ijohnb

May 16th, 2018 at 9:31 AM ^

really bothered me.  I am actually a really big Jordan fan and became a big Bulls fan despite living in Michigan because of him.  If there was one moment, just one time that he could have let his guard down and removed that chip from his shoulder, the induction speech should have been in it.  He had a chance for a really really memorable and classy moment with that and went spectacularly in the other direction.  I bet you he wishes he had a do-over with that.  When you think about other players induction speeches (Dion Sanders comes to mind), they really inspire.  Jordan missed the mark badly on that.

In reply to by ijohnb

DenverBuckeye

May 17th, 2018 at 2:20 PM ^

I never understand why people were so shocked and bothered by Jordan's speech. Everybody loves the on-court, serial killer Jordan, but wants him to be a teddy bear off of it. The man was the best of all time because he was an absolute assassin who created things to be pissed about and did not accept anything less than winning. He was also the most confident player I have ever seen in any situation. The man literally believes he can win anything, any time. His manufactured grudges and constant searching for weakness in others didn't disappear when he stopped playing. His HOF speech was him being himself. Is he an ass? Sure. Did that probably help him become the best player ever? Likely.

stephenrjking

May 15th, 2018 at 9:08 PM ^

This should be really good. Bill Simmons really deserves credit for this, but the trend to develop documentaries of older sporting figures and events is great. 

Interesting, BTW: Looks like MJ is, indeed, going to outlast SI. 

bo_lives

May 15th, 2018 at 11:36 PM ^

This is the kind of logic that makes me roll my eyes in this whole debate. If you're coming into it with the opinion that Jordan is the greatest basketball player there could ever possibly be, you are wrong, and you are clearly biased. A big part of MJ's apparent greatness stems purely from his mythos at this point.

Kevin13

May 16th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^

is the most dominate player to ever play a sport and people who disagree, just don't like hockey or understand it. The guy dominated sport like no other athlete has ever dominated a single sport ever.

I'm not even a Gretzky fan, but can definitely acknowledge just how great he was.

Champeen

May 16th, 2018 at 11:40 AM ^

Agree.  I always stated his records will never be broken without major rule changes and some new prodigy coming along.  I think a moderate second may be Jerry Rice, but damn Gretzky was just unreal.  Maybe their was some dude who dominated darts, bowling, pole vault or some other lessor sport to a greater degree, but i doubt it.  

xtramelanin

May 16th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^

they cited a fan blog that listed gordie's first two, but didn't say that's all he had, or at least what i read of it.  i think he had more than that.  indeed, if it was only done twice it would be hard to think it would be a 'thing' that people ever continued to keep track of. 

xtramelanin

May 16th, 2018 at 8:12 PM ^

i did google.  did find the wiki and cited it to you as the language being ambiguous.  you must be what, 75-85 years old then to have the memory of those games?  or maybe you watched them all on whatever tape existed starting in the '40's?   that is really cool, where did you find those archives?   

 

SkyPanther

May 15th, 2018 at 11:47 PM ^

I didn't see Gordie Howe play. So I can't compare him. But what I saw from Gretzky, he did things that were way beyond what I had ever seen in hockey. I mean way beyond. Who could have even imagined the magic he did before seeing it actually happen.

 

Jordan is second to that.

 

LeBron is....... I don't even care where.

 

I'll put Barry Sanders 3rd

 

Alan Page 4th

 

Jerry Rice 5th, though I wouldn't argue with anyone who would put Jerry Rice 3rd

saveferris

May 16th, 2018 at 7:00 AM ^

You can't argue winning, but you can argue context.  Jordan from 1984 -1990 didn't win anything.  It wasn't until the great teams of the 80's, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Pistons, fell by the wayside that MJ and the Bulls were able to emerge as the dominant team that they became.  The Bulls dominance of the 90's says just as much about the state of the NBA game than about Jordan's greatness, which was able to flourish because it existed in something of a vacuum within the league.

ijohnb

May 16th, 2018 at 9:33 AM ^

think Lebron should worry about winning one game against a Boston team without their only two all-stars in the lineup before we discuss whether he is a better basketball player than Michael F-ing Jordan.

tasnyder01

May 15th, 2018 at 10:04 PM ^

Bron will end up better than MJ. And old people will tell at clouds, shouting"nostalgia!".

I grew up in Chicago in the 90s. And LJ is better.