The Michael Jordan HOF Speech

[Mac the Knife]

I never had the level of Godlike level of respect for Michael Jordan as a basketball player that many have; I always thought he was on a similar level, but not necessarily better or worse, than the likes of Chamberlain, Erving, Bird, Malone, etc.

Last night however, I lost any respect I may have ever had for Michael Jordan as a man. In watching his HOF acceptance speech, I've never, ever heard such a self-aggrandizing, arrogant prick. Did anyone else who heard it have the same thoughts?

[Sguse1]

Then again... Look at his legacy. I would be arrogant too. Who has ever done what he has accomplished?

[Jigga]

Are you :censored:ing kidding me? That's crazy talk, Mac.

[Lee.]

Was there any mention of Leroy?

[dfwabel]

Was there any mention of Leroy?

Yes, there was. He also ripped Stan Van Gundy. From yahoo! sports:

Worst of all, he flew his old high school teammate, Leroy Smith, to Springfield for the induction. Remember, Smith was the upperclassman his coach, Pop Herring, kept on varsity over him as a high school sophomore. He waggled to the old coach, ?I wanted to make sure you understood: You made a mistake, dude.?

Yahoo! writer's account of the speech

[Starchild]

Was there any mention of Leroy?

Yes, there was. He also ripped Jeff Van Gundy. From yahoo! sports:

Worst of all, he flew his old high school teammate, Leroy Smith, to Springfield for the induction. Remember, Smith was the upperclassman his coach, Pop Herring, kept on varsity over him as a high school sophomore. He waggled to the old coach, "I wanted to make sure you understood: You made a mistake, dude."

Yahoo! writer's account of the speech

Corrected

But yeah, his speech was in poor taste - but this is par for the course when dealing with Michael Jordan. To anybody who grew up respecting, but hating him (essentially, everyone but a Chicago Bulls fan), this was absolutely no surprise. His entire speech was just an excuse for him to dig in some extra barbs on people he's already beaten to death. From John Starks (conveniently he left out the part where he was postered by Starks), to Bryon Russell ("I hate to do this to him, because he's such a nice guy." Yeah, OKAY.) to Leroy Smith, Jerry Krause, etc. I think what was more shocking was the fact that he really only had positive things to say about some of his former coaches, Charles Oakley and Patrick Ewing. Granted, everyone knows they're two of his best friends in basketball, but I know I wasn't alone in expecting him to take some additional digs at Oak and Ewing. Also nice job attacking Zeke, Iceman and Magic. Classy.

MJ really had an opportunity to bow out gracefully, thank those who deserved thanks, even to commend his opponents for helping them to raise his competitive drive and make basketball even more fun for him. Instead of praising their play, he praised them for trash talking. But whatever, he's got a smoking hot girlfriend who is like 15 years younger than him, so whatever. Good for him. Hope he continues to fail miserably in all his basketball ventures.

[dfwabel]

Was there any mention of Leroy?

Yes, there was. He also ripped Jeff Van Gundy. From yahoo! sports:

Worst of all, he flew his old high school teammate, Leroy Smith, to Springfield for the induction. Remember, Smith was the upperclassman his coach, Pop Herring, kept on varsity over him as a high school sophomore. He waggled to the old coach, "I wanted to make sure you understood: You made a mistake, dude."

Yahoo! writer's account of the speech

Corrected

But yeah, his speech was in poor taste - but this is par for the course when dealing with Michael Jordan. To anybody who grew up respecting, but hating him (essentially, everyone but a Chicago Bulls fan), this was absolutely no surprise. His entire speech was just an excuse for him to dig in some extra barbs on people he's already beaten to death. From John Starks (conveniently he left out the part where he was postered by Starks), to Bryon Russell ("I hate to do this to him, because he's such a nice guy." Yeah, OKAY.) to Leroy Smith, Jerry Krause, etc. I think what was more shocking was the fact that he really only had positive things to say about some of his former coaches, Charles Oakley and Patrick Ewing. Granted, everyone knows they're two of his best friends in basketball, but I know I wasn't alone in expecting him to take some additional digs at Oak and Ewing. Also nice job attacking Zeke, Iceman and Magic. Classy.

MJ really had an opportunity to bow out gracefully, thank those who deserved thanks, even to commend his opponents for helping them to raise his competitive drive and make basketball even more fun for him. Instead of praising their play, he praised them for trash talking. But whatever, he's got a smoking hot girlfriend who is like 15 years younger than him, so whatever. Good for him. Hope he continues to fail miserably in all his basketball ventures.

Thanks.

[The_Admiral]

If Michael wasn't an who was out to get everyone who may've wronged him, he wouldn't have been the greatest player of all time. Which he was. "Not necessarily better or worse than Bird." Get oooouuuutt

I will say that telling his kids he wouldn't want to be them was pathologically narcissistic. Oh well.

[STL FANATIC]

If Michael wasn't an who was out to get everyone who may've wronged him, he wouldn't have been the greatest player of all time. Which he was. "Not necessarily better or worse than Bird." Get oooouuuutt

I will say that telling his kids he wouldn't want to be them was pathologically narcissistic. Oh well.

Might be the only time this'll ever happen, but I agree 100%. And it's not as though he didn't credit others also.

[Saintsfan]

Having read that Yahoo column, and thinking about some of the things it said, I wonder if the all time greats ever really get over retirement. In all sports I mean. Look at Jordan's post Bulls retirement- a failed Baseball career, a comeback with the Wizards, getting involved with the Bobcats. I guess its that constant drive that makes them the greatest, but it does sometimes make them ugly people.

[The_Admiral]

Given that Michael was in a class of his own as a player, maybe he should've been in a class of his own as a Hall of Famer. The big four Halls of Fame have more than their share of dubious members, especially basketball's (Dick Vitale is in it for yelling like a fool), but Jerry Sloan and John Stockton are undeniable legends of the game, and their enshrinements have been reduced to afterthoughts because Michael had to get one last jab at that fat idiot Krause. Whether he had chosen to simply say "thank you" and sit down, or get up there and run down all his perceived enemies as he did, nobody should have had to share the stage with him. It's kind of weird that we're even discussing this, by which I mean "Michael Jordan entering the Hall six years after hanging 'em up." They couldn't have fast-tracked Michael Jordan? What an odd way for it all to end. Here we are in 2009, finally getting around to the biggest formality in all of sports. They should've inducted him the day after #6, or even right after his 2003 retirement. This was just odd.

[TFoA]

I'd always wanted to hear MJ basically let go of most of his inhibitions and just go straight shooting from the heart, and damn did he last night or what? He laid into EVERYBODY. lmao @ the comment on his kids. That was just ridiculous.

Yet and still, I find it hard to be mad at him because 1) I was one of the biggest Michael Jordan fans in the state of Mississippi & 2) He's Michael Jordan. He's practically the only basketball great that can get away with what he said last night.

[Jigga]

I'd always wanted to hear MJ basically let go of most of his inhibitions and just go straight shooting from the heart, and damn did he last night or what? He laid into EVERYBODY. lmao @ the comment on his kids. That was just ridiculous.

Yet and still, I find it hard to be mad at him because 1) I was one of the biggest Michael Jordan fans in the state of Mississippi & 2) He's Michael Jordan. He's practically the only basketball great that can get away with what he said last night.

That's what I'm saying, Flame.

I always felt MJ was always too cautious and careful in what he said, kind of like Tiger Woods. Republicans buy sneakers, too?? Man, :censored: that. Be real. Be yourself. And to anyone that doesn't like 'em, :censored: 'em. You're Michael mother:censored:ing Jordan. King Kong ain't got [nothing] on you!

[rangerfan94]

Jordan was the best player in his era. Being elected to the HOF is an honor. It is a time for reflection and thanks,which he did speak about.But Some of his comments were uncalled for. He really disapointed alot of people last night.

[tBBP]

And I'm guessing some of those people are posting/have posted in this thread.

I ain't one of them.

For once, it was refreshing to see someone shoot back for once. That it was His Airness was all the more gratifying.

Dude already had haters. What's 40 or 50...thousand...more? Like Katt Williams said, if you got 20, you need 40 (thousand) of them muckerfuthers. What you think a hater's job is? To friggin' hate, so let them friggers hate. Just confirms the man's greatness. They hate...they hate cuz they ain't.

(And lest we forget...hatin' IS the new national pasttime, is it not???)

[The_Admiral]

I always felt MJ was always too cautious and careful in what he said, kind of like Tiger Woods. Republicans buy sneakers, too?? Man, :censored: that. Be real. Be yourself. And to anyone that doesn't like 'em, :censored: 'em. You're Michael mother:censored:ing Jordan. King Kong ain't got [nothing] on you!

I don't know about this. I think it was pretty important for the NBA's period of dominance that their star player wasn't widely known as an unlikable jerk. (Not a tautology: contrast with Charles Barkley, a lovable jerk.) I was too young to really "follow sports" during Jordan's heyday beyond merely watching Bulls games, and the sports news cycle was radically different anyway, but from what I understand, you could get a little closer to the "real Jordan" if you looked in the right places. Jordan was himself, that is to say a ruthless competitor obsessed with not only beating but humiliating everyone, inside the lines where it counted. I can't begrudge him playing nice with the media and making Looney Tunes movies. He got to make his millions with shoe endorsements and punch Steve Kerr in the face during practice. Best of both worlds.

Tiger Woods doesn't hold back any controversial thoughts because nobody programmed him to have them.

[rangerfan94]

And I'm guessing some of those people are posting/have posted in this thread.

I ain't one of them.

For once, it was refreshing to see someone shoot back for once. That it was His Airness was all the more gratifying.

Dude already had haters. What's 40 or 50...thousand...more? Like Katt Williams said, if you got 20, you need 40 (thousand) of them muckerfuthers. What you think a hater's job is? To friggin' hate, so let them friggers hate. Just confirms the man's greatness. They hate...they hate cuz they ain't.

(And lest we forget...hatin' IS the new national pasttime, is it not???)

I dont hate Jordan,In fact I loved watching him play. There was never a dull Bulls game I had seen when he was in the lineup. He was a clutch player,winner and the most thrilling NBA player I have ever seen D.R. J comes in a close ssecond. BUT I have never have seen a HOF inductee "shoot back " as you say. His numbers, and accomplishments speek for them selves, so what was the point? And yes it seems that "Hate" is the new National pastime. That is what is wrong with this world.

[tBBP]

Oh yeah, MJ had some choice bullets, all right...but none, until someone with a heavier scrotum sack comes along, will stack up to those of Bob Knight, with his (in)famous shot at practically the whole world, basketball and/or otherwise. I can't remember it verbatim, but (EDIT: Greg got it...see post below).

That was effing CLASSIC.

[Jigga]

"When my time on earth is gone, and my activities here are passed, I want they bury me upside down, and my critics can kiss my ass!"

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I interned with the Washington Wizards and sat in a player's lunch once. It was my co-workers (three of us), a trading card rep, the caterer and the players, and that's it.

I'll say this: The smiling, controlled Michael Jordan in the Hanes commercials is nothing like the profane, braggadocios bully I saw. He was the center of attention the entire time, controlled conversation among the players, put them all down, trash talked, and was generally an ass.

But he's also the best ever. As far as I'm concerned, let him say whatever he wants.