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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The tears tumbled, flooding his face and Michael Jordan had yet to march to the microphone at Symphony Hall. He had listened to the genuine stories and speeches of a remarkable class. He had watched a “This is Your Life” video compilation of his basketball genius. Everything flashed before him, a legacy that he’s fought with body and soul to never, ever let go into yesterday.
Yes, Michael Jordan was still fighting it on Friday night, and maybe he always will. Mostly, he was crying over the passing of that old Jordan, and it wouldn’t be long until he climbed out of his suit and back into his uniform and shorts, back into an adolescent act that’s turned so tedious.
This wasn’t a Hall of Fame induction speech, but a bully tripping nerds with lunch trays in the school cafeteria. He had a responsibility to his standing in history, to players past and present, and he let everyone down. This was a night to leave behind the petty grievances and past slights – real and imagined. This was a night to be gracious, to be generous with praise and credit.
“M.J. was introduced as the greatest player ever and he’s still standing there trying to settle scores,” one Hall of Famer said privately later.
Jordan didn’t hurt his image with the NBA community, as much as he reminded them of it. “That’s who Michael is,” one high-ranking team executive said. “It wasn’t like he was out of character. There’s no one else who could’ve gotten away with what he did tonight. But it was Michael, and everyone just goes along.”
Jordan wandered through an unfocused and uninspired speech at Symphony Hall, disparaging people who had little to do with his career, like Jeff Van Gundy and Bryon Russell. He ignored people who had so much to do with it, like his personal trainer, Tim Grover. This had been a moving and inspirational night for the NBA – one of its best ceremonies ever – and five minutes into Jordan’s speech it began to spiral into something else. Something unworthy of Jordan’s stature, something beneath him.
Jordan spent more time pointlessly admonishing Van Gundy and Russell for crossing him with taunts a dozen years ago than he did singling out his three children. When he finally acknowledged his family, Jordan blurted, in part, to them, “I wouldn’t want to be you guys.”
Well, um, thanks Dad. He meant it, too. If not the NBA, he should’ve thought of his children before he started spraying fire at everyone.
No one ever feels sorry for Isiah Thomas, but Jordan tsk-tsked him and George Gervin and Magic Johnson for the 1985 All-Star game “freeze-out.” Jordan was a rookie, and the older stars decided to isolate him. It was a long time ago, and he obliterated them all for six NBA championships and five MVP trophies. Isiah and the Ice Man looked stunned, as intimidated 50 feet from the stage, as they might have been on the basketball court.
The cheering and laughter egged Jordan on, but this was no public service for him. Just because he was smiling didn’t mean this speech hadn’t dissolved into a downright vicious volley.
Worst of all, he flew his old high school teammate, Leroy Smith, to Springfield for the induction. Remember, Smith was the upperclassman his coach, Pop Herring, kept on varsity over him as a high school sophomore. He waggled to the old coach, “I wanted to make sure you understood: You made a mistake, dude.”
Whatever, Michael. Everyone gets it. Truth be told, everyone got it years ago, but somehow he thinks this is a cleansing exercise. When basketball wanted to celebrate Jordan as the greatest player ever, wanted to honor him for changing basketball everywhere, he was petty and punitive. Yes, there was some wink-wink teasing with his beloved Dean Smith, but make no mistake: Jordan revealed himself to be strangely bitter. You won, Michael. You won it all. Yet, he keeps chasing something that he’ll never catch, and sometimes, well, it all seems so hollow for him.
This is why he’s a terrible basketball executive because he still hasn’t learned to channel his aggressions into hard work on that job. For the Charlotte Bobcats, Jordan remains an absentee boss who keeps searching for basketball players on fairways and greens.
From the speeches of David Robinson to John Stockton, Jerry Sloan to Vivian Stringer, there was an unmistakable thread of peace of mind and purpose. At times, they were self-deprecating and deflective of praise. Jordan hasn’t mastered that art, and it reveals him to be oddly insecure. When Jordan should’ve thanked the Bulls ex-GM, Jerry Krause, for surrounding him with championship coaches and talent, he ridiculed him. It was me, Jordan was saying. Not him. “The organization didn’t play with the flu in Utah,” Jordan grumbled.
For Jordan to let someone else share in the Bulls’ dynasty will never diminish his greatness. Just enhance it. Only, he’s 46 years old and he still doesn’t get it. Yes, Jordan did gush over Scottie Pippen, but he failed to confess that he had wanted Krause to draft North Carolina’s Joe Wolf. Sometimes, no one is better with a half a story, half a truth, than Jordan. All his life, no one’s ever called him on it.
Whatever Jordan wants to believe, understand this: The reason that Van Gundy’s declaration of him as a “con man” so angered him is because it was true on so many levels.
It was part of his competitiveness edge, part of his marketability, and yes, part of his human frailty.
Jordan wasn’t crying over sentimentality on Friday night, as much as he was the loss of a life that he returned from two retirements to have again. The finality of his basketball genius hit him at the induction ceremony, hit him hard. Jordan showed little poise and less grace.
Once again, he turned the evening into something bordering between vicious and vapid, an empty exercise for a night that should’ve had staying power, that should’ve been transformative for basketball and its greatest player. What fueled his fury as a thirtysomething now fuels his bitterness as a lost, wandering fortysomething who threatened a comeback at 50.
IMO, the article makes it sound terrible, but when I watched it afterward, it wasn't as bad as it was made out to be. Lots of things were taken out of context and put in that article imo (i.e. the line about his children).
Without watching the videos, this makes it sound like he got up there just to ***** at everyone. I look forward to seeing if that was actually the case.
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Wow, that article blew everything out of proportion. And this is M.J we're talking about. The guy everybody like in basketball. I can't wait to see in 20yrs Kobe's induction speech and article afterwards.
man.. when he said the organization wasn't playing with the flu.. he was talking about the players on a hold.. not the upper management.. funny the article doesn't mention that..
and the comment about the kids.. he was just saying everyone is looking for the kids to do great things and he wouldn't want to carry that burden.. he wasn't putting down the kids.. he was just saying they have great expectations
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beautiful speach.. very funny.. very emotional.. most of the things out of context were him talking about his competitive nature.. that article is complete bullsh!t
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As I posted in the NBA thread, I didn't think it was a very good speech and actually seemed very creepy to me. And I'm a Jordan fan (it was so sweet that we could pick up WGN on cable so I could see him failing against the Pistons, finally getting past the Pistons, and to see all of those championship seasons when I was a pre-teen and teen). There's no need to be a Jordan apologist. There are accounts of his teammates not liking him very much and him being a hard person to play with. So I don't think his speech should be a surprise. Just my opinion (didn't actually read all of the OP's article, but commented and FBed during the speech that his speech was a little self absorbed and petty. But eff it, those qualities helped make him great --- his competitiveness, drive, and holding on to grudges).
Last edited by All SmileZ; 09-12-2009 at 07:21 PM.
Wow, that article blew everything out of proportion. And this is M.J we're talking about. The guy everybody like in basketball. I can't wait to see in 20yrs Kobe's induction speech and article afterwards.
maybe he'll start talking about the real reason why he bought that diamond ring..
blah blah... everyone wants to act like they know how someone should act, he was himself, get over it. People have a perception of what they think an individual should do or how they should act or what they should say. Maybe he thanked his personal trainer by buying his @ss a house, who knows. The real people that affected his life and his career, I'm sure are happy and well off. He did acknowledge Scottie first thing.
^^^ let's not be so dismissive. It was surprising, in my eyes, especially for someone who worked hard during his career to shape his image and stay out of the public eye. I don't think any less of him, but still surprising since I thought PR/image was pretty important to him (the expletive he dropped, for example).
for me it was refreshing to see him not so bottled up anymore.. he acted human.. no more acting a certain way to the public.. i think this is because he no longer has to represent an orgainisation and he can be himself.. he is where he wants to be .. in the hall of fame.. no one can 'not vote' for him because he had an ourtburst at a function.. so he can finally say '****' and let loose.. i loved it
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it wasn't as bad as the article implies... it wasn't great either.
Most normal people would like to thank people that have been instrumental to their success... childhood mentors, their closest teammates, coaches, etc. If he felt that his competitors and detractors really were as instrumental to his success as his teammates and coaches, then it makes sense to spend so much time on it.
He spent all of 15 seconds thanking Pip, and a minute thanking Phil and Tex... that seems a little wrong to me. Well... it's not the worst Hall of Fame speech ever heard though... that belongs to peter Vescey
for me it was refreshing to see him not so bottled up anymore.. he acted human.. no more acting a certain way to the public.. i think this is because he no longer has to represent an orgainisation and he can be himself.. he is where he wants to be .. in the hall of fame.. no one can 'not vote' for him because he had an ourtburst at a function.. so he can finally say '****' and let loose.. i loved it
Thank YOU! He was himself....he joked...talked a little trash, cried, and was himself...finally.
Michael Jordan greatest player ever lived -- Bitter in the end
