No, and I wish the NHL hadn't done it with 99. What if somebody better comes along in either sport? I can see why with 42 in baseball, but I think I'd prefer not to retire numbers league wide.
I wouldn't mind simply because I hate seeing young guys wanting to be MJ so they pick #23, that's why I was glad Derrick Rose was drafted by the Bulls cause he had to switch to #1 haha.
I am surprised by the amount of opposition to this idea so I am going to play Jordan's advocate. My reasons are simple. MJ put basketball on the map, before Kobe or Lebron could leap from HS to the Big League, Jordan paved the way for the One Man era. He brought the game to the global stage, awareness of his brand and image is iconic everywhere you travel. He created the persona of Jordan and delivered on the highest stages of the game. Without Jordan the game would not be remotely close to the success it has become. All these superstars enjoying the lifestyle thanks to Jordan, making millions, selling sneakers, appearing on TV ads selling from batteries to underwear. That is the all the work of Jordan and note I am only putting the offcourt stuff here to show Jordan was a social phenomenon. Every kid bought Js and got a #23 jersey while sticking their tongue out driving to the basket as a sign of coolness. Today all of this has become the culture of the NBA and people tend to forget how much Jordan influenced everyone on and off the court. Now his game is just legendary, too many clutch performances, game winners, big plays, imposing his will on opponents that I will refrain from turning this into a boigraphy of his accomplishments. In all his the GOAT and no one is even close to him. Give the man the respect he deserves retire #23 all around the league.
I disagree completely. MJ did NOT put basketball on the map. Mikan first put it on the map by being the first superstar and the first to demonstrate that being big is better in basketball, letting the game progress. Cousy (and Maravich later) brought a new more flashy style to the guard position which was also crucial to the game's development. Wilt and Russell arguably put basketball on the map by being two larger than life superstars whose constant confrontations were the darling of media and the basketball audience. Then, in the 1970's, the ABA brought the athletic swingman play from which Jordan himself claims lineage; he wrote in his autobiography that “I believe greatness is an evolutionary process that changes and evolves era to era. Without Julius Erving, David Thompson, Walter Davis, and Elgin Baylor, there would never have been a Michael Jordan. I evolved from them.” In the 1980's, Bird and Magic brought the league into its Golden Age, where arguably even today's NBA strives to get back to. Jordan was a great player, possibly the greatest of all time, but he was no Jackie Robinson in terms of impact. He stood on the shoulders of previous basketball players, and he said so himself.
I agree with the general consensus here that league-wide retirement of a player's jersey just because he is currently considered the best to ever play is a bad idea.
I thought Wil Chamberlain is the best player in the NBA history. http://www.nba.com/history/players/chamberlain_bio.html In a couple years, player will start wearing 3 digit number jersey.
Correct. This would be like a slap in the face to other #23's who have or deserve to have their jersey number retired (by their own team).
I wish there was a 'hell no' option. Really stupid idea, to say Jordan was something more than the greats before him. Only in terms of marketing, and that disgusting tongue habit. Ew ew ew ew EW!
For a 100th time, NO!! No one is denying MJ's talent but whether you see him as the BEST player or MOST TALENTED guy to ever play basketball, it's a pretty subjective and opinionated topic that not everyone would agree with. On top of that, you're going get a lot of issues with other players who also think they're in the same tier as MJ, and perhaps rightly so.
