My immigrant grandmother, who had no interest in sports, watched Michael Jordan in awe every time he stepped onto the court and did his thing.
Now the new generation of NBA fans got a taste of His Airness.
“The Last Dance,” ESPN’s 10-part documentary series about Jordan and his 1990s Chicago Bulls dynasty, proved that he is the greatest basketball player of all time.
Six championships. 10 scoring titles. Five MVP awards. 10 All-NBA first team designations. Nine All-Defensive honors. 1988 Defensive Player of the Year.
While legends Larry Bird and Magic Johnson saved the NBA, Jordan changed the culture.
Former President Barack Obama said in the documentary, “Michael Jordan helped create a different way people thought about the African American athlete… he became an extraordinary ambassador, not just for basketball, but for the United States overseas.”
He resonated with people of all ethnicities. He introduced a flare and swagger that the NBA hadn’t been seen before.
Whether people want to accept it or not, he set the foundation for all the NBA stars who came after him.
He’s our generation’s icons’ icon.
The player I idolized growing up, Kobe Bryant, idolized Michael Jordan. Bryant made it no secret, and his “Mamba Mentality” mirrored Jordan’s competitive nature.
Even LeBron James, who many like to compare with Jordan, described the moment he met Jordan as a religious experience. “I literally couldn’t believe it was him,” said James. “He was Black Jesus to me. Nobody could say to me anything different.”
Jordan loved the game. Even more so, he hated losing. His hatred of losing is what kept him going in the times when there was nothing left to give.
Each player was vital to that Bulls dynasty, but Jordan and Bulls Head Coach Phil Jackson were what kept them intact.
Jordan pushed his teammates to their best.
You may call him a bully, but without his tough love, there wouldn’t be six championships.
If he told every player how lovely they were, there would be no hustle. In Episode 7, Jordan had to drag most of his teammates along. Yes, he punched Steve Kerr and Will Perdue. Yes, he constantly jeered at Scott Burrell.
But in the documentary, Burrell and Kerr talked about how they look back at Jordan’s “bullying” and appreciate it.
Jordan bullied himself harder than he did anyone else. His internal competition ate him up.
Even as food poisoning struck him in Salt Lake City in 1997 for Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, also known as the “Flu Game,” Jordan balled out. Sweating and slumped during each timeout, he didn’t let the game defeat him.
I know what you skeptics are thinking-- this documentary is a publicity stunt to keep glorifying a flawed athlete.
Yes, he is flawed. But he is human. All of us are flawed.
Jordan is not a villain just because he doesn’t match your expectations of him off the court. After decades of people telling his story through their eyes, “The Last Dance” finally gave Jordan the opportunity to tell his own story.
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