Spring Break
Where's the love?
Jeff Ellis
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Sports
Competitors recognize competition and the many hours of hard work that it takes to accomplish the highest honor in basketball. A Basketball Hall of Fame induction is an achievement that many players and coaches often strive for during their basketball careers, but may never receive. A player may be considered eligible for an induction, but it can take years before he is actually selected, if he is at all.
The 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame class included greats such as John Stockton, David Robinson, Jerry Sloan and Vivian Stringer. Michael Jordan headlined the class. I mention his name last as a representation of the lack of respect given to a player of such skill and class who contributed as much to the NBA and the world of basketball as he did.
At the news conference, Jim Nantz seemed to feel sorry for the fact that the greatest player's election to the Basketball Hall of Fame was so anti-climactic. He seemed apologetic while saying "Michael, you may have had a hunch this day would come."
It seems fitting and fully appropriate for a player such as Michael Jordan, who transcends the game's highest honor, to have an induction ceremony so inadequate as his. Six years after his final game at the age of 46, Michael is at a point in his life where his career should be summed up through careful consideration and respect.
When asked to reflect back on his most memorable moment as a player, one may expect him to speak about one of his six championships or MVP awards he has earned, but he did quite the contrary. He said, "it was the third game of my rookie season and I was coming to a program that, we were rebounding, we were coming from the bottom and trying to work our way up to the top," Jordan said.
Reciting his memories, Jordan spoke of the game in which his team came back from a 16-point deficit to win the game. "From that point forward, I think the fans of Chicago believed that things had turned positively for the city, and we actually did if you look at that," Jordan said. "That game, I think, signified a change in Chicago. Those games are not always going to be a loss. As long as there's still time on the clock, you can still win the game, and from that point on, I felt like that's the type of attitude I wanted to bring to the city."
The 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame class included greats such as John Stockton, David Robinson, Jerry Sloan and Vivian Stringer. Michael Jordan headlined the class. I mention his name last as a representation of the lack of respect given to a player of such skill and class who contributed as much to the NBA and the world of basketball as he did.
At the news conference, Jim Nantz seemed to feel sorry for the fact that the greatest player's election to the Basketball Hall of Fame was so anti-climactic. He seemed apologetic while saying "Michael, you may have had a hunch this day would come."
It seems fitting and fully appropriate for a player such as Michael Jordan, who transcends the game's highest honor, to have an induction ceremony so inadequate as his. Six years after his final game at the age of 46, Michael is at a point in his life where his career should be summed up through careful consideration and respect.
When asked to reflect back on his most memorable moment as a player, one may expect him to speak about one of his six championships or MVP awards he has earned, but he did quite the contrary. He said, "it was the third game of my rookie season and I was coming to a program that, we were rebounding, we were coming from the bottom and trying to work our way up to the top," Jordan said.
Reciting his memories, Jordan spoke of the game in which his team came back from a 16-point deficit to win the game. "From that point forward, I think the fans of Chicago believed that things had turned positively for the city, and we actually did if you look at that," Jordan said. "That game, I think, signified a change in Chicago. Those games are not always going to be a loss. As long as there's still time on the clock, you can still win the game, and from that point on, I felt like that's the type of attitude I wanted to bring to the city."
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