Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame Speech

Very “Micheal Jackson” like….sad really. The deep insecurity behind all of this. No joy. He would benefit from having straight up people in his life, but his money, fame, and image will most likely keep those type of people out of his life.

While no role model himself, MJ could have taken a few lessons from Chuck, especially in how to deal with fans and regular folk.

The guy is a straight killer on the basketball court and a world class asshole off of it, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about him. I appreciate him for being an asshole because that was a major component for him becoming such a great player.

Not to make excuses for MJ, but I also suspect he’s going through a superstar’s version of the mid-life crisis. The acceptance speech, saying he can still compete in the league, and crap like that tells me he just misses the competition immensely.

As for the excerpts you listed, I don’t have a problem with what he said about Krause, Krause is a world class asshole in his own right. The Tex Winter thing was a joke and wasn’t meant to be a shot at anyone. He loved, and respected Winter as a basketball man. Winter was the guy that got Jordan to buy into giving the ball up and becoming more of a distributor. Hell, in the same portion of the speech Jordan made it a point to thank and promote Doug Collins, the coach that MJ was rumored to have had fired. Of course he was glowing in his comments about zen master Jackson. As for the comments about his kids, yes that was disappointing.

One thing off the court that I always appreciated about Jordan was his outright refusal to get pulled into the race issue. Jim Brown is still pissed at Jordan to this day because Michael refused to use his celebrity in that arena.

I’m probably engaging in some hero worship, so guilty as charged, but man that dude provided some unbelievable memories for me and for that I’m eternally grateful and willing to overlook a bunch. Just my two cents.

Trips:
 
Krause is silly, but that’s not the appropriate platform for sticking daggers into people. It revealed extraordinary insecurity. One of his major problems with Krause is that he didn’t make the moves Jordan demanded – moves which would have crippled the Bulls because MJ has always had a poor comprehension of player-personnel. Like arguably the worst understanding of any player ever.
 
Krause (and the coaches) did a lot to help MJ get the team around him that he needed to win. Without that supporting cast, Jordan was the guy the Pistons humiliated every year in the playoffs while shooting 7 of 24.
 
The Tex quote is revealing on several levels deeper than just a funny anecdote when read in context and looking at Jordan’s body language as he said it. Apparently Jordan was pretty upset when the Bulls won 50 and went to the Easter Conference Finals without him during his “baseball hiatus.” Revealing.
 
As for issues, Jordan was a corporate athlete. He didn’t want to get into any issues. It was simple dollars. It’s also a generational difference too, obviously. Jordan grew up in a different world than Brown.
 
In short, you’re an embarrassing hero worshipper.

It’s tough to be the Alpha Dog when they won’t let you run with the pack anymore.

Consider me a laughable hero worshipper as well. But that’s mostly because I could care less about athletes as real people. Most of what any of them say goes in one ear and out the other. Watching him play is all I care to remember and all that I will remember.

The speech was perfectly aligned with everything we already knew about him. There was an interesting article I read somewhere (may have been linked off this site) about how the memorabilia he gave to the HoF was basically a Nike project.

To me, Michael Jordan was the antithesis of someone like Ricky Williams. It explains why Jordan achieved more than Ricky, and also why I’d be happy to run into Ricky somewhere in public but not Jordan.

I love Michael Jordan and all the memories associated. NBA on NBC, the Bulls home intro., etc, but I have to say that Scipio, you nailed it. Robinson, Stockton, Stringer and even Sloan (boring delivery, fascinating life) gave tremendously inspiring speeches. Jordan’s was just more of the same. I had hoped for something of the same ilk as the others, but no dice. I grew up loving Jordan and looking up to him. I find part of me wanting to still look up to him, but I can’t say that I do anymore. I will always be grateful for the memories and love him for his game, but the enshrinement was the final nail in the coffin of the “be like Mike” memories for me.

I’m actually not surprised, as it fits the environment he played in for so long.

No City in this republic possesses the particular meanness of Chicago. Think Tammany Hall crossed with the small-town viciousness of a Faulkner story, steered by the ethical compass of salesmen.

Every town produces assholes. It’s the Chicago way to make this seem like a civic good.

Very sad, but very much in keeping with Michael’s [lack of] character.

HipHop -
 
You probably have the best approach, frankly. I’m a fan. I just tuned in expecting something very different. I thought it was sad, more than anything.
 
Wookie –
 
That’s what struck me as well. The clear contrast between Jordan’s speech and the others. Stockton and Robinson were the worst comparators he could have had – he needed Derrick Coleman and Stephon Marbury.
 
parlin -
 
Twain said, “The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.”
 
I shall see your Chicago and raise you Philadelphia.

Scip,

Ironically, Michael offered an honest portrayal of himself, asshole that he is.

I completely get those of you who only care about sports stars in terms of their play on the field/court/whatever. I am one of those unfortunate people who is truly let down by superstars who turn out to be total douchedrips. It does matter to me, in terms of how I view their accomplishments.

The more experienced I get (read: old), the more I notice the same disturbing similarities in those who reach the pinnacle of their professions, whether it be NBA basketball, the law or business. And the greatest of all similarities is a desire to win that trumps all else. I count myself an ardent supporter of free markets, capitalism and all things related, but it certainly rewards those who care more about winning than others, and leads to some ugly humans atop the pyramid. Obviously, I’m generalizing the specific and there are many exceptions. But I’ve dealt with Mike Jordan-equivalents many times in the world. They play the game of life with a chip on their shoulder.

Sorry, I can’t let this go. Jordan did not lie, cheat, or steal to get where he is today. So he’s a jerk, big deal. He’s not an alleged rapist, hasn’t assaulted anyone to my knowledge, and never touched drugs or steroids. If you compare him to the two other cats he shared the podium with that night you have to admit he’s not David Robinson soft nor John Stockton dirty. Asshole, sure? But let’s not shovel dirt on his legend because he didn’t give the standard HOF speech.

Trips, agreed wholeheartedly. My point is that he’s a completely driven asshole. I don’t find it offensive in the least. I just don’t really like hanging with people like that.

Saturday was his first massive public display of assholeness — for all to see. Previously it was all pretty much second-hand stories (battle with Krause, punching teammate Steve Kerr, etc) that could be spun as competitive nature, and soft-pedal his jerk factor.

That is what surprised me — his letting the bitterness show on a stage where everyone is expected to accept the accolades and acknowledge those who helped along the way.

For someone who was so careful about the sale of his image throughout his career, I thought he was smarter than that.

I was in Tahoe in July 1993 with family. Realizing that the celebrity golf tourney was going on my mom said, “why don’t you go up there and get Michael Jordans autograph.” I laughed and called her a naive woman. It’s not that easy I told her, there will be a million kids. She told me I wasn’t going to get it sitting around the house. I said alright then, drop me off. One of the best days of my life. There were tons and tons of people following Jordan around and after his round he signed a few autographs. I pushed my way to the front. He was about 6 feet away from the fans, with a handler handing him things to sign. I figured this is no need to be the cute kid hoping to get noticed. I saw that handler looking for something to grab to pass to MJ. Once his hand opened I stuck my golf tournament flyer in his hand, knowing he’d instinctively latch onto it. I was on cloud nine the rest of the day. Talk about a kid in a candy store. I got Elways autograph. He was cool as shit, walking around drinking his Coors light. I got Michael Jacks Schmidts auto. George Gervin was pimping the white ladies. Hell I even saw Connie Chung who was there rooting on Maury Povich. I look back on that day and kind of chuckle, because now when I reminisce on the day, I think about how great it would be to nail Browning Nagles wife. She was smoking hot. Point being that hero-worship shit has a time and place. I loved Jordan. Haven’t really given two shits about basketball since, but his basketball greatness is no excuse for being an asshole. Like Carlin said, collecting baseball cards when you’re a kid is fine, but once you’re an adult, they’re just pictures of men. Still glad I went that day.

Scipio: great stuff. A lot of the great men have feet of clay.

MagnusBlueVeigner: While your screen name is impressively gross, your post was surprisingly poignant. Great stuff.

I don’t understand all the venom in the comments on the video link:

“IMHO, it was brutally honest and bordered on the pathological or alcoholic.”
“Isn’t it just this attitude that provokes what most gang shootings are about?”
“I hated the Bulls and MJ but at least I always respected him and what he had accomplished. Now he’s just a overhyped piece of crap.”
“I thought “MJ’s” speech was deplorable. He is an egomanical, first class jerk. Great player, awful person."

Some of the anecdotes were petty and sounded vindictive, but I understood MJ was trying to recount the obstacles he’s overcome to be the best. I believe he meant it to be inspirational. Like defy the odds, believe in yourself. It’s the type of stuff that belongs in an autobiography, not a HOF speech. And unfortunately, all the bitterness and nostalgia came out in a self-aggrandizing diatribe that was both unnecessary (given the occasion) and unflattering (at best) toward those who challenged him along the way. But I don’t believe that he took the stage with the intent of grinding axes.

I’m with Trips. MJ didn’t molest children, he wasn’t running a dogfighting ring, he didn’t lie, cheat, or steal to get to the HOF. Let’s keep some perspective. And I guess I’m agree with Scip, too, in that it would be better NOT to be candid and shoot from the hip, if you’ve got insecurities and pettiness brewing inside.

My thoughts are he is a Pete Rose style gambler with a lot more money and the ability to keep a lid on it. He definitely cheated on his wife and lied to his family several times. As for the charges against children, I can only hope that he was not the Great Santini as a father but I imagine he was not a lot of fun to play with in the backyard. “Come on Jeffrey, is that all you got bitch.”

As you grow older you are supposed to appreciate all the people who are important in your life. Clearly, Michael Jordan has never allowed anyone to get to close to him emotionally. He barely was able to thank any of his teammates by name with any heartfelt words or accounts of how they inspired him. No stories of how they were there for him when his dad passed or how he was blessed to share so many championships with any of them. What does that say about him.

Pacman would have been proud as Jordan could have titled his speech “I’m gonna love me sum of me.” I turned to ESPN right in the middle of his speech and my wife and I both had the same thoughts, “What an asshole.” I am going to stick with that assessment after watching the complete speech.

Michael Jordan was a marketing campaign but he is not much different than Wilt Chamberlain. He just had a better Public Relations Department. It is sad that so many people buy into propaganda and are disappointed when they find out it is not true. Fortunately, this is only a guy and his image and not a political movement so we can walk away and go back to our lives, a little more jaded than we were before.

Hank, you nailed it. Loved the last line.

being a great basketball player does not permit that kind of public behavior. period. I dont care if he won some championships. He is not a soldier or police officer risking his life everyday. He is not a doctor saving lives. he wasnt talking crap when he was playing baseball cause he sucked. where did that “competitive” edge go then. one can be great without being a great asshole.