven wrong." He was vengeful whenever anyone sold him short, and that was mostly because he knew how hard he worked to perfect his craft and thusly, took these slights from others as an affront to his colossal commitment. That's not arrogance, that is incredible self-assuredness based on the work he put in. He earned it...he didn't have it handed to him.

Jordan made it clear that he doesn't see himself as the greatest player in history, as he is so often called. He extended praise to his predessessors and greatly acknowledged his contemporaries, especially two who were also enshrined last night; John Stockton and David Robinson.

In the end, MJ will always be the ultimate competitor as well as the most iconic hoopster in history. He'll always dispense praise where it's due and it will be sincere.

As long as you don't underestimate or doubt him.

Jordan's Birthright Becomes Reality Today

CLEVELAND - Michael Jordan will officially become enshrined into basketball immortality today as he gets formally inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, an occurrence so expected for so long, that it should have been put on the 2009 calendar the minute he was born in 1963.

I'm only half joking.

Jordan enters the hallowed halls of hoops heaven alongside other hardwood luminaries such as David Robinson, John Stockton and coaches Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer. In spite of his prestigious company, Jordan is without a doubt the headliner and his entrance has received a disproportionate amount of press and publicity.

He deserves every bit of it and more.

Naturally, I am a gigantic MJ fan and have been for many years, so I am a little biased. Even still, Jordan's expansive accomplishments and historic impact on both basketball and pop culture is simply unprecedented.

I will be waiting with heavy anticipation, ready to dispense a hearty standing ovation.

Jordan Was Royalty For America's Urban Youth

CLEVELAND - With Michael Jordan being selected for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame a couple days ago, it made me reflect on his gigantic impact on the urban area that I grew up in and the colossal dreams he inspired.

He was the ultimate role-model.

In my early years, I cared nothing about sports. My friends and other neighborhood peers were always playing basketball, baseball and football, but not me. I had more important things to care about. It was very odd though, that I noticed a growing "sports" trend while I was a third grader in 1985.

Many of my fellow eight and nine year old (boys) would take a piece of paper, crumple it into a ball and toss it at a wastebasket. If the paper ball made it into the basket, the kid would punctuate it by shouting, "Jordan!" I didn't know who this Jordan guy was, but of course, I later found out. 

It wasn't until I attended middle school (1989-90) that I finally fell in love with the basketball god that every other boy was already enamored with. I was in the middle of my 7th grade year in the Spring of 1990 and I noticed another growing trend; countless Chicago Bulls starter jackets and a litany of Air Jordan basketball shoes on the feet of dozens of students.

According to the chatter, you were something special if you had a pair of the vaunted, mega high-priced footwear. I took an interest in the unique and sleek design of the shoe and eventually asked other guys about them. Most people were still wearing the Air Jordan IV, which had initially been released in the fall of 1988, but spawned a few different colorways throughout 1989. Since I was just getting hip to the shoes in early '90, a new edition was about to hit stores.

I hated them at first!

The latest pair of "Jordans" were released with an ever bigger than usual price tag; $125. This was such a steep price for my mother to digest, that I didn't think I'd ever get a pair of the shoes that I just had to have. Good thing I didn't like them -- I wanted the '88-'89 edition, which were now being sold for some thirty-five bucks less. I ended up with the white, red and black AJIV, and I treated them like a newborn baby!

I eventually fell in love with the Air Jordan V which led to me falling in love with Jordan himself, then basketball (which I started watching on TV and learned how to play solely because of him) and finally, a fan of the NBA period. When I couldn't afford the shoes, I began making three-dimensional replicas of them out of paper and wore them as necklaces. This became my calling card in Junior High and High School, and even now --nearly 20 years later, folks still ask me if I still make them!

Another popular trend for the hood boys was to skip school on the day a new pair of Air Jordans were released (this resulted in a change to weekend-only releases years later). This was often done by the adolescent drug dealers who happened to think spending $133.75 (the exact price with tax) three or four times a year was chump change for a brand new pair of the super popular J's. Anytime someone in school or in the neighborhood had on a pair of the latest edition or colorway, we all scrambled to get a glimpse and or give our critique of them.

"Dem bitches look hard! I'ma get 'dem tomorrow!!"

Jordan's mythical popularity found its way into television and film too. In the 1986 film, She's Gotta Have It, the film's writer, director and co-star Spike Lee outfitted his character Mars Blackmon with a pair of the very first Jordans, the Air Jordan I which caused heavy fines to be levied against the Bulls superstar, but was paid by the sneaker's creators Nike Inc.

Then, in Lee's 1988 film School Daze, the Air Jordan III (the first with the visible Air, and colloquially known as the "air pocket") made an appearance. But the Air Jordan IV got an entire scene dedicated to it in the seminal Lee flick, 1989's Do the Right Thing. That film, set in the Bed-Stuy area of Brooklyn, N.Y. completely reflects the obsession and love-affair that young black men had with their own pair of Jordan's basketball shoes.

Other key examples of MJ's unmatched aura was illustrated subtly by actor Will Smith during the first several seasons of his television series, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. Smith, 22 at the time famously sports a pair of the Air Jordan V's in the opening credits of the series. He also wore all three original colorways during season one and religiously rocked every subsequent new edition in following seasons. Smith's real-life admiration for Jordan was revealed at the 2005 BET awards, when the Academy Award-nominated actor (who hosted the program with his wife) acknowledged as much during a short shout-out to MJ, who was present in the audience with BET founder Robert L. Johnson. Smith's gesture earned a smiling Jordan a standing ovation.

Malcolm Jamal-Warner's Theo Huxtable sported a pair of the Air Jordan II's during a couple episodes of the 1986-87 season of The Cosby Show. Kadeem Hardison's Dwayne Wayne, a geek in every other way on TV's A Different World, was ultra cool when it came to his shoe game; he was a diligent wearer of the Air Jordans as was his buddy Ron.

Michael Jordan's remarkable brilliance, style and confidence undoubtedly contributed mightily to the popularity of his eponymous sneakers. He endeared himself to us kids in "the 'hood" because he seemed to be just another one of us -- a young, black kid that simply liked to hoop. It was in fact how he started. The fact that he grew into an international, multi-billion dollar basketball immortal was well, just the residue of his superior work ethic and determination.

Beyond the stats, skills and awards, Jordan's seismic impact on America's culture is the true measure of his legacy.

He IS the Hall of Fame.

Jordan Becomes Most Deserving Hall of Famer Ever

CLEVELAND - Nothing is ever a sure thing in sports. Too many variables, too much adrenaline and too many hungry competitors fighting for the same thing.

On second thought, there was one sure thing in sports; Michael Jordan becoming a member of the Hall of Fame.

As I mentioned in February, Jordan was a finalist for sport's highest honor. Today, he was officially elected as a unanimous, first-ballot member into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with John Stockton, David Robinson, Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer. Jordan however, is the clear-cut headliner after an NBA career that played out almost as a fairy tale.

Jordan, 46 gave much credit to his former coach at the University of North Carolina. "Without Dean Smith, you never would have seen Michael Jordan," he said at the announcement of his highly expected election. The official induction takes place in September.

The basketball icon was far more than a giant in his sport. He transcended the very nature, popularity and competitiveness of athletics and became the embodiment of insatiable drive times an uncompromising work ethic equals gargantuan brilliance.

Congratulations, MJ.

Big Surprise: Jordan Among Hall of Fame Finalists

CLEVELAND - Michael Jordan's professional basketball career was so legendary and remarkable, that nearly 11 years after he last won a championship and six years since he actually played a pro game...his impact, image and name continues to manifest themselves in today's NBA as if he were a current player.

Not surprising.

Jordan, 46 next week was selected today by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as one of 16 finalists for possible enshrinement into the vaunted Hall of Fame. Former point guard extraordinaire John Stockton and super center David Robinson were also a part of the elite group as were former stars Chris Mullin, Dennis Johnson and Bernard King. NBA coaches Jerry Sloan and Don Nelson and Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer also made the list out of 164 nominees.

But Jordan is the obvious headliner.

The basketball icon had an historic career with the Chicago Bulls from 1984 until his sudden retirement three and a half months after leading the team to their 3rd consecutive championship in the 1993 NBA Finals. He then returned in 1995 and spearheaded three more NBA titles in 1996, '97 and '98. When the NBA lockout ended in January 1999, he retired once more until an even more stunning return in late 2001 with the lowly Washington Wizards. After two tumultuous seasons, MJ retired for good in April 2003.

Jordan's glittering resume makes him a master lock for enshrinement later this year. He amassed a league record 10 scoring titles to go with 10 All-NBA First Team Selections, 9 All-Defensive First Team Selections, 6 NBA championships, 6 NBA Finals MVP's, 5 NBA MVP awards, 3 Steals Titles, 2 U.S. Olympic Gold Medals, was the 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year and helped lead the UNC Tarheels to the 1982 NCAA championship. He also has the highest scoring average in NBA history (30.1 ppg in 1,072 games) and in NBA Playoff History.

The election announcement will be made on April 6 and the official enshrinement will take place in September at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Talk about a sure thing.