You can argue he is the greatest player ever (I will argue that it's Wilt Chamberlain) but whatever. The point is that there will never be another player in our lifetime quite like Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan is way more then just a name. He is the very definition of many people of what a basktball player should be. Argubly he is the greatest player to ever to play the game, mostly because he is the most competitive player to ever play the game.
I said before he is not the first player I would want on my team, but with the game on the line, I can't think of another player who I would rather have the ball in the hands of.
Say what you want about MJ's greatness on the court, but there is no denying that he defined an entire generation of players. I can't think of another player playing today who can say that.
A recent poll attributed Michael Jordan as being the most recognizable person on planet earth. (It's estimted that 60% of the world's population can identify Michael Jordan by photo, approximately 4.2 billion people!)
Michael Jordan apperaed on Sports Illusrtated while he was playing minor league baseball. If that doesen't tell you the impact this guy had on society, I can't help you.
Michael Jordan is quite simply the most influential athlete I have ever seen in athletics, or life in general. I can see several others who can come close (Jeter, Lebron, Kobe, Tiger, Brady) but I can't see another toping MJ.
I will say with a straight face that he is the greatest athlete of our generation. (at least from a cultural impact perspective) If you are lucky enough to see another one greater, I imagine you will die a very old man, and I envy you if in fact you are lucky enough to see one.
The amazing part is we can't fully appreciate Michael Jordan today. We don't know what it's like to say that we saw Michael Jordan when he played. Most of us simply can't comprehend or understand that. (myself included)
So what does Michael Jordan mean to me?
When I grew up I had three heroes in sports. Michael Jordan, John Elway, and Todd Hundley. All three retired/left in the same year 1998.
I have yet to find another player who can replace any of those three, and I never will.
Michael Jordan is the very reason I got into basketball. I remember being six years old, and knowing nothing outside of the New York Knicks other then Michael Jordan, and yet I still held Michael Jordan in higher regard then an entire team. I was hooked from then on.
When he retired the first time I felt robbed. Here I was at the age of six just about to get into basketball, and I had just lost my favorite player when others said he could still play good.
When he returned in 1995, I couldn't explain the excitement I felt. Finally I was going to see my favorite player in action, but would he be as good as adverstised.
He wasn't as good as advertised though, he was better.
Michael Jordan simply put taught me the game of basketball. Learning about him gave me the foundation for which all my other basketball knowledge is based off of. (The only other person that taught me more about basketball would be Travis Ford, but that is another conversation for another day)
For what I am indebted to Michael is simply beyond description. He's the greatest I've ever seen with my own two eyes, and that's something that I can't see anybody taking away even if I live to 150.
And I'm not trying to take anything away from the other Hall of Fame inductees.
John Stockton may have been the greatest point guard of all-time. David Robinson, was a leader on two NBA championship teams. Jerry Sloan was the greatest Chicago Bull before MJ got there, and is in my opinion the greatest head coach to never win an NBA title. C. Vivian Stringer is the current head coach of Rutgers who's been through alot of things that most fans can't apprecitate or even understand.
Not that long ago I was one of those people that really looked down on women's athletics, and thought of them as lesser then men's sports, and it really took me a long time to look at them in a different light, and understand what their truly about.
Congrats to all of them, they all deserved it, and I hope everyone can truly appreciate the greatest Hall of Fame class in basketball history.
Btw I am completely hammered right now, so I apologize in advance if I made any typos.
No way Jordan isn't the best player of all time but I'll argue that another time, Jordan's speech was about how great he was, I just thought his ego is just to big. Jordan is an egotistical *******. He maybe a really great basketball player, but my favorite player in this HOF induction was John Stockton. He was a great leader and without Stockton Malone doens't have all the points he gets, and without Malone he isn't the all time assist leader.
__________________
I think that Jimmy Hendrix was the best guitarist in the world
Well there have been so many great basketball players so i mean Jordan accomplished the most. I think they could think about retireing his number league wide. The weird thing about that is the Bulls and one other team has his Jersey retired. You may ask what team that is? The Miami Heat. Why idk. But its a logical thing that could be done but i doubt it will
__________________
I believe in Family, I believe in Country, I believe in NASCAR
I'm gonna be honest here guys in 10-15 years we will talk about how Lebron James or Kobe Bryant was the greatest player in NBA History and Micheal Jordan will be an afterthought, this happend to many people like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, these guys pretty much saved the NBA and now people hardly mention them.
__________________
I think that Jimmy Hendrix was the best guitarist in the world
Well there have been so many great basketball players so i mean Jordan accomplished the most. I think they could think about retireing his number league wide. The weird thing about that is the Bulls and one other team has his Jersey retired. You may ask what team that is? The Miami Heat. Why idk. But its a logical thing that could be done but i doubt it will
Shaq only played a few years there it'd be a little harder for them to retire his. I'm pretty sure they will retire Hardaways number here soon though along with mornings
__________________
I believe in Family, I believe in Country, I believe in NASCAR
