Michael Jordan (The Greatest Player of All Time) NBA Legends

He sleeps here, what's all this scandal? what's happening? CH I was just joking, go away, right, of course you know that? This means war here Jordan and here Jord, who are you waiting for? The my f here with Jord Jordan, look at that sacred cow that goes Back to Michael Jordan's jumper from the left, well, leave him with na Champion Jordan with a steel Jordan hits him again Michael for three, yes Jordan, look at that Oh, a spectacular move by Michael Jordan when Michael Jordan first came to Chicago, he brought it with him. a ray of hope for many fans Chicago was a city that needed a hero Michael Jordan fulfilled that role and then something about Michael Jordan makes the impossible seem ordinary four Michael shoots it back three two Michael Falls shoots it makes him balls wet again, look at the crowd, the inbounds pass goes in to Jordan, here's Michael on the fou line, a shot to Elo, you watch him in every big game, in every big moment, no matter if he has the flu or whatever to deliver two of each, here is Jordan, yes, he is everywhere, the Chicago BS has won at the buzzer, a classic brave performance by Michael Jordan, infected by the flu.

Jordan, 17 seconds away from game seven or championship number six, opened Chicago with the lead shots, yes, the Bulls lead. 8786 Jordan trying to shake it off starts Jord's Oh What A Move people don't understand that it's not his jump shot or his jump shot or his defense, it's his inner guts and his inner heart that you're going to have to cut out Michael Jordan's heart. beat him, there's something compelling about this nice guy. So beautiful to look at and yet with the athletic heart of a killer and just looking right through you, the look he had was like no matter what you say, we're going to beat you. and once you hit him like that, all you can do is step aside because there's no way to stop the freight train of him.

He's like a pit bull. If you look a pit bull in the eye, he takes it as a challenge and is going to bite you. The best way to play Michael Jordan is to start looking this way, never make eye contact with him because then he'll come out and hit you, stolen by Michael on the rock, yeah, yeah, we did it, baby, nothing's going to stop. we now boy we understand what they're going to do now my what they're going to do now what they're going to do with your man don't do anything with me right here it's okay I was born in New York City on a Monday I was born in Brooklyn on February 17, 1963 Michael Jordan was the fourth of five children when he was still a baby, his father James and mother Dolores moved the family back to their native North Carolina, where they eventually built a home in the coastal town of Wilmington.

When he was a child, he observed roots and classification. He had a vague idea of ​​what white people did to black people in our country and I think he said that he got a little angry but his parents didn't let him take it very far. You know, I'd better get over it. Look at his dad working around the house and his dad had his tongue out while he worked and every

time

Michael went to work he had his tongue out, he's the one that kept things going, you know, constantly, uh. energetic movement involved always involved in sports always involved in activity I would say naughty would be the best word to describe him he always had a natural desire to outdo all participants, especially his older brother Larry.

I grew up playing against my brother and that's the best way you can learn to compete and once you feel like you can beat your brother you can beat anyone, he was just determined and he was going to win and once he started beating Larry, well, but Jordan's confident sense of athleticism was severely challenged during his sophomore year at Laney High School. He didn't make the varsity basketball team. He was probably only 5'9. 510. He was the best sophomore we had. but at that

time

we didn't really need a God, he says I looked at the list and I went down I went through the JS and it wasn't there and I went back up and it wasn't there, he says and I ran home and my mom was at work there was no one at home and I went to my room, closed the door and cried so much that I would dare say that was the first time that Mike had been told that he wasn't good enough to make a team and that it was difficult, but being a competitor had something.

To prove it, Jordan accepted the challenge and was a JV star the following year, he was 63 years old and joined the varsity team at the end of the 1980 season. Jordan had established himself as a top college prospect. His coming-out party was the summer before his senior year when Coach Williams and the staff recognized him at camp and then he ended up going to five-star camp and really played very well. Mike came to our camp and on Sunday afternoon, the first day he was there, I was running a gym and he came and stuff. That night I went to see Eddie Fogler and Eddie asked me if he saw anyone you liked and I told him Eddie.

I think I just saw the best 6'4 high school

player

I've ever seen in my life. You couldn't get a ticket to see him play as a senior, everyone from 30 50 60 miles around wanted to come and see Michael Jordan play after averaging 27 points and leading Lany High to a 19-year season. 4 As a Senior Jordan packed his bags and headed to the only college he ever seriously considered North Carolina. He soon learned that there were no easy streets in Chapel Hill weeks before practice began his freshman year. I said, Michael, you're going to have to do one thing, you're going to have to work a lot harder than you did in high school and he said I worked as hard as everyone else and I said do you want to be like everyone else?

Number 23, Michael Jordan, simply showed that he couldn't wait to play basketball, but he kept the ball moving the entire time we were talking. he probably he was thinking of ways to do it. Jordan's diligence earned him the respect of his coaches and in the 1982 NCAA final against Georgetown, with the Tarheels down, he wasn't afraid to pull the trigger in the final seconds against the black guy. tie 18 shot Jordan Michael Jordan North Carolina won the NCAA Championship, confidence and competitiveness really grew by leaps and bounds after that first year, he competed from day one and worked and improved his outside shot while continuing to get better and better . year he played and almost lost it, it's Sten.

Now for Jordan, uhoh, they love that FJ on the Raptors. Michael in the locker room before practice would point at someone and say, "I'm going to dunk on you today," and you know it's like you don't want to make eye contact with him because you don't want to get picked. Jordan stops at a three-on-two right now. Drive, oh what a problem after an All-American sophomore season. Jordan was named Player of the Year. When I was a junior in 1984, I came off the beam with my jeans sagging, my whole team warned you, they've never seen you daubing.

I have the range waiting for you at the train station. A deal could have been made, but I chose to be patient when the leader arrived. The haters in my neighborhood want to see me on a federal bus going up the river because I'm playing the thriller. I'm still with Duke, the guard, still with the killer. I continue with hell, still with B if I call you D slow. and PLS, I'm going to be now, these lanes want to see now how I'm going to take control of the game as I lead North Carolina to a number one ranking and a meeting with Indiana in the sweet 16 3 and 1/2 hours before the game we have a pregame meal walkr the pregame meal is over we're all sitting there and coach knight makes a list of who's got who and he comes to

jordan

and he has kind of a sick look on his face and he says docet you got

jordan

.

I went back to my hotel room and threw up, but Dag's defense helped hold Jordan to just 13 points as Indiana beat North Carolina. Jordan never played another minute for the Tar Hills. I saw Michael Jordan play basketball when he was around. 17 18 years old, a couple of years and there was no doubt after I saw him with over 200 coaches watching him play on the court in the all-star game at camp that I knew Michael Jordan was pretty special, the gym was packed, I mean, he's strong and he's Rous one of those nights wow it was raining it was raining glass they had never seen anything like it the man who could fly before winning a gold medal that summer at the 1984 Olympics entered the NBA draft I told the very good friend of mine that I had a draft pick that year that was pretty high in the NBA and I told him that he had to take Jordan, well, we need a center.

I told him to play Jordan at center after two centers were drafted. Hakeem Elijah won for Houston and Sam Buie for Portland was Chicago's pick and now we are ready for the third pick and the Chicago Bulls who have been selecting very high over the years and have the third pick today. The Chicago Bulls draft Michael Jordan out of the University of North Carolina, great, Michael. Jordan, this is Eddie ducet New York, how you feel really good, how you're doing really well, college

player

of the year, among so many other honors, chosen third in the NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.

Rod Thorne, who drafted Michael, said at the time that he was going to be a good offensive player, but not the type that you could build an entire franchise around, no one really knew how good Michael was going to be, oh, for the Chicago Bulls before him. Doug Collins hired his coach on opening night there at Madison Square Garden. Jordan reviews. Doug before the game says don't worry coach, I won't let you lose this game score 50 points and from there his spectacular season takes off he averages 37 points even though magic and bird are winning titles this guy is the guy that everyone in the League wants See you have to remember that the Chicago Knights are cold and they can be full of desperation and they can be brutal and suddenly there was something glorious right in the middle of the night there's a kab I'm like fasten your seat belts, this is going to be a incredible journey, they knew it from day one of winning Rookie of the Year honors.

Jordan led the Bulls to the playoffs for the first time in four years and then, with veterans Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, lifted the NBA and the game itself to unprecedented heights Michael arrives, he's a college star, he goes through the Games Olympics and now there are all these stories of his jumping ability, he is scoring, he is making dunks in his rookie year, he is averaging 28 points and it is one of the great stories of the NBA season now the Bulls are owned by Rinor Jerry see a lot of opportunities that they knew they had Michael, but now he was trying to figure out what else worked, which included players and coaches, that was the task that Jerry Krauss was given was to look at what we had and it really changed the culture that I learned from the At first, the best thing I could do was congratulate Michael Michael Jordan, uh, I think he's the best to ever play anything.

I mean, if you were to do a comparison, maybe you could pick, uh, Jimmy Brown. uh bab Bru, certainly Jack Nicholas, but I'm not sure anyone has ever taken a game to the level that Jordan liked and Jordan had a great personality. We are playing for the gold medal in Los Angeles in 1984. in the Olympic Games and we play against Spain we are up 28 points in the half Jordan has played 11 minutes he has 19 points 12 rebounds and nine assists in 11 minutes we played the game as well as You can play basketball and I'm a big believer and let's play better in the second half, yes, than in the first half, but I'm walking down the court and I'm saying to myself: what the hell am I going to say here to get us to play? better than this? and normally I don't have a problem with this, but I can't, so at the locker room door I open it and the first guy I see in the locker room is Michael sitting in front of his locker, so that's an idea.

He hits me, I say I'm going to jump on Jordan a little bit and these other guys are going to say if he's so mad at Jordan, what the hell does he think of me right now? So I walk up to Michael's locker and I remember 11 minutes 19 rebounds or 19 points 12 rebounds and nine assists coming up and I say Mike, when the hell are you going to put up a screen? I mean, we had four guys out there watching, when the hell are you going to block someone? Mike, I mean all of you. What we are doing is rebounding, passing and scoring.

Damn, I screen someone here and Mike looks at me, you know, and you all know it, and the world knows Michael Jordan's smile. I mean, she's the best. Mike looks at me and smiles. It says coach, right? I just read last week where you said he might be the fastest player you've ever met and I said what the hell does that have to do with your evaluation and he says coach, I think I put him in faster than you can see, that's Jordan , a great personality and a great player, what was your decision on that last play with 6, that was, hey, take the ball, Michael, everyone, move away, go to the basket, the tongue, the long baggy shorts, the undercut haircut.

Jordan's trademarks are imitated by kids everywhere because kids know that Jordan plays for the same reason they do. He loves it. In fact, he is the only basketball playerprofessional who has what they call a Love of the Game clause in his contract that allows him to resume. a street game whenever he wants he was filming the space j they have all the training equipment you can imagine uh there's an 18 hole putting situation there for his golf he can do that too this just for him this just for him now, while he's filming right and because there was a strike, he's sending all the guys in the league to come play with him while he's not filming, so I came in, I'm ready for who, Reggie Miller there, Chris Weber's there, Chris Mullen it is there.

Tim Hardaway is there and Michael is there talking more slapstick than you've ever seen, so he's there, he triple-joins, he spins around, he throws a handball off the board, he says, "This isn't real television and he's talking to guys who play in the league, so I put on my shoes, got back in my car and went home outside of the Michael Jordan draft. The most significant draft was the year they drafted Scotty and the horse, you could tell that they were were going to give us a different dynamic on the court, his athleticism, his length was something we didn't have now Michael was really a veteran and now the younger guys had to come in and really show him that they could play close at the link.

They just didn't It's something that happens overnight, especially when you're talking about a guy like Michael, who was a huge global icon. We just needed that time to bond and not just as teammates but as friends. That's when Jordan sported the red and white tracksuits with gold. chains that look like a slimmer version of Mr T at that moment for crying out loud CR Jordan comes in, throws it up and performs it in an incredible move in under 4 and 1 half minutes, here's Jordan, oh yeah John you're out of action I'm throwing the ball here oh what a drive oh what a drive Jordan in motion Left baseline eh oh no oh no if he leaves the middle open Jordan what a play has a sensational clutch Jordan isolates for him driving what a play Jordan on the break driving all the way and damn, oh man, Jordan against Manu, oh holy mael, what a shot, MJ with four.

Jordan stops and releases it with a twist and what a movement, oh what an out of control movement of the body looking. driving spin move hangs in the air off the glass deep in Elo and always happens to Craig Elo scored 69 points in a game against Cleveland also had 18 rebounds I said to my partner, do you realize we're watching to a legend? It's like watching baby Bru Michael Jordan is probably the best score ever played in the game. Jord was a murderer. People knew they were in trouble. Michael Jordan even in the game. If I saw him do something like that, I would just go.

My face, my face, and I'm like, oh my God, what did I just see a Michael Jordan spectacular? His strength is like that of a big man. He's the strongest guard I'm talking about body-wise that he's ever played. Boston Garden was home to many great Celtic championship teams, but the 1985-86 Celtics, led by three-time MVP Larry Bird, were truly something special: They posted a franchise-best 67 and 15 record, that season earned them a meeting with Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs after a foot injury. In only his second year in the NBA, Jordan faced an interesting problem: the question is: could one man beat the Lakers or does he need a more diversified attack?

Today we play against Boston Tex. His teammates took note of his concentration in the locker room before the game and sensed that he intended to do something great, perhaps even the impossible, defeat the mighty Celtics in Boston Garden by going to the B Michael baseline. Jordan made the basket well on a foul, fantastic speed going to the baseline which was a pickpocket move if ever there was one, but Larry Bird Celtics presented a towering obstacle, in fact, United by Bird's Vision, they were the consummate passing team . Bill Walton joined the Celtics that year and their chemistry combined perfectly in his role as Sixth Man W.

On the other hand, Celtic fans had never really seen an individual talent like Michael Jordan and April 20, 1986 he was the center of their attention even when Celtics center Robert Parish scored for his team. Harris breaks free and so the battle waged with Jordan evokes silent cries of anguish mixed with amazement from the intelligent fans, while Celtic's brave play inspired their cheers, who wants it? He was almost on his back taking away the rhythm of the Celtics trying to Michael Jordan at this moment, what a great shot, basket and foul, you talk about birds, pure determination. At certain points in a game, Michael Jordan has those same qualities, the Celtics could only shake their heads.

I know we started Dennis Johnson with him and then we went with Danny AES, my soul, which was very easy when I started protecting him. Then Bill Walton tried to run him to help all the time, but his outside shooting was going so well that he didn't really need to penetrate as much and Jordan with 40 points was in that area of ​​everything. was going, he was making one shot better than the next without being intimidated even by Larry Legend Jordan Let It All Hang Out showing much more than just a hang time, revealed a complete and complete game when the second game of this first round series emerged as a classic in the making with Jordan making his incomparable moves to the basket and Boston responding to the Celtics' tried-and-true style. a P clock running 3 seconds three point shot no good and a foul l w a foul against Kevin Mcale was called by Middleton with no time shown on the clock Kevin mccale can't believe it in one of the first pressure tests of his career Michael Jordan showed all the poise of a veteran as he calmly walked to the line and hit crucial free throws, he can tie it here and send the game away. there's no time left in overtime and this is pressure overtime in the second game of our first round best-of-five NBA playoffs and the Chicago Bulls are trying to do what only the Portland Trailblazers have done in what is of the year: beat the Celtics in Boston.

Long range Jordan punches. It's 56 for Jordan and that ties the Chicago Bulls' all-time leader, Bob Love. Jordan goes up with the shot and makes it and has 61 points to tie the Baylor All Time Playoff Rec lead that he set against these Celtics. Jordan ties the game, oh boy 63. points and you're looking at an all-time record, oh boy, Michael Jordan Michael on the trip through the lane, the spin shot got 63 for Jordan comes in and gets 63 points against Boston. This was when Jordan was that guy and Jordan rolled on the court and fell. 63 against Larry Bird in the Boston Celtics where Larry Bird called him the closest thing to God, he moved Larry Bird, the great player of the Boston Celtics, by saying that that is not Michael Jordan, that he is God disguised as Michael Jordan.

Larry Bird talks about that game like it's the new coming of the son of Jesus he gave me the

greatest

compliment and you know, I think it was very gratifying this guy is not only a great player this guy is something different Larry Bird says this is God in disguise of Michael Jordan coming from the and we were running over there to try to block him and the next thing I knew he was following the pace of the Bulls game to try to get some fast break opportunities. Jordan, what should Jordan do in that case? off the glass baseline Michael Jordan the basket well on a foul Jordan picks up M and takes the ball from him well Mel does not have to throw it to the ground against a fast player like Michael Jordan, that was the Christmas massacre, but Jordan against Dennis Johnson Jord W misses again here is Michael Jordan's basket will be good and a foul and 25 for Michael Jordan that takes away the rhythm of the Celtics trying to Michael Jordan right now 10 points in this period for a and what a great shot and a basket and a foul Jordan against a oh good jumper Chicago is led practically until the end Jordan BS and Jordan with 40 points Walton came out to meet Jordan trying to use his quickness and it works Michael Jordan with 44 now in the ball game Jord isolated one-on-one they come out of the basket Jordan reduces Celtic's lead to two here he is the move Jordan short jump shot and falls and 50 points for Michael Jordan Michael Jordan has been a sensational spectacle again from long distance Jordan scores 56 for Jordan three on the shot clock Jordan good basket and a foul a guard Michael Jordan Jordan goes up with a shot and makes it and has 61 points to tie Elgen ber's all-time single-game playoff record he set against these Celtics on Thursday Jordan trying to fake it verd can't do it with eight on the clock Jordan ties the game oh boy 63 points and you're looking at an all-time record oh boy Michael Jordan our most valuable play of the game Miller Light is Michael Jordan with an all-time record 63 points in a single In the end, in the playoff game, the Celtics prevailed and would win the series in three games, but from that day on the history of the Boston Garden would include not only the many championships of the Celtic teams won, but also the remarkable playoff performance of a young man.

Chicago Bull named Michael Jordan, you know he is a monola, he has no infections. Michael doesn't seem to have any discernible pound-for-pound weaknesses, although, as they say in the fight world, Michael probably has the

greatest

variety of offensive maneuvers and is better defensively than anyone in the last 30 years, kids around the world are now Have you ever imagined wearing that shirt 23 times, without your tongue hanging out and being like Mike, this technique was perfect. I wanted to make sure my technique was next and I looked at him and for the first time in my life a human being didn't look real to me.

I was practically watching them instead of just playing against him. You know, I was like I can't believe I'm in it. court Michael Jordan, you know all that stuff, um, I'm looking at the shoes and I'm just looking at him and the kneecap and 23. I'm looking at his shoes and I'm like, man, he put on the Jordans, you know what I mean. The first time I played against him, you know, the guys were giving me that treatment in the locker room and it was like, I know I see him on TV, but is he that good?

I learned a lot from this. The game has a lot to do with how technically sound Michael was because there was one thing about watching him play and then another thing about playing against him, that's good, hey, he said something to me after he got that basket, but as you can see, that It was like this. I made a foul and played him directly. You know, that's what most people don't do. It becomes more or less a mind game. You know, physical. You may have some advantage. You may not know it, but mentally you should be able to.

To differentiate it, it wasn't that he had like 48 points in that game, but it wasn't 48 because it was a double team. I was playing against him directly and he was just giving it to me, so certainly little kids grow from that. and they become better players if they feed off of it and work on their aspects of their games. You know it's the ultimate challenge to go out and play against the Bulls. You know, point guard Michael Jordan, nothing can beat that they made a The change already put Kobe over Michael and then education accelerated learning.

Wow, I was in half court and he wanted to know how, when I turn around on my jump shot, how to feel the defense. I told myself you should feel the defense with your legs once. you feel like defense is your leg you can take advantage of that the day will come when I step on the court with in my eyes the greatest basketball player to ever step on a basketball court and um it was just an exciting moment for me and it was something that I treasured for the rest of my life. Iverson draws Jordan now he looks at this.

I mean, he was Mike, he was my idol, he was my hero, he was very inspiring to me. The rivalries back then were more significant than they are. now, especially in a division, because you played those guys six times a year and it seemed like every time you turned around you were playing them, they were real rivals, weak for years, they were bullied by the Pistons, it was a confrontation, we didn't They liked them, they didn't. It's not like us, it was a big steal, it helped us a lot in terms of teaching us, we knew we were there and there were some things we had to do to get over the h, it wasn't like that.

It just happened to us, we had to put up with our bumps in the road every year, we seemed to find a little more cohesion as a team, but it was a process and it involved Doug Collins doing his thing for three years to get us to a place where Hiring to Phil Jackson and his teaching and training gave us a little push to reach another level. We had a lot of adversity going into game seven and we thought we could win. We had a great sixth game where we demolished them after that game. There were a lot of long faces, you really understood how important this game was and how important we needed to be as a group.

I remember Jordan standing up at the end of the game and we were in a locker room and he said this will never happen again, we will never lose this team again with a weak supporting cast, theBulls won only three playoff series in Jordan's first five seasons, twice they were eliminated by Detroit, known as the bad boys for their tough tactics on the playground, we knew how. It was dangerous and we knew that going into the playoffs we had to do something special, so we definitely came up with what we called the Jordan rules every time he got to the basket instead of giving up layups and dunks because that would energize the team. his team. and give them momentum, we would rather send them to the foul line, it was important that we mentally intimidate him, whether we had to take him down or send three guys to him or just look him in the face, nasty and ugly, one thing Phil emphasized more than anything. against Detroit was that they are the physical bad boys who want to beat you up in July 1989.

Doug Collins was replaced by assistant coach Phil Jackson, who had an idea of ​​how the Bulls could win. I called Michael and told him basically what I saw. The problem with the team is that you know that everything is focused on it. I told him you know the team had to share the basketball and he said, "You're not going to run that equal opportunity offense, are you?" and I said yes, I'm Phil. Jackson is trying to convince Jordan that the triangle offense is going to work during the game. Jordan comes up to me in press row and says, can you believe this damn offense? and this is ridiculous.

He got double or triple teamed in a game in Milwaukee and Bill Cartright yells at him to throw him the ball and says, I'm alone, you're double teamed. Michael felt that the team had a better chance of winning if he shot with double teams versus Bill Cartri Harris common shooting alone. There was a lot of feeling that Michael Jordan didn't make his teammates better, that he wanted to score all the time and that he didn't pass the mark. ball. to certain people and there was a feeling that he wasn't good enough to win a championship. Everyone said that a leading scorer cannot be an NBA champion.

I never believed that he reached a point in his life in his career as a man. If I don't trust these guys, I don't think he's going to win that championship and once he decided to do that, yeah, this Detroit Championship era is ending, the Chicago Bulls looking for a sweep, they just came together in that playoff. series against him, the Chicago Bulls advance to the NBA Championship round and we are ready for the start of the first game of the NBA Championship. We had a lot of nerves and nerves that we were playing against. You already know the world.

R now Lakers The Look Away to levingston Jordan oh, a spectacular move by Michael Jordan, it's 1 consecutive field goal. We welcome you back because we didn't really have the support of the fans, it was an away game for us, we had to join the 12 player staff that was there and it was really up to us after defeating their nemesis, the Pistons, for the Eastern Conference title in 1991, the Bulls carried a three-game lead over the Lakers in the finals, in the fifth game, Jordan faced the ultimate sacrifice. Phil Jackson will tell you that during the group game last game against the Lakers he finally had to face Michael.

I mentioned that John Paxton was open. Michael made it a point to find John Paxton in the fourth quarter for four jumpers in a row and that really sealed the factor that he was a guy who was willing to give the ball up at a time when he knew he had to do what he had to do. was necessary. It was over and the Chicago Bulls won their first NBA championship and Michael Jordan answered a couple of questions. There have been questions over the years about whether a team led by Jordan could win a championship. The Chicago BS won their first NBA championship.

It's an honor to take this on behalf of a great organization and the wonderful fans of Chicago. Everyone, as players, we really thank you all for your support and we all want you to know that this is for you, but we'll be back here next time. year for another long struggle, the most fundamentally sound B basketball player I had ever seen in my life, you know, and he was the first guy I saw that was super athletic and fundamentally sound. You can find a guy as fast as him, but I wouldn't do it. to be as strong as him, you can find a guy as big as him, but he wouldn't be as fast as him, you know, so it was hard to get power and quickness and strength for me, realistically, it's probably the closest thing you can get. find. to reach a perfect basketball physique, in my opinion, the best basketball player of all time, but probably most importantly, the best competitor of all time.

The first thing that stands out in the house is his competitiveness, he had to achieve spectacular numbers, but he also recognized it in his own mind. that the fans came to see him do something spectacular every game Jordan out of reach hello, that's worth the price of admission in itself, we marveled at his abilities, but what we really know that made him stand out was the determination of he. and his willingness to keep coming at you and never stop, you know you would root for a guy, you'd have a great game and, you know, maybe a 30 to 40 point game and you sit there and root for him, but to see this guy He did it every night and that was the thing that stood out the most to any player I've ever seen.

Michael was a guy that, you know, wanted to win, wanted to achieve that goal and he was a guy you could see. rise to a level, a certain level, to help his team beat the best player I've ever seen, no offensive magic, just incredible in person, but you know, two things stand out to me, one, how famous he was and then the second, you know, homicidally competitive. really you could almost say he had a problem, he was so competitive his whole life he survived by beating other people, people have no idea how obsessed Michael Jordan is with winning at something, not just beating you when he was in his prime, but humiliate you by putting you aside and humiliating you so that you were no longer a threat to compete with him again, oh, and Reggie Miller walked up and hit him.

MJ is upset about it and I can't blame him, yes sir, he ran into him and we got into it. a breuh haa here I started talking as soon as I entered the league, but I had a bad experience, what was the bad experience throughout his career? Michael Jordan gained a reputation as a competitive psychopath my rookie year, uh, we were playing the Chicago Bulls and this. It's Michael Jordan's third or fourth year at OK and we were playing an exhibition game in some obscure place and most veterans don't like playing in exhibition games, they want to get to the real thing.

I'm a wide-eyed energetic rookie and we're playing this exhibition game and Michael is making the move and Chuck, the person who's on my team, who also talks trash, he's like, can you believe Michael Jordan, the guy The one everyone talks about and who is supposed to be able to walk on water? You're out here killing them Rich, this is in the first half, he likes it, you should talk to him, it's like you know you're right Michael, who do you think you are the great Michael Jordan? That's right, there's a new kid in town, right? He looks at me and starts shaking his head, so at the half I have 10 and he has four points, right?

I'm talking about all this and he says, "Okay, at the end of the game, in the second half he finished with 44 and I finished." he's up with 12, so he gave me away 40 to 2 and as he walks away he tells me: "be sure and be careful, never talk to black Jesus like that, he's fine, I'm so sorry, black Jesus, I'm so sorry ". Several stories highlight this. like the time they beat him at a pingpong table and he practiced so much that he became the best player on the team or the time he was caught cheating against an old lady in a meaningless card game;

My mother and Michael were just playing a simple game of Go Fish or something and I called him cheating on my mother and I said I said are you so competitive that you're going to cheat on my own mother at cards? I told him you've got to be kidding one day they fly to Portland and the coach notices that Michael is giving one of the baggage handlers a $50 bill. Michael says watch this so they go down to the luggage area and the bet is who's going to come out first with the luggage and guess who goes out first.

Number 23. He picks up about $11,000 puts it in his pocket looks at the coach he wins and says pretty good return on a $50 event this is the winner I'm going to get rich we just lost to the Boston Celtics back guess what I'm winning he He's so competitive that I can remember beating him at a game of pool three games in a row and he didn't talk to me for 24 hours. Michael Jordan was on a bus and the players were comparing how famous they were. Michael Jordan sat there and finally someone said something like me. I bet even Michael can't reach Janet Jackson.

He pulled out a cell phone and said, uh, is Janet there? I'm just telling her that she's MJ. You know, two seconds later, Janet Jackson was on the phone. I think she came from the skeptics from the beginning. in my life and my determination to prove them wrong, starting with a high school coach who cut me off to my principal who said I should go to an Air Force Academy to guarantee me a job after finishing college so that he I just did it. to win, in fact, he taught our children that my children love to play basketball.

They asked me to come and watch him play one on one. I tell my youngest son to come and sit, you know, and I talk to them about. being able to accept losing but still competing I said, look, I'm going to come out here and I'm going to play with your brother and I'm going to show you exactly what it's about, so I'm going to play with him. pretty serious and I know that at any moment I can steal the ball and go ahead and win the game, but my oldest son made a basket, so the result is 4:2.

What I'm saying is I have to get serious here because I'm really trying to prove something to my son so the oldest fakes One Way Head and Shoulder fakes and throws the luckiest shot you've ever seen and walks in and I'm mad and I look at my son, he looked. and he said the following and I looked and turned around and smiled. I'm saying, you know what, that's my son because that's exactly what I would say. Mike's Ultra competitiveness really stood out in practice, where he treated every practice the same as if it were In Game 7 of the NBA Finals, he also expected his teammates to play with the same intensity and would abuse them if they didn't. they did it.

If Jordan's anger at proving himself inspired his teammates, he could burn them too. I've seen Michael come in many times. times and you know knocko allig crocodile raises glasses and comes out and says yes they are not going to play Standing in a locker room Phil Jackson was never the coach of that team Michael Jordan was the coach Jordan was the one who yelled at him Jordan was the one they feared. Jordan was the standard they had to meet. Michael is just killing Bill Cartright all the time in the locker room in front of everyone. Cartright KS Michael aside and says look if you ever do something like that again.

You will never play basketball because I want to break both of your legs. He said some things to me that I really didn't like and um and uh I couldn't stand it. If you let him ride you, he will take you to the moon. He would get you out of the NBA and out of your mind Phil put Steve C in front of me but he was giving Steve all the calls and I was getting really angry so I started playing very very physical Steve started to give Me hard F next thing you know I walked away and just punched him right in the eye and then Phil kicked me out of practice and I came home and I'm really hurt, they gave me Steve's phone number and I got his answering machine . and I see Steve, I'm so sorry, you know my anger got the best of me after every fight.

I've seen it man, he was always apologetic, he never wanted to hurt you, he had to do whatever it took to get you up. The stakes are much higher to me, it wasn't a surprise that he got in trouble with the game because He does everything possible, he is the best Chase, he better lose twice as much, lose twice as much, the team won the first championship that we invited to the White House and Michael says he won't go and the team is in crisis the day his team was going to the White House. Michael Jordan was, you know, in this game betting with a guy who was a convicted drug dealer, another guy, a bondsman who was bankrolling the game.

Who originally? He was murdered by his associates and then it turns out that, you know, he wrote a check for his gambling losses, which you know was a paper trail. He, you know, was naïve about a crack having formed in Jordan's carefully constructed façade 6 months after the first Bull. championship a book detailing Jordan's rough treatment of his teammates and the special treatment the club gave him made it to the New York Times bestseller list its title Jordan's rules Paxton has the flu and is about 103 ° fever and when he arrives he receives his medication and goes home now Jordan receives it a couple of days later he calls and they send the coach to his house in 1993, another book stated that Jordan lost a million dollars on the golf course, while the media once guarded Jordan's Ranger reveled in a report that he gambled the nightBefore the playoff game in New York all he wanted was some respect on the subject.

Hey, I went to Atlantic City. I did not do anything wrong. I didn't practice wrong. Why are you bothering me as soon as he went to the golf course? and started losing too much money to please us, I was stuck because oh, is your game really under control? Michael, As the story gained extended life, Commissioner David Stern was forced to take a closer look as Jordan simmered and the media swarmed a former U.S. federal judge was hired to lead conducted a league investigation. I don't think he regrets the game. I think he's still angry because the game is what people tried to tear down.

It felt like he had so much trouble with Rebecca for the media to really hurt him so that something negative would come out about him. The Michael Jordan story, you guys remember Anthony, buddy, yeah, okay, so we got Missouri out of Missouri, so we got the Chicago Bulls coming to town and unfortunately, uh, I got sprayed on the ankle, ya you know, and so do you. Say fortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately, I enjoy protecting Mike because he was, you know, the only thing I did with Mike is I never made him mad, you know, he took a shot, you say good shot, Mike, you know you don't talk down to him, like that that he.

Go for 60, you know, he tries to kill him with kindness, don't try to talk down to him, so they get off the bus. We finish shooting and we leave and MJ says B Scott, what's going on? in I said what's up MJ said man I hear you're not playing tonight he said no I'll break my ankle he said who's guarding me I said Anthony PE said 50 so I told Anthony Peter listen um MJ uh he'll probably go tonight I'll pay you some 50, so don't piss him off, you know, be cool, he'll end up with 54, so the guy could basically do whatever he wanted on that basketball court, it's hard to exaggerate.

The greatness of Michael Jordan, but he's done it at a time when everything has come together Michael Jordan is the CEO Jordan MJ those new Air Jordans had all the media exposure that the other guys before him didn't have in the fourth game satellite television, cable Internet in Chicago in a word Michael yes, he was a nationalThe vacation Michael didn't take off, he just took off in the niches, he became P Piper. The TV ratings followed him, the fans followed him, they flocked to the stores to buy anything that was endorsed by him, you better eat your weedies.

Michael Jordan created all kinds of fans, including many female fans, please welcome Michael Jordan. Jordan knew that every minute he was in front of a camera was an audition for another company. Here is a black man who is the most popular person in a white society. I mean, what greater benefit can there be for a company to cross the racial divide with a guy who is popular everywhere? Think of all the things Michael Jordan's influence, starting with the baggy shorts, the bald head, the shoes, his feet, and the Air Jordan brand, are owned by Nike for a whopping $2 million.

See the powerful impact he has had on our society and our culture. Fortune magazine says Jordan is responsible for an estimated $1 billion in earnings during his career. He crosses national borders, where friends of mine go to the heart of the Congo and see. The children of number 23 Chicago wear bowing uniforms. I thought U Magic Johnson was the most famous basketball player in the world when the dream team went to Barcelona and I was wrong. Michael was big enough that there were 40-foot murals. Other big advertisers also took advantage of the Jordan Mystique, a fast food empire.

I think we'll be here in a while. I suggest you go buy a Big Mac, the quintessential serial for athletes, I bet you eat your marijuana, even your underwear, waiting until we put you to work and a certain. energy drink that had been around for years but saw its sales increase dramatically and consumers taking a cue from the commercial's simple message. Advertisers could work with him to bring out almost the chameleon of his personality, the chameleon of his brand, and he could adapt. so easily to help sell McDonald's in a fun way like Gatorade did and you really think about it, those are really two competing products.

Gatorade is, you know, more health-driven and optimizes performance at McDonald's is a traditional fast food, but he was just as comfortable not only in his own shoes, but also in his in the eyes of the shoppers who would follow him. and they also trusted him, which are key things. I think it was just how down to earth he seemed and how easy going he was. he was also able to laugh at himself, I mean, he really, you know, he had the ability to make fun of himself and he just had that disarming smile and personality and, um, I really think that he, what he did, was he had these simply. other mundane athletic skills, but then he had a really realistic style on camera and I thought those two things combined perfectly to make him as marketable as he was.

The Jordan sensation has sparked a whole new generation of sports advertising in recent years. The last 25 years, from a tiger on the golf course to the court sponsored by Kings named LeBron and Kobe. I'm trying to go a step further, not in terms of you know, marketing deals and things of that nature, but he made us sing. that same way we can, you know, try to be businessmen like him. I don't think there will ever be a star-aligned opportunity like the one you saw with Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan was the Beatles of sports marketing in the sense that he was the first. and everyone else who followed is ultimately almost a copycat for him in what he stood for, ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jordan because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and people like me liked it more than Jordan was adored, what?

Is he the best player of all time? Danny yeah, because he played on both ends of the floor, offensively there could be some debate, although I think he was one of the best offensive players, but for everything he did, yeah and his Competitive Advantage Magic, oh he's the best player and Bill Russell is the best. the biggest winner, eh, Michael, no, there is no doubt, Michael was head and shoulder Bell of all the others, not only did he dominate in offense and defense, but he also dominated, there will never be a basketball player and I don't know if he will ever there will be another athlete to do.

As much money on and off the court as Michael Jordan, it's just that he, he, will go down like Muhammad Ali and maybe even more when Michael Jordan exploded into stardom in the 1980s. We also saw the worlds of sports and fashion crash like never before. Before, whether it was the 23 jersey or those famous Air Jordans, everyone had to have them, are you still close to Michael Jordan or were you ever close to Michael Jordan? uh, Michael Jordan are friends and I call him all the time because I like his Jordan brand. sneakers and now I know you got a big contract with the company, put your feet on the ground, they were the Beatles of footwear because they changed everything in an instant, it became a playground, it must have done it on its own, it transformed the essence of urban fashion, me, Mars Blackman. here with my main man, Michael Jordan, me, Mike, what makes you the best player in the universe is the vicious duns not Mars it's the haircut not Mars it's the shoes not Mar it's the extra long shorts not Mars it's the right shoes the money has to be the shoes, the entire marketing of the Air Jordan line was based on the style, class, competence, ability and performance that Michael Jordan brought to the basketball court.

There was a kaboom when they first came out. I'm serious. It was so hot that everyone had to get it PA, including me, now how much can't you stop? Look, now they won't let any of this happen, okay, now how much do they pay you just to wear these shoes much, much, 450,000? Pairs of Air Jordans were sold in the first month, that's when the stores you know opened at midnight because the lines were around the corner, no shoe really had that no, no, it's the short socks, no more money, It has to be the shoes, for sure.

It's not the shoes now Michael, is this the shoe? Of course, we can't show what kind of shoe it is. Okay, the color represents, but is this the shoe the NBA wouldn't let you wear right now? Because I would do? They don't let you use it just because it's ugly? I guess for starters, shouldn't I pay you to wear those shoes and clothes? Well, you know, when you're a good friend, you don't care about their money. I just want the clothes. and sneakers release content stop the pointless deal with the Beast of the E conference all I hate to do is just increase the da didn't you help design these are the shoes not the color oh there's nothing to do, okay, but what happens?

With color, what rule are we violating here? The initial Air Jordan design, a red and black two-color scheme, was illegal by NBA standards, but early Nike ads in the spring of 1985 made it sound as if the shoe had been banned for giving an unfair advantage. to a new shining star on September 15 Nike created a revolutionary new basketball shoe on October 18 the NBA expelled them from the game fortunately the NBA can't stop you from wearing them well, they didn't have white eh, well, neither does the NBA now it's just a joke, a joke, it's just a joke, you know what I mean, just a joke, what success came the controversy, the first Air Jordans cost $65 a pair, later models reached three figures.

Mark's Critics Attack Nike Over Price of Air Jordans Out of Reach of Low-Income Kids Who Crave Them Most $135 $145 $185 for a pair of sneakers for a pair of sneakers we have a lot of little kids on the south and west sides of Chicago, who really shouldn't buy $150 sneakers because they should spend some of that money on books, thinks they'll get in trouble because people will do what they have to do to get the money or steal the things that are sold in and there were problems in Maryland and Texas, teenagers were murdered by thugs who were after their Jordans, the tragedies that took place among the children, the murders, the assaults over clothing and shoes, it was a indication of what we had taught as a culture, wearing the right clothes, identifying with the right image of uh became their only hook and handle to their own personal self-esteem.

The Air Jordan anticipated the cultural dominance of Hip Hop's boastful materialism. They became the ideal evening dress for the street-smart urban youth that the best mother can't beat. We, join us, we, can't we? And the Suburban teenager or the baby boomer who wanted to try Jordan's electrifying Lux style, there are certain movies and certain cars that are unique and somehow start Trends and start things, that's an Air Jordan. a trend starter as much as you want to wear them on the basketball court you want to wear them to school you want to wear them to functions I've had numerous I have a closet full of Jordans and um I think they're the ones I The best was the patent leather.

Those were crazy. I used to wear suits for basketball players. It seems to them that if they had a pair of Air Jordans, they can go out and play like them, and for the boys or girls who didn't play basketball. They still thought that if they put on Air Jordans they would be as important as, say, Michael Jordan. Do you know how I get up for my game? Know? Know? Do you know it's true? Air Jordan Air Jordan Air Jordan I think what Michael and Nike were able to achieve was to incorporate sportswear into everyday clothing and turn it into a fashion statement.

People all over the world know those shoes and people all over the world, some of them, don't know how to play basketball, they don't even know you. they know about the game of basketball but they wear those shoes they also make trouble Jordan brushed off criticism from activists who said his sneakers were being made overseas by exploited workers earning less than a living wage last year Jordan countered those statements visiting an Asian shoe store The factory saw a commitment to trying to improve the environment. It's easy to compare that to the United States and I think it's kind of unfair and I think you have to compare it to what was happening in that country.

Yes, the Air Jordan caught some cultural waves. the growing influence of the inner city on fashion the expensive aesthetic of the rap movement Lust For Eternal Youth and R Boomer's Grace but let's face it, they were cool and so was the man whose name and towering figure adorned each pair two decades later , his Synergy stands in history Michael's legacy and the impact on his culture from the celebrity shoe marketing side of the business will last longer and have a more lasting impact than what he did on the court because what he did on the court It was absolutely literally amazing, we just enjoyed the moment. and I feel that we have had an impact onsociety, as well as in the sports and fashion industry, and I think that drives us.

Now look how fast I go under 50. I don't like to play, you can't hit me, you can't block me, thank you. Yes, you are now hearing the sounds of a guard himself. My lineage is ancient. I come from beyond. Any place you can imagine in your imagination. Mommy was my spaceship. It took her 9 months to get me here. I finally made it, my God. Brilliant. Fireballs, my star got six points, so I burn brighter than any pentagram on the Hollywood sidewalk. I'm too hot, you can't cool me down and not the sun, don't get cold, look at the rhyme I pour on you, it's the best by far. sack initiate Elite brotherhood Rapids I'm a master builder Great young verbalizer Veteran the original tippy top shot D is written in the stars look for me then two or three bars make you pay attention I'm gifted my rap is mystical it's Cold I speak so the police Mystic sprays pain on the walls the writings on the walls I'm gifted my rap is Mystic is c that I speak the police missed it got something real hard that I could rock to write the first words you could ever Bo to Live the worst life You could have so much joy I cry so much pain I laugh as best as I can I'm excellent and my work doesn't inspire me the rhythm coming out weak is not bad for a bad day I hit you and take your head off, damn it, I don't know my own strength like a lion, I was just trying to play, it's not my fault, you fall apart so easily, I need to be with my own kind, take me to where the rap is.

The music is powerful rhythms and rhymes hold another channel, don't be so superficial, it's SP. Your taste is more of life than you now think and we live from The Refuge. Is there anyone out there? It is written in the stars, look for me there two or three. bars I have to pay attention to you I'm gifted my rap is mystical it's cold I speak then the police M spray painted on the walls the writing on the walls I'm gifted my rap is mystical it's c I speak then the police M it thank you Rex Chapman versus Michael Jordan I think it was watching Rex possess Michael, so when you start talking to Michael, uh, does he say something?

Actually, that game and I had forgotten, someone showed a video not too long ago because it was like 20 20 years, I guess, after the fact and it showed that you knew you couldn't let Michael shoot it if it was some kind of rule, if it was what you did, the crowd would get involved with their teammates. on that so wait so the whole team knew M goes up you foul him yeah you have to foul but you know preferably before he leaves the ground you know not to hurt him and he made a motion. Baseline and I was a help defender running down the lane with my back turned and I turned and saw him coming and you know I kind of threw at him.

MJ up top, screen roll makes the move inside double bombs and he got it. Rex Chapman held it just to catch it. before taking off, I don't think he's had the same agent forever. Michael called me to go to Carolina in 1984. Oh, he recruited you, yeah, so I've known him forever, but I guess he didn't see who got him. He did and turned to say something, we stood face to face, him to Rex in Michael's face now and Alonzo Morning in Michael's face now hadn't everything said really been worth it, I think I said something like, you know, I can't let you kill him, but it seemed like I did, so everyone was saying that you were being so loud to Jordan.

I said no. not do that and then you go for 39 yeah we only had eight guys we made we made a great trade eight guys available Harper and Jordan at guards Pippen and Rodman at forward Luke Longley at center 12 guys for the Chicago Bulls completely team around Phil Jackson, the Miami Heat, seems like a small gathering of friends, right? I think Michael, Scotty, Dennis and those guys came to South Beach the night before and we like it to be a free night, but like always I used to use Jimmy Liam. to tell us, hey, you let a guy get going in this league and you had a problem and I got him going one night and we got lucky.

Rex Chapman puts the three Re Chapman and opens three back to Chapman for three cor Rex Chapman for the open Rex Chapman fast long oh MJ almost opens a chapter L CH again reap Rex Chapman off balance three don't care 59 now it's Chapman double bomb put it up it's the Rex Chapman show now run Chapman for three Chapman Cony for three yes absolutely that could be the nail and the Bulls want a timeout 106-95 now Miami with a 27 lead here in the stadium from Miami, but you don't, there's no Jordan doesn't say anything like it's there, it's just yours.

The night I had, they, they, they beat him, we beat him, we beat him and, uh, you know, they weren't happy, we played them a few weeks later at home and again, Michael and I are friends, same agent. up and we're around the jump Circle and hit straight to my chair chest straight to my chest and all good, great, you know, let's do it, I mean, that's the mentality you should have, but at that very moment I knew it was No, no I was having 39 again, I think I went four of 14 for 14 points or something, yeah, yeah, the Eastern Conference was a lot more physical.

New York was a hard-hitting physical series. I go to town, you beat the crown, you beat the clothes. Trying to get HS to stop fighting is only going to make things worse. I don't respect your little hits. I'm going to hurt you. A cold L shower. A hot blood bubble bath. Throw them in the acid and get rid of the sticky mess. put that in special sauce, relax, Los, I'm not a murderer, but you push me to activate it and I'm whiplash, then I laugh, I'm evil, blow the hash on the pillow, focus on the bread when I try to GLEar me that's when the I deal with face and brutality my palms keep biting my money it doesn't stop because my work keeps clicking I have it Bo lock gang of Indians but I smoke the pipe fish Doo excuse me because when I murder I word Collision I speak Reckless position pre stones in the collar puppy this is chest, not Tetris, little Cod S Rocio the chlorotic Relentless or a cryptic black he argues L worth crashing into a Dutch man back to business car bomb Tommy Gun spinning bullets spit witness mix the K2 with the eucalyptus gun hand PL Shake 'em to sleep like trip def fan the DST the gun and SP and cover your trick tricks Quick shot like Vinnie to mic a wave roller joint with a bible boogie board in a very groovy Wave title louis prosthesis rap snuff porn movie bur Lucy dag kavali kofy the finger ring is scat to chain ladies and gentlemen all the time every time my gun R my money go up my fine I dress clean but I'm a dirty New York outside of it Killer Queens I eat good, I rap real good , my life is amazing, yes, I take off this zero-gravity launch pad.

I float, I don't fall. I can so high, coming down, so fly. Maybe go south with water sports. Let me. be it or be it a holocaust homicides prison time hospital emergency when it's time for dinner eat a spine in bad we just came off a very compelling series against Miami uh we thought we could walk around New York yes sir or just come and annihilate to Bill C and showing tenacious defense, tell me about the experience you had, Michael, you had to guard Michael Jordan, so the only player who played against Michael Moore in the playoffs was Isaiah Thomas, so this is what Michael said about You in retrospect said: I love John Starks. he was really a competitor, he really tried to challenge me, but I think he knew that when he was protecting me he was outmatched even as the public Jordan became a global marketing colossus, the private man shrank deeper and deeper into an isolation chamber with glass walls, he said.

He once told me that when he walks through a crowd, even if he doesn't seem to be looking at the people in the crowd, he can feel every eye on his skin and he said it's like a burning sensation until I'm Just one more time. I feel the burn of those. eyes looking at me if you're Michael and you're so famous and so good the phone rings a thousand times a day with people who have ideas that they say are good for you this is going to be really good for you it's not good for you it's good for them he said that those 2 and 1 half hours on the court every game night is the quietest time of my day he said because it's like there are invisible walls around the court it's the only part of my day where no one can tell me, touch me, No one can come up and ask for an autograph, no one can propose a business deal.

I am meditating. Jordan trying to get out of the exits. Oh, what a move by J, count, foul, what did you think of Michael Jordan? Oh man, obviously Michael is the best in my opinion. I got to play with him and grow up watching him play in college, you know, and having the opportunity to play with him, you know, while I was in the Pros was the highlight of my career. You know, one thing about him that Antonio can probably attest to is simply his will to win. I think that's what made him so great and you know, you know when you go to a game against Michael Jordan and a Michael Jordan team you had to play your best to beat them DJ armr that's a violation it'll be Nick's ball that we anticipated playing them a certain way and they came out totally different physically hungry aggressive talks a lot on the court no, he don't talk unless you talk to him and you don't want to do that, but when he sees a rookie, yeah, when he sees, yeah, he was talking, he was talking at that moment, man, what does he say to you, what does he say, well, he.

He told me before the night was over, he's going to call me Mr. George, he knows that Chicago is a cocky, confident team that they've raised during the golf league season, they're advancing quickly in the first round of the playoffs and right now they're being challenged Big Jam because they are stunned here at the Chicago stadium, they surprised us in the first game at our place, which was very embarrassing for us, this team is from Real, if someone took them for granted, you know, certainly, we would We realize that you know that You're a team to deal with, if New York has an advantage, it's the feeling that they can force Chicago inside McDaniel for the jam.

This is a big, physical New York team that plays you hard and takes its toll on you. Purdue with the bad. pass Wilkins follows Jordan took him off the Chicago ball what a great effort by Michael Jordan at some point in that game you know he's going to take over the game and you have to be able to play him as hard as possible I always say You know my mentality when I came on the court against Michael Jordan is that I'm going to go out and make him work for every point and that's what I tried to do.

You know you couldn't stop them and everything you can. What we do is just try to frustrate them and hopefully that was enough for Jord to come off screen and make the move come back, but usually that wasn't enough for Jordan to steal if it looks like we're in control of the series, something we never had. and they kept coming and recovering it St. Clock, the three and with the steel, it's a three against one. Jackson behind the people thinks the Bulls are the world champions. We're supposed to just lie down and let them do whatever they want to us.

This is a game, this is a man's game, hit hard by Anthony and Michael through the ball. Anthony Jordan is very upset because he lifted Jord with the recovery and Jord is bad and the balls come back, oh Sparks destroys him, this has turned into a war. Here it is, yes, and the Knicks continue with the possible ending. He was sent to a seventh and final game. No, they're fighting like cats and dogs and then we just fall apart. Do you think you're going home? Do we have another option? You recover, yes, no. I have no choice, some predicted a five game series but to be honest no one thought it would be seven if we see a New York win today, this seeding could very well be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history and the The New York series was one of those fatherly type series, so I asked him what I should do, how I should attack, should I feed off my teammates or should I go out and be the leader and let them follow my lead and like it. most parents, I mean, said take the lead, if they don't follow you, they don't follow you, but you have to take the lead, Oakley again, it's a flagrant foul again and now McDaniel wants a piece of that.

I was ready to Wow, both clubs are facing each other Michael Jord Xavier McDaniel I felt like I had to talk down to the bully so we can all gain confidence in Jordan Rever H going out and competing against him every day, you know, lift my game. to another level and most of the guys that played against him enjoyed that aspect of playing against him because you knew he was going to attack you every night. He's probably one of the few players that you can say that he was probably at the top. of his game every night, you know, and when he wasn't at the top of his game, he would hit you for 30 and when he was at the top of his game, like he was a couple of nights, he would hit you for 55, so people said yes.

Do you ever talk noise against Michael Jordan? I never speak out against Michael Jordan because you don't want to wake him up. I want a St Jord Jordan on fire. Here's Jordan, deaf with the steel and who was stolen by Sarks and whose is itgame. Michael Jordan's game is just part of the role I have on the team is being able to lead so that dad, the advice worked for me that day and the BS just set up and this crowd provided a position. on the Chicago Bulls Tak this series of rings in seven Michael Jordan took Duncan to another level simply for the simple fact that he gave us all the illusion that he could fly Michael is obviously one of the best jumpers to ever play in this game and the power he brings in his dunks, you know, simply incredible, creativity, style, waiting time, he had it all.

My all time favorite from Michael Jordan has to be when he shook the cradle, every kid in America I think tried to shake the CR. but no one could make a basket, we all just let it go. He had drive, he had a God-given ability to shoot, and he had a relentless ability to try to destroy his opponent by any means necessary. I remember standing at the basket one time, when Michael was coming around the side, we were running over there to try to close it and the next thing I knew he was walking past me and you know, I mean, his shorts were going right at me. face and dove over the parish. and it wasn't for nothing that they called him Jordan, one of Michael Jordan's Thunderclap dunks in New York is still on record.

Charles Oakley had him trapped in the corner and did a half MO Mo like he was getting ready to go. he backed up, but he spent the baseline, just the incredible dunk. I said nothing. After that, Patri there was no, you know, no dunk made that he wouldn't try, like in all things, you know, Michael was alone in a class. or almost, he's the best high jump, low jump, creative Fly Sky, he just did things the way he wanted. Michael brought a grace and elegance to Duncan that the world had never seen and he is the best dunker playing today.

A lot of his inspiration comes from those early days of MJ, when he had the ball in his hand, you expected something great to happen and you knew that once it was in the air there was nothing anyone could do, just sit back and watch probably the more charismatic. dunker in history they gave him a 50 they gave Jordan a 50 he defends his championship and went deeper than last time but it's still a spectacular dunk and certainly deserves a high score he received Steve Dom got the one with a very impressive dunk 92 Portland had their great season and they were going to the finals against the Bulls and Clyde Drexler had a great season and there was a lot of talk about Clyde being the MVP before the game Michael says we will show who is the best player in the league rexler against Jordan This is a matchup that everyone wanted one of the best moments in playoff history was the Chicago Bulls against the Portland Trail Bers and he hit so many three-pointers that he tried to score a table and S like oh I can't I don't shoot well look at this new from three points The aord there TR with three yes, I don't think so and scores 35 points in the first half of the first game against Drexler, including six three-pointers with his famous shrug type. for three yes this place is pandon H three again Mich again it was a tough series we had to come back here in the sixth game you know they were up I think 16 17 points going into the fourth quarter Phil Jackson put our younger players because we were energy guys, he knew we were going to get beat if we were in the game because of our energy level, those fans can get you excited very quickly and get you back in the game, you can be down 10 points and you don't.

You have some energy and all of a sudden you do a little run, you hit a basket and that crowd noise and that energy starts to feed because it seemed like the sound was going straight from the floor to the ceiling, it's an explosion, we cut the carry to down the momentum had completely changed in that game Portland starts to panic a little bit of a rebound TI running through the Chicago BS won the NBA Championship for the second straight season, which was notable because we won at home, you know, we won in front of our crowd, Michael Jordan, you know, it's again.

I hate the comparison, Michael Jordan is him. another atmosphere we the last men standing always on point we keep canning money flowing we got our mind right oh he told me we gotta keep the team together we the last men standing always on point we keep the Canon money flowing and I got our mind right OG They told me I had to keep the team together. Six thoughts pass through my mind as the drama begins. I want more shootings during the day. The more I try to take the city of La the Queens, I hope they are with me.

I'm trying to get the cops on the payroll, especially the plainclothes pigs. I do this for people who don't have it. I can feel your pain it is really tragic. Grind to eat. I had no options. I started clicking. I have it. Pop. It's time to. Don't worry, I've got a hard head, I've got a full back, if you want bread, my brother said I should have learned back then, but I'm still on point with the mom, if someone makes a mo, I rock with them new guys, I'm of the old school. We, the last men standing, always on point, keep the cannon money flowing and have the right mind.

OG told me I have to keep the team together. We the last men standing, always on point, keep the spanking money flowing and I've got the mind right, OG. They told me I had to stay with the T team, yes, we, the last men standing, always on point, we keep the Canon as the last of the first three championships against Phoenix, we had won two games in Phoenix, we couldn't finish with him in Chicago. we have to get back to Phoenix we're scattered towards the plane on the plane strides Michael Jordan can of beer in his hand a big cigar and he stopped and looked around and said anyone who doesn't believe we're going to win the championship get off the damn plane and he said come on guys I ain't even packed for two games let's go out and win this game and fly back tomorrow night here's Tipp's three run pass down the lane knocks him off the horse for three yeah take a lead of one point and Phoenix asks for time with yes, the three because Jordan had so passionately embraced the team concept the Bulls won three consecutive championships the Bulls win the championship not only do they win but now they win every year this is an incredible exit for Chicago that everyone in sports looks at Chicago as the model as the most feared most respected most admired and most copied team because there was Excellence every night because the publicity this team received during those years propelled the league towards something that had never been done before.

It was before in October 93, just months after securing Bull's third title. The North Carolina State Investigator described the murder of James Jordan as something that could have happened to any of us, but in this case the shooting victim was the father of Chicago Bull superstar Michael Jordan, he and James were They looked alike and ran together, they were friends. I have no doubt that he was closer to James than anyone in his life and here his best friend and his father are murdered. an avalanche of absurd media attention, people trying to link his father's death to the fact that he had gambled everything, simply approached Michael number 23 and told the world that all of his career goals had been met and that there was nothing left to achieve when I lost the sense of motivation and the sense of proving something as a basketball player.

It's time for me to step away from the game of basketball. I need a change. I just felt like I was being swallowed up by the success I've had. Gathering at that point, people would come in and say that he was clearly being kicked out of the league for other reasons, whether it was his play or something else. I laughed at the time, two days after Jordan retired in October 1993. Stern announced his four A months-long investigation had turned up no evidence that the bull star violated league rules, but it was too late. in the following spring.

Jordan tested himself in a new career with his 6'6 height not to mention his iconic Mammoth status. Michael Jordan clearly stood out on the roster of the Burham Baron, the white sock daa affiliate. In the spring of 1994 in honor of his late father James, he traded his Charmed basketball life for the Hard Knock life of minor league baseball. I saw him play baseball, we met after and We, you know, went to the bar and they came to my room, we talked for hours late into the night and I was like what a waste, why would you give up being the best player in the game?

I've never been afraid to do it. failing, you know, that's something you have to deal with really, is that you're not always going to succeed and I think I'm strong enough as a person to accept failure, you know, but I won't accept it. Not trying, that's something I couldn't have done. I think he took a ride on a hobby that someone who had a legitimate shot at playing in the big leagues could have taken. They paid him to go to fantasy camp. the familiar pressure of a game on the line was a new type of throw from Jordan that saved the day an RBI double as the spring training matchup would end in a 4-4 tie how about that?

But for Jordan, the cruestv every morning and I get in the car and I look and my dad is there and I think to myself we're doing this pops we're doing this together we're going to finish this and I think it was a classic morning his dad always did puzzles from Crossroad. I looked up one morning and there he was doing a crossword puzzle and I never saw him do one when his father was alive those my reads were the best thing that happened to me was his true love for the game and I lost him and I found him again playing the gap year of Jordan in 1994 with the Whites, so the farm system was an effort to honor his late father's wishes, but it was clear that a life in baseball would not equal the winning formula he created on the field.

Then March arrived. 18, 1995, a day of celebration for Bulls fans, was summed up with a statement containing just two words: "I am", when he came back from baseball, suddenly you see him trying to bring out the best in people, now instead of taking away someone's trust. trying to help them boost their confidence 55 points from Michael Jord, it kind of freed him, but you know you didn't really know the effect of what it all meant until he won a championship on Father's Day, an emotional moment for Michael Jordan, the tears are It was the first time I realized that he wasn't there, you know, and it was a very moving situation, it was very difficult for me to deal with at that particular moment on or off the court.

Jordan protected his carefully crafted public image. he has a lot of CL and I've heard from more than one person that if you step outside the boundaries of how he wants to be perceived, then the voice will come to you. We wrote a story about him in Sports Illustrated when he was trying to play baseball and I think the story was pretty sympathetic, but the cover was directed at Michael and to this day he doesn't talk to this magazine every time Michael appears in public to get off from your hotel room. He is always impeccably dressed.

He knows there are people in the lobby who might take a 20-second look at Michael Jordan once in his life and want to portray a certain image in a certain class. I am very image conscious, probably more than I should, because I think it really prevents me from being the fun person that people close to me know who I am. Jordan said many times I will dream that I am a bad alcoholic and in the dream I can't stop drink and I'm embarrassing myself and I'm going to lose everything he says and I wake up from that dream sweating, he knows that one slip, one mistake, can ruin everything and I think he lived in terror of that for a long time to avoid living part of that nightmare, Jordan recruited the media and his efforts to stay balanced at Highwire protected him more than I would like to admit when his first child was born.

He hadn't married yet, he says. a couple of beat writers, including me. I would really appreciate it if they didn't put that in the paper because we know he had the baby, Wiita, who knows, became his wife and they were going to get married, so I say sure. Mike, no, we won't and we won't, we just protected him because he asked us to and because we were also worried about what the public reaction would be. Michael Jordan is Our Generation's Teflon athlete. I just fell for Jordan, you couldn't win any points in the media if you said or wrote something bad about him, people didn't want to hear that, don't listen, I'm not going to move on, I won't be like everyone. more and talk about everything you did or didn't do when you went to college, forget all that when I ask you a simple question, here we talk about the goat, the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan, and you, talking with your mouth .

Speaking of you going to beat him one on one, why would you say something so blasphemous? Blas, he would need help, he's too small, his name game is big and you all like that it was a game of five, five, five against five, heIt's good, one on one. I'm undefeated, I never lost, could you stop it? That doesn't make any sense, listen, no one kept you distance, you just look like you are. Actually, as if to say, that's why you're smiling right now. The only thing I care about is the W. I don't care that you dance and you talk about how you're going to beat Michael Jordan, how you're going to beat me, you know what's the point of hearing how you're going to beat me, choose your poison, right? how's it going? to win why do you say things like this? why do you do it so well?

You know he's the best we've ever played and you really are the best we've ever played. Yeah, you, go right there, there's no doubt about it and what made Michael so Special, he did it in the highest love in the playoffs like we've never seen before, so you and Larry saw things that you hadn't seen before. seen exactly, they're spectacular, what a move you're in, baby, what a shot of John Starks, Jordan trying to shake it off. STS Oh What A Move by Jordan both clubs face each other Michael Jordan and Xavier McDaniel having word SMI scri Smith for Smith to again to the Knicks on the balls in s the season ends for the New York Knicks at the hands of Chicago Michael Jordan with 49 points here's Jordan oh and Jordan everywhere Jeff Vany yelling at him well the best player I've ever played against has to be Michael Jordan Tonight 20 years ago Jason had a special night, it was the first time he faced Michael Jordan uh La Jordan story, well I think the first time I defended him, remember that game?

Yeah, it's probably my rookie year. I actually told this story to Chris Middleton my rookie year. I am protecting them and I can know that my heart is about to come out. from my chest and he was a little nervous and I think you could see that, so he came up to me and said, look, don't worry, boy, I like you, so I won't embarrass you tonight, so I said, oh, It's good, awesome. I went to dinner the night before with Michael and uh and I just hoped that when I left dinner I wouldn't bother him so I said well, what does shame mean? 50 he said oh no no, I'll take it easy on you.

And then, I was protecting him in the right area. I'm just praying that he just shoots a fat jump shot but he decided to go to the baseline and he did a spin move toward the baseline and I said, oh no, just don't do it. I didn't target him when he was going to jump. All I could think of this can't be a highlight. I think he picked up the check, which might have upset him, and then he jumped up and kept going and went to the other side of the basket. I did a little reverse layup and I said oh thanks, I'm glad he didn't make it and he liked a little reverse layup and when he came down and started running back, he just looked back and winked at me and looked.

He turned to me and he winked and said: I told you I wasn't going to embarrass you. He took it easy on me and he was 35, so that was just a reference. I thought, oh man, this could be a long night. He did it, he only scored 36 points and they won by six in overtime, but you didn't take it easy, remember what you did? and six steals oh wow uh none of those steals were against when I was guarding it uh they must have been playing in an inferior basket for me to score so many points look at the movement the left hand crosses to the right crosses back to the left inside is Lorenzo Williams who dunks, oh God, it was just you know, playing against the best, you know, um and I was lucky if those were my stats, um, but we lost, so you know it's about winning and that is. what he does best, I try to make the game perfect.

I try to make it a perfect game for me. His way is to befriend them to soften them up, oh yeah, to try to feel, make them feel that he cares about them and. then he comes out and tries to physically destroy it. Van Gandy said I was a k man and had never seen a nice man used in a polite or respectful manner for any reason. It is important throughout the league to be liked. Him, I have no idea why you take negative reviews in a positive way. I would take them positively to go out and prove the point.

I'm sure Michael will use this as motivation because MJ actually got FES a couple of times. F shoots, bets, jumps 51 and he says yes and looks at Van Gundy when he does it. I compete harder with my friends more than my enemies and um, I don't think Magic Johnson would step aside and let me win a championship. in 1991 because we were good friends. When you see me, maybe joking and joking with some of the players, I sure want to create friends so that the stigma of Michael Jordan being such a dominant player and such a respected person doesn't infringe on an individual to reach out and be a friend. for me.

I want people to see me as a person, but you still know when. We entered the basketball court. I want to be challenged as a basketball player. I just think Michael has become a jump shooter and I don't think he, he, he puts himself in body situations where you can hit. him a little and be physical with them for these criticisms. I think many times it is the motivation for his players to give themselves or increase their level of intensity towards me. Yes, 45 for a bumper, they don't allow me to drive. you know they give me the outside shot if you look at most of the scouting reports in the league a lot of teams say we make him go we make him take the outside jump shot you know there's no way they're going to give me an outside shot .

He directs Lane to the basket. If so, I would go to the basket. You talk about motivation and finding different types of motivation. Well, it's not going to happen much that coaches say these types of statements to motivate you, where else can you find them? the motivation in the course of the game uh Within myself, challenging myself, you play against a team you don't know above 500, it's a natural tendency to be disappointed, so the challenges don't go with the natural tendency, let's go in bucking the trend o If you want to do it individually, you mean maybe get a triple double with a chance.

It's a triple double by Michael Jordan, the first in the history of the NBA Allstar game. There is always something somewhere where I can find that challenge and once I find it. so I'm on the floor of the game I'm in the thought process of the game come on I'll give you a jump shot right now I'll give you a jump shot shoot you don't want it the game has evolved to be more For me it's more of a mental challenge than physical, you know, and that's one of the reasons I keep playing because I can challenge myself mentally.

He was a more athletic version of Julius Irving and could shoot better than Julius Irving and was Meaning he played defense, earning a spot on the defensive team for the seventh of nine times and by adding a gnarly jumper to an offense that once Once it depended on the power in the flight, Jordan at 33 years old was left alone, it is almost as if he allowed us to doubt him. Jordan and Pippen used to lock themselves up. One thing about us is that we help each other, we always cover each other on the defensive end, Michael and I spent most of our careers trying to get Steals and came away with quite a few losses. some, but it was a challenge for us every game to go out and try to get some FS, get an easy basket and, you know, we would look out for each other, we had to cover our asses at times when we were going for Ste Scotty h m a pass sensational to P Jordan there's the feed and we've already given each other names in the locker Road I'm dooo him so uh the clock five in the 24 here is Jordan didn't have the shot C 5 seconds left in regulation inbound has won his fifth championship In the last seven years hey, hey, you and Michael spent a lot of nights in close quarters and he's a good conversationalist.

And what would you hear from Michael? You know everything I want to say about Michael from I mean one. time, I know he started counting backwards, you know, he said something like 38 and I didn't understand it, Reggie, you know what I mean and he started saying 36, wait a minute, wait a minute, so he went back and now, if it comes to zero, I got 40 but it was Michael and I we have a lot of conversations Phil you know titles that last season 9798 the last dance and we are going to do this last dance together those who were lucky enough to see it had a sense give me the ball for the last shot I will it's my destiny to do it God made me to take the last shot here Michael working on russle brings them closer it was one of those games where it seemed like we were in control of the game and I wish I had a nickel for every time you can say that about a team Michael played on.

Al is double, they make SW and they steal it, you get right to the last second that he had the ball in that situation, here comes Chicago 17. seconds Jordan opens Chicago with the advantage that he loves to compete and live up to that moment that is given to him presents and I think he's looking for that moment to stop him Harper's behind the screen the Chicago Ms have won their sixth NBA championship and it's their second three oh my god that was beautiful Michael and the Chicago Bulls are the reason why the NBA went global the Chicago Bulls won their six NBA championships, six titles, six Finals MVPs, that means it was all about you in every series, you were the odd brand, Jim's shoes are still the best.

I sell to this day, ball head, tongue, oh look at that thing that seems to listen to three guys that every time I see it I pay tribute to Larry Bird, Madic Johnson, who saved the NBA and took it to an incredible level , and Michael. Jordan jab steps everything was perfect he was the and the perfect size you said it right to add what Chuck said and to you and being two guards Chuck and Kenny you look guys and you all know what I can take away what is my Advantage tonight and that's when I start racking my brain night after night because I'm like, hey, I'm going to take advantage especially when he started shooting threes and I'm going to let him shoot jumpers.

I couldn't do that, yes, I'm going to do it. having it put on his left hand there was always a player who had a weakness. I couldn't find anything so you started saying I had to get him in foul trouble and all the referees every time we played against Chuck it was over. with five fouls he ended up with one, so there was nothing you could do but try to beat him up in the post and I hope you know that will be my answer, but one of the best in a nightmare. Brace yourselves because four years ago he told a Hall of Fame crowd not to laugh, but don't be surprised if he returns to the court when he's 50 years old.

No, Michael Jordan is not dressing for the team he owns, if he was, we would. I won't be doing this on the marine block and it will be our main story in the Ace, but he has an advantage over his own players, those Bobcats, now earlier this year, second overall pick Michael Gilchrist admitted that MJ schooled him one to one, of course he did. There is a lot of knowledge, a lot of skills that never go away. Do you think if you play against some of your guys right now, sometimes you do or don't? So could you win one on one against them?

I'm pretty sure I can, so I don't want to do that and demolish their confidence, so I stay away from them. I let them think they're good, they think they're good, and I'm too old to do that anyway. MJ sat down to meet with the game's creators to discuss all kinds of basketball-related things. You have to be very competitive. Know. I think a lot of my defenses, because of my competitive nature, I don't want you to surpass me. Know? Or not. I don't want you to earn me a certain amount of points. Are there rules for trash talking?

I only talk trash to people I know, my friends Patrick AND Bird Magic, those kind of guys, but I never talk trash to people I don't know. I don't even know the people I'm meeting and if they played my game, they always did my talk and I never say anything, so this might be something you can probably print out. You know I'm playing in my uh, my camp against OJ ma. He was one of the coolest coming out kids in high school and I wasn't. I never met him for the first time in front of my camp and he starts saying that thing about uh, you can't protect me, you can't do this, you know, I have my campers here.

So obviously I can't go where I want because of my camp, so I stop the camp, send the kids to bed, we go back to playing and he starts everything, you know you can't protect me. I can't do this and I finally quit. I told him look buddy you may be the best player in high school but I'm the best player in the world so from this moment on it's a lesson and from that moment on it was a Lesson he never won a game. I published it. He did everything possible. If I can ever show you that movie, if you can ever ask him, ask him about what happened at my camp.

I don't consider that garbage. I consider that fact. Call it trash, I got some cubes and I think the campers knew I was the only kid in high school, so they got some Rowdy and, uh, we got some John, so, you know, we played two games . I think we split up, it was a team game and then he said, "Okay, now let me take care of my business." He was getting a little tired and he really got into me defensively and you know he's pushing me back. Mom's SC screen, you know he's mom, mom, you know, give him thehit, the famous fades away on me, you know Mike was Mike, finally I just said, I'm telling you, look, buddy, you may be the high school player, you know that, but I'm the best.

Never and never disrespect him, you know the greats like that, 50 years later, you can start this because we will be the old school artist since we came to the league. LeBron has been chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan like James the goat. I had some interesting comments on the topic when he joined the Open Run podcast on the Uninterrupted Podcast Network. I don't think MJ has ever had a seventh game in the finals and people say he was able to close it out early, you know? acts like he, you know, did it all on his own and things of that nature, they forget about Pax's shot and on the left wing, you know, Bill Winnington burned me a bunch of times, you want to know the madness in that game in that particular game in Phoenix MJ didn't even have a ball in his hands Pippen brought the ball up Barkley went to steal Pippen threw it to Horus Grant and he caught the defense, you know, because Barkley made the bet.

They rotated the horse Grant and the horse Grant threw it to PA and MJ had nothing to do with it Mr. Smith, the floor is yours my friend, you know I'm going to try to keep myself under control because I don't want to I find myself in a position where the one that got me too excited. I was thrilled with the softness because I'm a die-hard Nicks fan. I want to get too excited because I'm a MJ fan, but LeBron James, what the hell are you doing now? I understand. Let me be very, very clear LeBron is a three-time champion LeBron is the best player in the world.

I'm sick and tired of throwing out epithets about how great he is and how he's the closest thing to perfection as a professional athlete in terms of on the court off the court combination look I mean, enough of the praise we hear I love LeBron James. I love what it means to the game. I love him as a person. I think he's a great guy, but this kind of stuff here is Max Kellerman. sacrilegious it's blasphemous it's disrespectful and I have to say that Scotty Pippen was a Hall of Famer, that's not recognition. I think that's recognition if you have a teammate who is a Hall of Famer when we show highlights from the Chicago Bulls' championship-winning games.

Didn't we show John Paxton shooting the jump shot? Didn't we show Steve Cerr taking jump shots? Of course we did. LeBron James we're talking about here is possibly the greatest player who ever lived. Really indisputable for most of us. Six NBA Finals. Six. NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVPs without even allowing a seventh game, of course Jordan didn't guard five people alone, of course he didn't score over 100 points in every game, of course he had teammates team, so all these things that LeBron James is. To say it really doesn't make sense, it's just a slap in the face because when you're great, the reason Michael Jordan was so great was not just because he was key, not just because he was a closer, but before he was a closer in terms of championships. .

Max Kellerman was a killer and you knew it Larry Bir said God in a in a b in shorts waxed us when Michael Jordan dropped 63 so when LeBron James suddenly gets professorial you know it and starts speaking eloquently about the nuances of basketball , this is exactly the kind of thing that led to the losses in the fourth D finals because I'm not the four because we know that two of them really weren't their fault at all, but the point I'm trying to make is whether LeBron James He had the attitude of Michael Jordan. Did they lose to Dallas?

Can JJ Bera score him in the final? Can Jason Terry score him in the final? No, it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, so when we talk about Michael Jordan, of course, he had teammates. Of course, he played with people, of course, you know other guys contributed and God did, of course, unlike LeBron James, Michael Jordan had a specific coach that he could rely on during those six titles because Phil Jackson was consistently his coach, while LeBron James had obstacles to overcome. etc., it just baffles me Max Kellerman why you are LeBron James and say these words because in the end it doesn't matter how you cut them.

I know he went out of his way to express that he meant no disrespect. Michael Jordan and I understand that and deep down I don't think he meant any disrespect, but your words seem at least lacking in true appreciation and a little misleading because when you're a superstar and you're the man you know what the hell we're talking about, Don't act like you don't know what requirements come with that LeBron James. God bless him because well, thank the good Lord, he's the man in the NBA because My days were better throughout the season, but you know it's not necessary to make the kind of statement that he made.

This is something blasphemous. Here you know that LeBron James really likes advanced statistics and advanced metrics, using them to improve his game and make him more efficient. He did it in Miami and continues to do it. I mean, he uses these statistics that were not available to Michael Jordan even if Jordan had been interested in those statistics, so he has the advantage in terms of how efficient he can be and yet according to all the most advanced metrics , Michael Jordan is higher on average in his career, as is his PE, his average PR is higher than LeBron's expect per minute. includes those seasons where he declined in Washington, LeBron hasn't even gotten to that phase yet so the gap between Jordan at the top and LeBron 2 is only going to Wi, but this is why I wanted to chime in because while you're talking so eloquently about these metrics and everything else and you're right, your biggest point is something that I want my audience to gravitate towards and that is that he's pulling Jordan because you're justifying your three and four record. in the NBA. finals I'm here to tell you right now two of those losses shouldn't be three and two we three and two for me shouldn't be three and four LeBron James really should be 3 and 2 for me I don't blame him for two of those final losses , but I'd also like to add something here that I haven't heard anyone say: Does Michael Jordan with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosch lose to the Dallas Mavericks?

No, no, that's not happening, I can promise you that. That makes Michael Jordan with Chris Bosch and Dwayne Wade lose to San Antonio in that second round. I don't think so, so I remember Michael Jordan and them going against Utah. Well, it didn't happen when you faced the Malone and John Stocker car for the second time in seventh place. game first same result the problem is that now you're pulling on Jordan's cape and you're not apologizing for it because even if you're doing it you won't admit that you're doing it but none of us are stupid that's exactly what you're trying to do and no It's going to work, it's not going to work LeBron, you can't just sit there, look, LeBron James played with a bunch of no-names when he made the finals in the first round with Cleveland. against San Antonio we understand all that, we understand the part that you have to have teammates to win, but when you mention it in this particular case for Michael Jordan, what in God's name would be the perfect purpose for appearing in a damn podcast? to talk about how you know Michael Jordan had teammates, I mean Steve Kersha, I mean John Paxon, he shot the B oh, what, what, why, I find it offensive, disrespectful.

I find it downright embarrassing that LeBron James continues to mention Michael Jordan in the same way. breath with LeBron James I ask you, is there any way I can finally chase the ghost in 23? Oh, I ask you, he has lost, he has lost several fins. Jordan is 66 years old. Jordan has never come up short, you know, in a series. Like he did in the Dallas Series Finals, how can you top that when he's 6-6? See, that's the part that convinces me. There was an invincibility about Michael in the last eight years of his career and as good as LeBron is. the defeats finally see that there is no invincibility, you don't know, I don't know, he changed the game, Michael not only changed basketball, he changed the sport worldwide again, since LeBron is the best player we have now, he is a great big. player of any era, I think he will retire as one of the top five to eight players to ever play the game, if not higher, but for me to catch Jordan is something I can't fathom.

I ask you, do you ever meet Michael Jordan? disappear in any round of the playoffs even when he was trying to fight the Detroit Bad Boy Pistons and Larry Birds Boston Celtics did he ever just disappear? Did anyone ever say that the kid Michael Jordan had a bad series against the so no one ever said he was the one? one became the Frozen in a way that I have never seen a superstar shrink in the national state. I've never seen a mentally weaker superstar in the history of, in all the time I've watched sports, made it to the finals six times six Finals MVP periods, never lost in the finals, never knew what it felt like and is the Killer Instinct that MJ had.

I think LeBron is more accommodating and wants to get everyone involved and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you just look at the numbers, he could make a case if Mike hadn't done it, if Mike hadn't taken that vacation to go to baseball. , it would have gone from eight to eight, well, I'll tell you like this name and we talked about this name with all the guys that he denied. Hall of Famers he's denied championships to, myself, John Ying, Chuck Charles, all the guys he's denied championships to and you might want to add Hakeem Elijuan if he's not hitting 97 and missing fly balls in the outfield.

Hakeem Elijah won, he may not have two men. I could have gone eight for eight in 2014, my San Antonio Spurs knocked LeBron James off the court by a record margin in the Finals and I ask you, Shannon, if Michael Jordan was ever knocked off the court, his team by a record margin not in any round of the playoffs, sorry LeBron, you are disqualified from even mentioning Michael Jordan. I agree with you, but one of the things I hate about making these arguments is that we forget that this is a team game and that's why Michael Jordan had Scotty Tiffin. and Dennis Robman and Phil Jackson and the reason Lebron won't even be in this conversation because he had to leave Cleveland where he was the MVP and the leader to go to Miami to win the championship here six times and win six Finals, but even when came to Miami and had other Hall of Famers on the team, it wasn't four, four, no, it was two, four, so you know that's a good argument too, but there's no way he can catch.

Michael Jordan, I mean, LeBron, I agree with you, you're going to be in the top five or six players in the history of the game. There's no way I can catch the blind number one. Witnesses who love LeBron James, raise your hand. I know that you are one of the masses that I was going to include you in that okay, they have erased from LeBron's record all those things that no longer count, they have swept them under the rug and into the graveyard as if they had never happened. happened, you can't take them away from his legacy LeBron James is a great player, he's a great player in this era, but he's not Michael Jordan, you know, they're two different animals, Michael was a killer, he's a killer, you know, LeBron is more . of a facilitator he's, you know, he's the guy you're going to give the ball to and he's probably thinking about shooting first before passing when Michael you give him the ball, he's thinking he's going to score 50 on you and then he goes to pass, so you know, you know, and Michael Jordan was the best player, the best player of my era, there have been a lot of great players in this league and it's hard to give one player the best of all time. uh Crown, but all I can say is that in my era, Michael Jordan was the best player of my era and he's uh, I mean, I haven't seen anyone else's Kobe.

I guess the one who got closest to him was the one who got closest to him, but LeBron is great, but he's not Michael Jord, but I don't think it's necessary to compare him to Michael. Michael was much better offensively with a low post game with his shooting. He never played on a team where anyone on the court was double-teamed with him, these two guys he played with. not with Shaq, Kobe played with Shaq, that's what he's saying, who was double-teamed, he's playing with Dwayne Wade, Michael never played with a player who would be double-teamed, so you had to carry that offensive load your entire career, not just one season, an entire career, and then on the other end, it's going to be first team, every defensive player, nobody's going to be like that because none of these guys, like we mentioned before, on these super teams, nobody's going to have that burden. about them like Michael Jordan.

If you have the way things are being built, the greatest shooter or clutch player of all time versus someone whose weakness has always been clutch moments when people start comparing to Jordan, then that's not a scary comparison because you know that J is a much more superior player and a very, very tough and very,You know, he creates, you know, very creative, of course, I mean, that doesn't take anything away from LeBron James, he's a great player, but it's not fair to understand it because I think Jordan is much faster, but when you want. You talk about Legacy and you want to try to convince me that he is even in the same breath as Michael Jordan, that is incomprehensible and ultimately embarrassingly offensive to me and this conversation is over.

I think I'm going to go now. I feel safe because I am the best player in the world. That's simple. What you believe. Is there anyone else. Pro. Look at the look. People always debated who is the best player of all time. Dumb question, it should be who is the best team of all time. I know there are so many teams to choose from the 91 Chicago Bulls sorry Showtime the 92 Bulls in a row 93 Bulls the first three 97 Bulls even with the flu 98 Bulls without drive and my favorite the 96 Chicago Bulls 72 wins difficult to beat that LeBron James never has had neither NE nor will he ever be Michael Jordan LeBron is great, but Michael Jordan is the best, we all say this is the guy, he is the best and we say it with great pride and we say it with great honor to have played. and he competed against him, it was a lot of fun to play against him, he was very competitive and nobody wants to win more than that guy.

We take a look at the times Michael scored 50 points or more in the NBA. He did it. an impressive 39 times, eight times in the playoffs, Isaiah already praised Michael to the sky, one quicker from you, magic, and then back to Isaiah, do you feel Michael is the greatest of all time? I think so. I think he's not only the best basketball player, but probably the best athlete to ever play any sport, he's the best of all time. Jordan created the blueprint for greatness and all you shooting guards out there, did you know that the Jordan Bulls never lost three straight games from 1990 until he retired?

He currently holds the record for most points. in a single playoff game with 63 and he has eight performances of more than 50 points in the playoffs, four more than anyone else, let's see what else his assistant did six championships, six finals MVPs, five regular season MVPs, 10 scoring titles, number one all-time in points per game for the playoffs. number one all-time in points per game for the regular season number one in physical education for the regular season and playoffs number one in winning percentage for the playoffs number four in winning percentage for the regular season and number four all-time times in scoring, whether it's his serious buzzer-beating achievement on Craig Elo, his 63-point dismantling of the Celtics, the Flu Game, the '96 Up and Under comeback championship or Byron Russell's farewell crossover on MJ's part, there hasn't been any player that has given us more legendary performances than Michael Jordan and I also think That, uh, I had to praise another guy and Larry Bird, he was probably the fiercest competitor I've ever faced.

Bird in the corner. Larry little running back gets the BS trying to get away, blocked by Jordan, stops with three bird cuts to a Jordan giving Paxton all the head fakes gives him the little jump Larry over the head to the parish for two how to deal with those quick passes Michael Jordan knocks him down FR Roberts tip of the buzzer on the foul situation except to Michael Bird with his left and in the running back Jordan will just shoot deep and hit Larry could fake with his left hand from the glass pipp and be a pinball, you know, bouncing on the rails and there he is, he can't hold his feet, but Bird is forced to use his left hand. means Michael inside charges into the boards bird around the screen for two like he's one of those get out of Michael's way Larry knocks him down and gets fouled since the sellers were late sellers good vibes to Jordan he got it a basketball team with a foul San Vinson there bir with two more left-handed Jordans inside Bird good fake trying to take a step with nowhere to go falls short look at the follow-up haris porine battle for it bird the steel F two Jordan at the buzzer for two The Celtics it's four in two now the Bulls catch Larry Jordan they literally had him wrapped around the run hits the bucket the foul nullifies the ball Michael Jordan for two Larry breaks free gets two Che lo to the left and oh what a pass from Jordan bird missed it on a screen catches the jumper Jordan comes out and makes a strong shot Larry rolling through a difficult shot yes, a foul HED a three-point shooter in the lineup the bird circles the screen shoots Jordan broke free made the reverse layup Larry he got wide open in the 44th corner because we just dream of doing the things that he can do and that being Isaiah and I, you know, no offense to anyone, there are a lot of tremendous athletes out there, but I haven't seen anyone personally to work as hard as Michael expects to. winning and being the best at the same time that guy devoured anything on a basketball court loved practice won every drill won every game won every practice Jordan passed Petrovic oh yeah yeah yeah failure wasn't an option for him, it was great to see Playing basketball was a new look at basketball at that time and of course the rest of the world realized his superiority as a basketball player, so he was truly an ambassador of the game, maybe now that he is 50 years old can sit back and say: I know that not only did I play pretty well, I might have been the best player that ever played during that time.

I never thought that he was always trying to prove something to someone. I think Michael has as good a legacy as anyone who has played any sport. uh, because he loved the game, he had a passion for it, he played it at the highest level, he won at the highest level, he committed to the game several times at the Olympics and in his country and he continues to commit to teaching the game that you can't . Play this basketball game and you don't know who Michael Jordan is. What was Michael Jordan and what did Michael Jordan mean to this league in a made-for-TV event?

Jordan's number was retired and a statue of the living legend was unveiled in front of the new United Center, affectionately known as the house Jordan built. MJ did it all. In his career, an NCAA rookie of the year title, two gold medals and six NBA championships, but it doesn't end there, adding five regular season MVPs, six finals most valuable players and 10 scoring titles, the most in history. of the NBA in his career with the Bulls who won 10 scoring titles, including seven in a row and had the highest career average in league history 32 points at the end, what it boils down to when we look at Jordan, who religiously averaged over 30, that he was a totally defensive player, that he was a leading scorer that this is what made Michael Jordan enter the league and from the moment he arrived he warned the world in 2009, the highest honor came as a member of the Hall of BB Fame in Duck D by purchasing the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010, Jordan became an owner of the team and As Michael Jordan celebrates 50 years of life, images of his work will always be vintage and timeless.

I think we can all sit back now and realize that it was great to be alive and cover basketball during the Michael Jordan era. We all always remember him as, for me, the best player who ever played. One day you might look up and see me playing at 50. Oh, don't laugh, never say never because limits, like fears, often are. Just wishful thinking, thank you very much Michael J Jordan fueled by a drive to compete that earned him every major basketball award, including six NBA championships, five Most Valuable Player awards and two gold medals. Michael Jordan has a name that has become synonymous with excellence.

His tongue and dunks redefined the game, making him a global superstar whose impact transcended basketball and shaped our nation's broader culture, from the courts of Wilmington Chapel Hill and Chicago to the owner's suite he occupies today. His life and example have inspired millions of Americans to fight for Be like Mike in the end, it is clear that Jordan is the goat. That's all people believe, that's my line.