Wow, what the fuck. I've seriously been a fan of his since 1996. I was a die-hard Jazz fan back in the day (favorite player ever is Karl Malone), so I hated Michael Jordan. I liked Russell more than MJ. I cannot believe I didn't know how to spell his name this entire time. Sorry guys. I'm shocked.
that's not true at all. jordan is the greatest player ever(so far), but his speech confirms that he also is a dick. his speech doesn't alter his basketball ability in any way, but it is disappointing that such a great player couldn't show a little more class.
bryon russell responds, challenges MJ to a pickup game http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-jordanrussell091209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
I sort of felt the same way. Top athletes are isolated in their own little world of non-stop trash talking/chest thumping, it's a very different subculture as far as whats acceptable behavior. From bookend career references LeRoy Smith to Byron Russell, Jordan was demonstrating what brought his game up/made him tick. He peeled back the curtain exposing his competitiveness to us without apology. Was Russell being gracious and eloquent when he was taunting MJ about retiring from hoops in the story he relayed? Mike wanted to win and be the best, and thats what drove him... it's not all that deep but then neither is the dumb jock culture he excelled in. If this sort of stuff offends a fan's sensibilities they should stop expecting different. Compared to general society, most top athletes are preening self serving assholes. It's not news every time the latest example of this emerges. Of course there are some exceptions to every generalization and some guys know when/how to hide this perceived ugly side better then others, but it's there nonetheless. Nothing MJ said surprised or offended me in the least. Given the context, I enjoyed it. STOMP
What does that have to do with liking or disliking him? You can recognize him as a great player while also hating him, can't you?
That pretty much summed up my feelings in the matter. That attitude is what drove him to win. I thought it was a very enlightening speech and a glimpse of how badly he wanted to win...at everything. I found it to be a very entertaining. Much more so than if he had just gone up and done the standard "I want to thank..."
MJ is THE greatest SG ever, no doubt in my mind. But, outside of hawking stuff people don't need.... He has Failed in Everything Else in his Life, Period. GM...F Owner...F Golfer...F Baseball Player...F Gambler...F Husband...F Decent Human...F Speech Giver...F Sorry, but Jordan Sucks and there's little room for intelligent debate about that.
I don't need to have met him to assess his basketball abilities, or his other abilities. I don't "hate" MJ, I just think his accomplishments should be put into perspective.
you said the people who hated him would think he was a douche for his speech and the people who like him thought he was great. i said that isn't true. people can think jordan is a douche while still liking jordan the player. i mean i don't see how you can deny that he was an asshole in his speech. even the people defending it say things like "well that's just how he was" as if being an asshole as a player excuses being an asshole during his speech. his hall of fame speech doesn't effect jordan the player in any way, but it is disappointing to me that on a day where he's basically being celebrated as the greatest player ever and being inducted into the hall of fame that he wouldn't at least show a little more class. he wasn't on the basketball court, he was giving a speech.
Kind of shocking he spent more time talking about Bryon Russel than he did Scottie Pippen. Anyway, I thought it was entertaining. Classy? No. But Jordan was never really a classy guy, so it's hardly shocking. I'm always disappointed when somebody has a pulpit like Jordan has had and refuses to do much with it. Ali will always be the greatest in my mind not only because he dominated in competition, but he made bigger statements that tried to move society. Jordan, like Tiger Woods, has been an amazing competitor and a brilliant marketing tool, but really they aren't nearly as important as they could have been. Anyway, Jordan earned the right to say whatever he felt, and it was entertaining to hear him speak from his (rather shallow) heart. But, as always, he didn't really bother saying anything terribly important.
If that floats your boat. Jordan only exists for me as a basketball player. As a Blazer fan, I hated him. As a basketball fan, I recognize his greatness. Other than that, he is no more part of my life than some actor or rock star.
Yup Bill Walton was totally team oriented. Was that before or after he demanded to be traded as soon as possible from the team? Yea that wasn't a jerk move... Magic would never give a classless speech, because he had great media skills. But he would cheat on his loving wife by having multiple orgies with groupies after games, which caused him to contract HIV. Look... don't put Jordan below other athletes, based on what you know from the media and public perception. You barely know these athletes.. all you know is what their marketing and public relations team tell they what to say and how to act. Accept these public figures for what they are, great athletes with a marketing team.
