[Yahoo! Sports] "Jordan’s night to remember turns petty"

Well, we all want to see some celebrities naked rather than their usual boring attires, right? Infinitely more entertaining...

 

People are reacting to the tone of the speech more than the content. They wanted a freaking Miss America acceptance speech, and that's not what they got.

I watched the speech, and I think every high school coach in the country should show it to their players. The analogy of another log on the fire was very good. It was also candid and introspective, and written in a way that is very hard to pull of as well as he did. Athletes don't get up and give speeches like that to an auditorium full of people. MJ worked hard on that speech to get it that way. I was impressed. Nobody who was mentioned in that speech is offended, so why should the press be offended?

 

Adrian wdsfsdfsjfldlsffj is the ****tiest column writer in sports... or one of the ****tiest... I can't stand this guy's opinions... he makes a mockery of players... I know his fat ass can't go out there any play...

 

Thats a horrible article. People looking to cry about that speech are trying to way to hard. It was an amazing speech. I hope my kid has that level of determination and I don't give a crap attitude. Relentless. Never giving up.

He attacks MJ's management abilities? Fair enough... but really? MJ tries everything, baseball, golf, racing, gambling, he is competitive. Its a beautiful attribute. Jordan's management problems do not stem from a lack of dedication. They stem from him never having to have applied himself in a spectrum in which he has no natural talent. Michael Jordan is relatively young in the profession, he has gotten by on talent and dedication alone his whole life. As he grows he will learn to channel other avenues (as he did during his 2nd comeback) to become great at team management.

MJ is young. Give him enough time and he will succeed at anything because he will never give up.

 

Well said.

 

not a very well-done speech by MJ. classless and arrogant.

 

He didn't become the GOAT by being classy and humble.

As many have said, that was an excellent speech that let us peak into Jordan's mind set, to see his determination and competitiveness, how he used everything possible to will himself to become better, to stay ultra competitive. If he didn't have that fire burning inside, he probably would still have been a great player, based on his talent alone, but he wouldn't have become the GOAT in basketball. In this speech he gave us a glimpse of how he had kept that competitive fire burning red hot through all those years, and that is by channeling any and everything negative about him into "logs" for that fire. Of course he seemed bitter and still holding a grudge against something that happened two decades ago, that's what made him become the greatest.

He could've given a way more politically correct speech, and he could've made it pretty good, and no one would've said anything. Instead, he chose to give a sincere speech about his minds and thoughts throughout the years, and to me that is infinitely more valuable compared to an ordinary "thank you, thank you, thank you" speech.

 

If that was it, why isn't my wife the greatest at something?

 

This has been exactly my reaction while reading through these threads.

 

While I do believe a lot of the speech was a little petty, I think the buzzword should really be the one I bolded: insecure.

I'm assuming Jordan has noticed that many people think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

And that's exactly why the speech was so odd: it seems like he spent most of it trying to prove something that's already been proven in the court of public opinion (that he was the best). I don't personally agree with that, but it's certainly the public consensus.

He was fighting a battle that's already won. The whole thing just seemed really, really insecure. Jordan continues to be his own best PR man, in that he will never give any of the people who helped him along the way any credit, unless it would be a complete pink elephant in the room if he didn't (Pippen).

Hakeem is the exact opposite of Jordan. Hakeem carried his team in his championship years even moreso than Jordan ever did, and still he was completely selfless when he won that MVP. And that's why I'll always love Hakeem.

 

He can get away with wearing a single gold hooped earring to this day!
Mike's speech was great. He told us what fueled him to work harder and longer than his counterparts. He told us why he was so great without saying it. To be the top dog you will be challenged. It was his interpretation of ordinary events that most people would let go, but not him. He strived to be the best in his own mind and others'. His form of motivation(sometimes phantom to you or I, challenges) had to change from day to day or from year to year. It helped make him one of the best ever.

Side note: Hakeem is still greatly underrated, sadly.

 

It was overall fine for him to say what he did; I think he was trying to be "needling" as Wilbon described it. He wanted to remind us of what inspired him to be the best.

But in some cases it was a bit uncivil; I mean, for him to remind Pat that he had to vacate the hotel suite for MJ, I mean it's funny but also not nice. The man is 70 yrs old, don't embarrass him!

I do think it was a way for him to put some closure and sort of settle scores; was he really inviting Leroy Smith for other reasons? He probably isn't friends with that high school coach but just wanted to reprimand him. And that high school coach probably didn't make a mistake; I bet Leroy Smith was the kind of player the coach wanted at that position and probably played good ball for him. If MJ goes on to greatness, that high school coach can't be bothered by that 25 years alter.

 

If anyone wanted to know what kind of person Jordan was, and how petty (and, yes, competitive) he could be, all they had to do is read "The Jordan Rules". I don't think the HOF induction speech is the right place to confirm what many have already accepted as truth. I also find it interesting that Rocket fans - fans of an organization with 2 championships delivered primarily due to one of the most humble players ever - can at the same time condone what was an act of arrogance and pettiness. Really...flying in Leroy? For what? It wouldve been one thing to say "Hey, this man practiced with me, started over me, and helped fuel me to the heights that I attained. Without you, Leroy, I wouldn't be where I am today. Thank you for being a part of all of this.". But to me, he just put him there as a prop to somehow prove to the world again, the desparity between himself and most players. Whether done half-heartedly or not, it was far from class...but it was Jordan...so I'm not surprised at neither his brazen pettiness nor the all-acceting adulation from fans.

I respect the heck out of Jordan as a player i also respect what drove him during his playing days (tbh, it drove me to heights I probably wouldn't have achieved elsewise). However, he missed a golden opportunity to show graciousness, humility, strength and character. To all those he sparred with, a thank you couldve been offered. To his coaches, teammates, referees (ok, just kidding...kinda), trainers, family, etc., that speech was the golden opportunity to show how much he appreciated them. But he missed it.

My favorite Jordan memory? When he won his championship, was on the locker room floor clutching with every ounce of physical strength he had left and emoted uncontrollably. He had reached the pinnacle and you couldn't help but fee great for the man. Not so coincidentally, he also didn't open his mouth to spew (jokingly or not) at any detractors. The best way to show your greatness is as simple as achieving it all, then being humble enough to not turn around and denounce your perceived detractors.

I tend to think people loved the speech because it was, yes, entertaining, and I can understand that. We want entertainment. However, when it comes to real life, I expect more from myself, my children, and anyone I would ever tout as "great". We've all heard the saying "act like you've been there", right? Well he acted like he had never visited class, graciousness, or humility...even if he did it with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

 

As much as I will forever love MJ for the fire he instilled in a lot of people, myself included, to love this game even more, this is a fantastic, ballsy, and on-point post. You may get flamed, but this is nothing but the truth. Super props.

 

Except for stuff like baseball, which he failed at and gave up on. Or gambling, which he failed at and....He was (absolutely, utterly, legendarily) amazing at 2 things: playing basketball & marketing himself. He has not exactly been successful at much else outside of that.

 

So just because he's a great player that makes his speech correct? Its his speech, so he can say whatever the hell he wants in it but the fact is his speech was petty and not befitting a player of his status. Its a once in a lifetime thing, and he wastes it by belittling people, including other players who deserve to get in the HOF as much as he does?

Humility and class isn't needed to become a great player, but they are needed to become a great person, and Jordan is a person first before a player. The GOAT is a bitter egostistical old man who can't let go of past grudges? If you're gonna be the GOAT you should be damn near perfect, if Pippen and PJ weren't there to sort out the chemistry problems MJ might be labeled as a team killer the way Kobe was before he matured.

 

Thanks.

As great a talent as Jordan was I was never on his bandwagon the way so many were. I only wish there COULD have been a Bulls/Rockets Finals with the '94 team (that beat the Knicks). Nothing is for sure, but I would have bet on the Rockets all the way.

 

his shoes are driving me crazy with all the re-made re-releases of older years...

they're like... almost a pair of jordans, but knock offs

 

No he's not.

He's nearly 50, and has been around the world long enough to know that acting like a petulant 15 year old when you are being celebrated is a discredit to himself, his judgment, and a testament to his inability to recognize changed circumstance. (probably a terrible quality for a GM, incidentally)

 

Jordan reminds me of Daniel Plainview...