I wonder if my love for collecting comes from the satisfaction gained from knowing that everything is in order and accounted for. That the numbers line up and everything slots into place. The fact that every SLAM issue ever released has a number, and this number represents a date on the basketball timeline appeals to me. I’m a weirdo. Don’t judge me.

In terms of issue numbers, our last milestone was when we hit you with the Iverson/Jordan double whammy on Issue 200, August 2016. In the eight years that have passed since, things have changed—not necessarily in drastic ways, but there are changes nonetheless. By contrast, when we hit our first major landmark, Issue 50, back in 2001, the changes that had happened since our conception in 1994 were wild.

The internet had immensely changed the way we consumed basketball information. Salaries had evolved from weighty to astronomical. Streetball had infested our DVD collections and the baggy fashion era was about to get real. Very real. One thing remained, though. Michael Jordan was our basketball god.

It was fitting, then, that one of the most iconic MJ moments should inhabit the front page of our 50th drop. It was the infamous free-throw line jam, the Windy City version—the White Cements…Only we did it different. I’m not only talking about the three alternate covers, I’m talking about the never-seen-before camera angles. Our short but significant stint in the game meant editors Russ Bengtson and Tony G had built a solid relationship with legendary NBA photographer Nat Butler. Nat has taken (and continues to take) some of the most iconic pictures in basketball history. To put it plainly, you likely rock his pics on tees, post them on your feed and choose them as your background. The (possibly) unlikely friendship that our forefathers made with Nat meant that he granted access to—and permission to use—previously unseen shots of one of the most significant moments in Mike’s career. The result was a fitting cover series for our 50th issue.

The “familiar but different” element of the SLAM 50 covers epitomizes those early SLAM years. Giving you something you thought you knew, but making you look twice. Reminding us that everything changes, while somehow staying the same. All executed chaotically but perfectly. Everything slotting into place. Numbered in the basketball timeline.

The post The SLAM Archives: SLAM 50 Featuring Michael Jordan From April of 2001 appeared first on SLAM.

We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

Where to start? It’s him. Sorry, He. What hasn’t been written or said? What’s left to be said or written? There’s a GOAT, and there’s a God. What do you write about the someone who occupies both? Are you there God? It’s me, Michael. Not Margaret. Your sidekick. Your Pippen. The one you made in your image like your other son.  

He became, over the course of his career and the existence of this magazine, something greater than any human being—including himself, despite how it was displayed in Air—ever expected. At the time, Ali and Babe Ruth were the mystic and mythical sovereigns. Jordan’s ascent above them put him in a god space only God could explain.

Jordan. Name. Brand. Logo. Symbol. Purpose. Meaning. Being. On which he stands. One nation. Under his groove. Under his influence. Under God. Trapped in an awe of “Ahs.” Spiritual connections to what he was doing, fans praying for him, to be like him; defenders just praying. Moving basketball from a game into territories once only reserved for religions and the NFL. Ten feet closer to heaven. He rose. We rose.

“Is this the end? God Only Knows.” 

The dual use of the word “God.” For him and Him. Shared. Black backdrop, black XIIIs, Black Cat. It was the magnum opus of slept-on covers in the history of magazine covers. Even Alex Wong’s doctrinal testament Cover Story (a book about classic mag covers) slept on it. Deeper than “A Star Is Born” and “Bag it, Michael!” Deeper than “Why?”

Above him: “The Only Jordan Story That Matters.” As if we were going to write something biblical. Jordan 6:23-45. As a magazine, we were getting to the point where we were beginning to believe the outside hype that we were a “basketball bible.” Twenty-seven issues deep. Readers repeating the words from our articles and stories back to us like hymns. Worshippers. We called it the SLAM Dome, but it was feeling more like a temple as we were feelin’ ourselves. As if we were serving a greater purpose. Were we wrong? The only Jordan story that mattered was because we were the only basketball publication that spoke His language. To His people. We were one. Couldn’t tell us nothin’. 

As the great Amiri Baraka said: Wise, Why’s, Y’s? A wise man in 1988 said: “Once I get the ball, you’re at my mercy.” Damned if he ain’t prophet and profit off that. The words rang true like gospel. Every note Shirley Caesar’d, TD Jakes’d. Every move Elgin Baylor’d, Julius Erving’d. Every Inc. decision Bob Johnson’d, Oprah’d. Every approval Deloris’d.  He went from entertainer to empire. All the while paying faithfully acute attention to the fact that the words “In God We Trust” are on every dollar bill this country prints.

Thirteen covers.

Thirteen* million stories. What you learn from writing about Jordan for 30 years is that he is the most difficult person (outside of probably Nelson Mandela and Kanye West, for two totally different reasons) to write about. He always blessed us with access, even when he would close himself off from the rest of the media (sans Ahmad, without doubt). Just enough time to build, have and sustain a relationship with him. He never B. Russ’d us, never pushed us off or away. Always made sure we were a part of his congregation.

Somehow Judy Blume knew what to say for Margaret. Had he even been this Jordan at that time, she couldn’ta spoken for Mike. In all honesty, none of us could. But that’s what we attempted to do at SLAM: Speak for Mike while speaking about him. Speak in a way that removed the corporate aura and colorblind force field he’d built to gain acceptance and move forth as no other athlete had in America. His play wasn’t enough, the endorsements weren’t either. Neither were the shoes, the style, the personality, the magnetism. “Be Like Mike” had limits and was for them. “Mike is ours,” was for us.  

And every time he appeared or his name was mentioned in these pages, that sense of belonging to the culture—of basketball and Blackness, of SLAM instead of Sports Illustrated—that was what we tried to preach. Our sermons not only told his story, but spread the word of our own. Of how he represented everything we were trying to do and everything we strived to stand on. Still, because all Gods work in enigmatic and sublimely impervious ways, never really coming close to capturing who Michael Jordan was. 

Just the way He wanted it.

Photo via Getty Images. Portrait by Atiba Jefferson.

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Nah, not the cassette tapes and baggy jeans. We’re talkin’ about the moments that defined the game, the biggest wins and the brightest superstars. 

SLAM Presents The Best NBA Photos of the ’90s contains hundreds of photos that visually chronicles the entire decade.

In this special collector’s issue, we hit on the biggest wins, the brightest superstars and the most hilarious memories with these photos. No long talk here, though, because a picture’s worth 1,000 words.

The post SLAM Presents The Best NBA Photos of the ’90s is OUT NOW! appeared first on SLAM.

Even though he might be the newest MLB athlete to sign with Jordan Brand, Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr is anything but new to the Brand itself. As a kid, Chisholm met MJ at a Jordan Brand softball game and requested Mike’s autograph. The GOAT denied his request and gave a rather characteristic response: “Make me want your autograph instead.” From that moment, Chisholm made it a personal goal to one day exchange autographs with Jordan. 

Born in Nassau, Bahamas, Jazz described the sneaker scene when he grew up as being dominated by Jordans. “The Jordans that were really popular when I was growing up were the Jordan VIII, VI and X,” he says. Chisholm would move to Wichita, KS, for high school, where he played varsity basketball in his childhood favorite “Aqua” Air Jordan VIIIs. Early on in his baseball career, Jazz was with Nike, but constantly sought the opportunity to join Jordan Brand.

After consulting with fellow MLB athletes Gio Gonzalez and CC Sabathia about their relationships with Jordan, he joined the brand in March of 2023, despite a very lucrative offer from Nike.

Since his signing, he has hit the field most frequently in his favorite Jordan model, the Air Jordan I. “The crazy part is, I don’t think anyone loved Jordan Is growing up,” he says, a stark contrast to today’s trends. Now the kid from Nassau gets them for free. And thanks to his new deal with the Brand, Mike has his own Jazz Chisholm Jr autograph.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr on the Ultimate Challenge from Michael Jordan and AJ1s in the Bahamas appeared first on SLAM.

The cover of SLAM 8 captured an iconic moment in time. Picture this: in March 1995—March 18, to be exact—Michael Jordan announced his highly anticipated comeback. A few days later, on March 24, he would step on to the court at a sold-out United Center with Air Jordan Xs on his feet and 45 on his back to face a young and swaggy Orlando Magic squad. These were hallowed moments.

Orlando’s Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was unfazed. It was just his second season in the NBA, but he had already established himself as a superstar. Forget the “what ifs” for a moment—Penny was one of the most exciting players we’d seen. He was a Magic Johnson remix. You could’ve compiled a top-10 highlight reel for every game he played. He already had a signature shoe and one of the dopest ad campaigns of all time to match (a campaign that this very cover would later appear in). Let me explain it this way: when my closest friend, Neil Stansbie, copped the black pinstripe Hardaway Magic jersey that spring, I asked no questions. Not one. It was a no brainer.

The Bulls won this matchup, but as I said, the image on the cover of SLAM 8 captured something significant. It was MJ in the frame, but instead of denting somebody’s ego, he was on the other end of things. At that moment, Penny had us wondering if Mike was regretting turning his back on those batting cages in Birmingham. A student was getting the better of a basketball master.

Recent interactions have demonstrated that you should avoid talking smack to the greats, but there’s still something in us as basketball fans that loves to see a young dude giving an OG a run for his money. Ultimately, for Anfernee Hardaway, it didn’t turn out great in terms of ever surpassing the exploits of MJ—and there were reasons for that. For me, though, this moment will always represent what should’ve been had the basketball gods been kinder to Penny. There’s so much that we’ll never know, but I do know this: These young dudes need to keep the OGs on their toes, never back down and not be afraid to put a legend on a poster. Or, if you’re truly special, a SLAM cover.

The post The SLAM Archives: SLAM 8 Featuring Penny Hardaway, Michael Jordan From November of 1995 appeared first on SLAM.

“Before Michael Jordan, sneakers were just for playing basketball,” writer Roy S. Johnson said in the Netflix documentary The Last Dance. “All of a sudden, sneakers became fashion and culture.” Indeed, MJ’s marriage with Nike would redefine the sport’s connection with style, creativity and the intersection between hoops and pop culture. And it all began with the Air Jordan I.

The AJ I is even more popular now than it was when it first came out. Nearly 40 years later, the classic silhouette is so special that you see it everywhere from weddings to NFL football fields. The I is made up of the iconic Air Jordan “Wings” logo, the instantly recognizable Swoosh, the leather upper and Nike Air logo on the tongue. The Jordan I got its first re-release in 1994 (one of the first-ever retros, mind you), and in recent years, collabs with the likes of Off-White, Dior and Fragment have kicked the Jordan I’s high-fashion game into overdrive.

It’s perhaps no surprise that the super-OG AJ I would be a favorite among disruptors in fashion and music. After all, this was a sneaker born to shake shit up. See, before the Air Jordan I, basketball shoes were all cookie-cutter, white-based colorways. Sure, maybe the three stripes of your adidas Pro Model or the Swoosh on your Nike Blazer had team accent colors, but that’s about it. When the Air Jordan I burst on the scene in 1985, it was among the first pairs with multiple colors to be worn in the NBA. That might sound funny to you now, but at the time, having so much color on the sneaker was so groundbreaking that it actually violated the League’s uniform policy. Yup, the original black/red colorway of the Nike Air Ship (the style Jordan wore until the I was available) earned Mike a $5,000 fine every time he stepped on the court, which only made the “Banned Is” even more legendary for fans of His Airness.

In 2023, between all the advanced technology available to serious hoopers and the “don’t crease my Js” mentality of most sneakerheads, it’s safe to say the Jordan I is more popular off the court than on it. But in 1985, the Air Jordan I was about as advanced a basketball shoe as you could make, with its newfangled Nike Air cushioning and plush leather quarter panels. And in March 1998, MJ’s final season with Chicago, he pulled out an OG pair of Jordan Is for his last game in a Bulls uniform at The Garden—and promptly dropped 42 points on the Knicks in the Bulls’ 102-89 victory, proving that they were always good enough for the GOAT.

BUY YOUR COPY OF SLAMKICKS PRESENTS TOP 100: THE GREATEST BASKETBALL SNEAKERS OF ALL TIME

The post SLAMKICKS Presents TOP 100: Here’s What Basketball Sneaker We Ranked at No. 4 appeared first on SLAM.

Now that you have the criteria in your mind, hopefully all 100 of these sneakers make sense to you. 

I stand by this list wholeheartedly. When we made SLAM Presents JORDANS Vol. 6: The Air Jordan XI, we very clearly and very definitively put “The Best Basketball Sneaker of All Time” on that cover. That was my true belief before we made that issue and it remains after making this issue. From that No. 1 spot and onwards, we extensively combed basketball sneaker history. I spent days writing down over 300 different sneakers that could’ve been on here and then we—sneakerheads and basketball nerds on the SLAM staff spanning multiple generations—spent a whole bunch of time arguing with each other to hammer out the list that you’re about to read. 

For all those who think I’m foolish for putting the Air Jordan I in the fourth slot and for all those who recognize I know my stuff by including the Nike Hyperfuse 2011 on this list, I welcome you all. This type of stuff is where it gets fun. So let’s have some fun, SLAM Fam. 

As always, wear your damn kicks. 

Peace,

Max Resetar

Which basketball sneakers made our list? Let the debates begin…

No. 1

Worn by the greatest player ever during the greatest single season ever.

READ HERE

No. 3

These kicks coincided with the debut of Kobe’s Black Mamba alter ego.

READ HERE

The post SLAMKICKS Presents Top 100: The Greatest Basketball Sneakers of All Time appeared first on SLAM.

After dropping 30 points and securing the win in a momentous game held halfway around the world from home, LaVine spotted a little girl rocking a No. 8 Chicago jersey on his way to the locker room. Something told the two-time All-Star to slip off his blue New Balance Fresh Foam BBs and hand them over to a fan he never knew he had and who may never see him play again in person. 

On the evening the NBA returned to Europe for the first time in three years, it was a special gesture by the Chicago superstar. His way of showing love after his squad was showered with the kind of adulation that made Paris’ Accor Arena almost sound like Chicago’s United Center. 

“Only time we might be able to play in Paris so give some stuff away and show some appreciation to the fans,” LaVine said after the game. 

That little girl was one of the thousands at the Association’s second regular season game ever held in the French capital, an otherwise forgettable affair in January between Chicago and Detroit, who vividly and vociferously backed the Bulls. 

Among the cosmopolitan Parisian crowd, designer Chicago letterman jackets, immaculately maintained Starter pullovers and limited-edition hoodies were almost as ubiquitous as red Bulls jerseys. The numbers 8 and 11—worn by Chicago’s current stars LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, respectively—were as well-represented as the numbers of the franchise’s legends like Derrick Rose’s No. 1, Scottie Pippen’s No. 33 and, most especially, Michael Jordan’s iconic 23.  

When the Bulls were introduced, the crowd cheered like crazy. They booed lustily when the Pistons took the floor for warmups. And as the Bulls raced out to an early first-quarter lead they’d never relinquish, the vibes inside the sold out arena, located in the city’s 12th arrondissement, were distinctly Windy City-ish. Every dunk, swish and positive play by a player in red was admired, appreciated and applauded.  

“I know for me, I’m going to look back years and years down the line and realize how great of a moment this was,” DeRozan said after the game. “It definitely was a beautiful atmosphere and definitely was a privilege to be part of this whole thing.”

While the NBA didn’t exactly take over Paris the way some American journalists covering the game suggested—it was, after all, Men’s Fashion Week and the city experienced a major labor strike that shut down the Metro on game day—it was a reminder, or a statement for those unaware, that the Bulls remain one of the most popular NBA teams among basketball-crazed Europeans. 

That might catch followers of the sport in the States by surprise, but the League has plenty of data points to illustrate just how far and wide the Bulls fan base stretches. According to the NBA, Chicago is No. 2 in international merchandise sales, ranks among the top 5 most popular League Pass teams outside the US and is scheduled to make multiple appearances in primetime on Sundays in the European and Middle East TV markets this season. Bulls merchandise out-sold all others at the NBA Store in Paris leading up to the game against the Pistons, and the highest-selling jersey that week belonged to a Bulls player with a distinctly French surname.   

“It just shows how much our fan base is growing,” said LaVine, who says his great-grandfather was French. “It’s not just Chicago or the United States. That’s just a tribute to how much success they had and how much the brand has grown.”

The “they” LaVine referred to was, of course, the Bulls of the ’90s starring Jordan, the man who shifted and shaped basketball culture on and off the court unlike any other player in the game’s rich history. While Jordan and the ’92 Dream Team were responsible for galvanizing a generation of European athletes to forsake soccer and pick up a basketball, the continent hadn’t fallen for his Bulls following the ’92 Olympics. That came five years after the Barcelona games when Jordan, with five NBA titles to his name, and his Chicago teammates touched down in Paris for a preseason tournament against international squads. 

Four months removed from repeating as NBA champs, the Bulls—minus Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, neither of whom made the trip—were welcomed like rock stars for the McDonald’s Championship. Fans flooded the streets outside the Bulls’ hotel, hoping to catch glimpses of the team or miraculously score an autograph from the man who became as synonymous with sneakers as he did with dominating the competition. With hundreds of credentialed media members from all points of Europe there to document his every move, Jordan, in typical fashion, dazzled with 27 points in 29 minutes in the final against Greece’s Olympiakos, the ’97 European champs. Barely touching the floor in the fourth quarter, guess who earned MVP honors? 

“I just do my job whenever I’m on the basketball court, and I don’t know if I pleased them,” Jordan, referring to the Parisian crowd, told NBC’s Ahmad Rashad after the game, “but I did my job.”

One of the fans lucky enough to witness it was a pre-teen Joakim Noah. The son of acclaimed tennis pro Yannick Noah was blown away by MJ’s athleticism and magnetism, just like everyone else in attendance at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. Ask Noah, who spent many of his formative years in Paris, why the Bulls remain so popular abroad and he’ll immediately talk about that transcendent day. It’s the genesis of Noah wanting to be like Mike instead of his legendary father and Europe’s crush on Chicago’s professional basketball team featuring the most famous athlete on the planet. 

“Don’t overthink it,” says Noah, the Bulls’ first-round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. “It’s Michael Jordan. I was at that game. I was a young kid, just so inspired by watching his grace and how beautiful he was on the court.”

The influencer decades before any hack with a smartphone could become one, MJ’s gravitational pull was so strong in 1997—with four MVPs, five Finals MVPs, 13 signature sneakers and one blockbuster (Space Jam) on his résumé—that the Bulls became your team if Jordan was your guy. 

“If you look at Mike, and what he means to the culture, this is how the Bulls have transcended,” says fashion designer Chaz Jordan, who is not related to MJ. “The Bulls and Michael are symbiotic. You cannot separate the Chicago Bulls from Michael Jordan just because of all he has achieved on the court as well as the brand off of the court.”

A native of Chicago who had Bulls season tickets and worked alongside Don C and the late Virgil Abloh at RSVP Gallery, Chaz Jordan has spent a chunk of his adult years living abroad. He laughs thinking about all the times he’s hooped in Paris, where his 1989 STUDIO brand debuted its FW23 collection a day after the Bulls and Pistons played, and whenever he’s asked where he’s from, he knows what’s coming next. “I tell them Chicago and they immediately say, Oh, Michael Jordan and the Bulls,” says the designer. He’s also amazed at the random places where MJ disciples—and Bulls fans—pop up around Europe. 

“You have these pockets in these smaller towns where people are literally bigger fans of the Bulls and Jordan than some Chicagoans, which is so crazy,” says Chaz. “They eat, sleep and bleed Michael Jordan.” 

Members of the fashionable set might point to the iconic Bulls jersey, easily one of the most recognizable, as a low-key reason for the team’s international popularity. Since it’s a statement to be a basketball fan in Europe, where soccer will forever reign supreme, rocking a red throwback with “Chicago” in script on your chest attracts a certain amount of attention. And possibly new additions to the fan base. While Bulls’ merch sells extremely well overseas, Noah ain’t buying it.

“It’s one of the most recognized jerseys around the world because of His Highness, the Black Cat, Michael Jordan,” says Noah. 

And even though the franchise hasn’t exactly been a model of consistency since MJ’s last game with Chicago—two playoff appearances over the past seven seasons and just one conference finals appearance since ’98—you can’t accuse Europeans of being fair-weather fans since support and interest in the team hasn’t demonstrably nosedived. One recent seismic event may have actually reignited the continent’s love for the franchise. 

Amidst the black hole that was the first half of 2020, as the pandemic raged across the world, one of the few beacons of light for sports fans was The Last Dance. The acclaimed documentary about Jordan’s final season with the Bulls, whose first episode featured behind-the-scenes footage from the ’97 trip to Paris, debuted when the sports world was dark. A fresh wave of Bulls and Michael Jordan nostalgia washed over Europe. 

“I think we’re all familiar with the fact that we were starving for programming. We didn’t have the games on, and then The Last Dance drops, and it was just perfect in terms of feeding that fandom,” says Ralph Rivera, NBA managing director for Europe and the Middle East. “But it also introduced a whole new set of fans to the game and to Michael Jordan and the Bulls. I think that reignited the fandom.” 

The Bulls arrived for their most recent Paris trip a few days early so they could take in the sights and sounds. Just like during the franchise’s first visit, the team took a picture in front of the Eiffel Tower. Unlike 26 years ago, when every Bulls player aside from Jordan could walk around the city without being bothered, times had changed. While Jordan lamented his lack of anonymity during that trip, the current Bulls embraced it. LaVine and his teammates were easily recognized approximately 4,130 miles away from Chicago without any issues. 

“Obviously, the Bulls are one of the most popular franchises in the world, and it’s just an honor to come over here after Michael,” LaVine said. 

One thing he made sure he did before touching down in Paris was queue up MJ videos. Emulating the work ethic and mindset of one of his idols has always been part of LaVine’s preparations, so consuming Jordan highlights was nothing out of the ordinary. But on the long flight from the States, before he would ball out in front of a French arena filled with Bulls fans, LaVine watched a 34-year-old Jordan cook up the competition in the McDonald’s Championship.

LaVine chuckled when he saw Artūras Karnišovas, the current Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations, matched up against MJ. A native of Lithuania who had an excellent four-year stint at Seton Hall before a standout international career, Karnišovas scored 19 points that day for Olympiakos. Like so many other basketball fans across Europe, he grew up watching and rooting for the Bulls. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post How a Trip to Paris and the Legacy of the ’90s Chicago Bulls Inspires Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan appeared first on SLAM.

“How you doing, man?” the 52-year-old Russell answers jovially when I call the number that Utah Jazz Director of Alumni Relations Quincy Lewis gave me. Attention ’90s hoop fans, please feel free to re-read that sentence for the full experience. 

Not that it was easy to hear Russell talk over the music thumping in the background but a) he apologized for the noise and b) why shouldn’t he be partying on a Thursday night? In the “Calabasas area,” where he lives, no less? This is a gentleman who spent 13 seasons in the NBA and cleared more than $25 million in the process.

And Russell was about as relevant a non-All-Star could be for several of his seasons in, of course, Utah. A second-round pick for the Jazz out of Long Beach State in 1993, the 6-7 swingman from San Bernardino, CA, spent the first nine years of his pro career in Utah, making the playoffs every last one of them (and the Finals twice; we’ll get back to that in a minute).

While he was occasionally deployed as a versatile sixth man, the bulk of Russell’s time in Utah was spent starting alongside the legends Karl Malone and John Stockton, usually guarding the opponent’s best player. Over his nine seasons in SLC, Russell averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals, numbers that speak to all the ways he provided value.

Asked for a favorite memory of his time there, Russell doesn’t hesitate, if not in the way you might expect from a multi-NBA Finalist. 

“Everything there is a positive memory,” he gushes. “There was never a dull moment, and it was all phenomenal. When I played there, we had great chemistry, great teammates and great coaches. And the atmosphere was great, too—probably the loudest fans in the League, I’d say.”

All this to say that, yeah, if you want to remember him for something else, like, being the defender Michael Jordan made his famous “last shot” over to lock up the ’98 NBA Finals and give the Bulls their second straight six-game Finals win over Russell’s Jazz, fine. Bryon is not sweating it. “I wish we woulda got one, sure,” he says. “But I’m not mad or disappointed at all. We did our best.”

Russell certainly did. In the ’97 Finals loss, he played a workmanlike 39 minutes per game, second only on the team to Malone, scoring 11.3 ppg in the process. Similarish story in the ’98 Finals, when Russell was second to Malone with 36.2 mpg. And almost all of these minutes, over both series’, were spent covering the greatest player of all time. What a time for Bryon Russell to be alive.   

With Utah’s near-dynasty winding down in the early ’00s, in the summer of 2002 Russell signed a free-agent contract with the Washington Wizards, who featured none other than…Michael Jordan, playing his truly last season. The year in DC was followed by a season with the Lakers—where he played for former nemesis Phil Jackson and with long-time teammate Malone—and then wound it down with two seasons in Denver.  

Russell’s been out of the League since ’06, and mostly out of the spotlight as well. As mentioned up top, he lives happily in or near Calabasas, heading back to Utah “whenever [the Jazz] call me.”

The outro on our call is as amusing as the intro. When I follow standard current protocol and ask Bryon what fans could look out for from him—anything to plug, so to speak?—he says, “just look out for Bryon having a good time.”

Good night. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Bryon Russell Reflects on His NBA Career, Playing in Utah and What He’s Been Up to Since Then appeared first on SLAM.

The 2019 LF HOF Class featured legends including Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Walt Frazier, Cappie Pondexter and Nick Young, while the 2020 LF HOF Class has the only currently active player in Russell Westbrook, plus two heavy hitters in Dennis Rodman and Magic Johnson.

This year, four new members were added to the LF Hall of Fame—and to say they just showed out in the tunnel would be an understatement. From visionaries to the most stylish of champions, here’s the official LeagueFits Hall of Fame.

LEAGUEFITS HOF CLASS OF 2019

Nick Young might not have been the first basketball player to ever dress up, but he was the first to make “swaggy” his moniker. Young was by far the best-dressed player on the superteam Warriors, a pioneer as an athlete-turned-designer and has remained a stalwart voice in the sports style community since retiring from the NBA.

MORE ON SWAGGY’S UNIQUE STYLE

Allen Iverson is the most important player in the LeagueFits Hall of Fame. His style choices sparked harsh reactions from those who couldn’t understand and even evoked a League-wide rule change. Iverson normalized self-expression for hoopers across the globe, paving the path for the viral looks we see in the tunnels on a daily basis today. 

MORE ON AI’s ICONIC MOMENTS

 As the WNBA’s first style star, Cappie Pondexter was a shoe-in for the first-ever LeagueFits Hall of Fame Class. She paved the way for today’s athletes in what’s arguably become the most stylish sports league on the planet. 

MORE ON CAPPIE’s INFLUENCE

Walt Frazier was the first basketball player to take style seriously, and he did so while being a superstar player in the Mecca. 

MORE ON CLYDE’s TIMELESS DRIP

LEAGUEFITS HOF CLASS OF 2020

Sneaker culture is nearly synonymous with basketball and its style scene. It’s only right that Michael Jordan was a first ballot LeagueFits Hall of Famer (don’t worry, dude could put an outfit together, too).

MORE ON MJ’s GREATEST FITS

Magic Johnson’s game off the court was just as the flashy one he brought to it as the leader of the Showtime Lakers.

MORE ON MAGIC’s STYLE EVOLUTION

You have to be an icon to be inducted into the LeagueFits Hall of Fame while still actively playing. Russell Westbrook created the modern, online, style era not just for basketball, but for sports period. He’s an icon.

MORE ON RUSS’ IMPACT

When it comes to self-expression, nobody has ever been on Rodman’s level and nobody ever will. Between the hair, outfits and attitude, he was uniquely and unapologetically him at all times.

MORE ON RODMAN’s AUTHENTIC STYLE

LEAGUEFITS HOF CLASS OF 2023

You had to know Dwyane Wade’s induction was coming. Wade helped break a barrier as one of the first athletes to attend fashion week and was the subject of two of the League’s first-ever viral style moments.

MORE ON D-WADE’s FLASHY STYLE

Always smooth, always efficient. Sue Bird’s wardrobe had a tendency to mirror her GOAT-level on-court game.

MORE ON SUE’s GOAT FITS

When it comes to courtside looks, nobody in NBA history has ever done it as well as Rat Riley (or even come close, honestly). Making a career in Los Angeles, New York and Miami—winning 5 championships in the process—taught Riley how to dress like a superstar, too. 

MORE ON RILEY’S COURTSIDE LOOKS

The visionaries behind LeagueFits, Ian and Joe, discuss the LF HOF Class of 2023 and their favorite fits from all of them on ‘Survival of the Fitted.’ Check it out below.

Shop our LeagueFits apparel, from Hoodies and Shorts to an exclusive collab with Famous Nobodys and MORE.

The post LeagueFits Hall of Fame: The Most Influential, Best-Dressed Basketball Players of All-Time appeared first on SLAM.

My name is Sammy, and I’m a collect-aholic. It’s an addiction—more like an obsession. My pursuit to possess every SLAM cover ever released is something that I act upon daily. It’s the eBay search that I’ve saved and the hashtag that I follow. It has me empathizing with the hoarders documented on TV shows. Like them, I want to hold on to something and store it away to capture a moment. It’s a nostalgic task to complete.

Collecting back issues of SLAM is cool (at least I think so; my wife, not so much…), but it’s not unique. Although they’re not as commonly collected as sneakers, trading cards or jerseys, old SLAM mags are widely available, with a community of us who carry a vulture-like quality when it comes to pouncing on a 30-something-year-old hoops fan who happens to be clearing out their parents’ garage. There are small pockets of basketball collectors, however, who obsess over items that are not so common…

Simon Jackson, Autographs

When Simon Jackson (@dallasmavsautos) began collecting Dirk Nowitzki trading cards in 2008, he was quickly impressed by Dirk’s speedy responses to fan mail, specifically autograph requests. His commitment to building a Dirk card collection soon got weighed down by a ton of Dallas Mavs cards. 

“I realized that I’d gained a surplus of Mavericks trading cards by searching for Dirk, which got me thinking…” he says.

Now a Mavs fan, and putting his cards to good use, Simon has made it his mission to get an autograph from every player who has ever stepped on the court in a Mavs uniform. He says there have been 358 players in total (at the time of this writing) and he has 325 of them.

This is some achievement—as an Aussie living in Australia, he acquires autographs by sending stamped envelopes to former players with cards for them to sign and return. He reaches out via Instagram, Twitter and emails. The fact that he has an autograph from Randall Jackson, a man who played 39 seconds for the Mavericks, confirms what I already knew: Simon Jackson isn’t playing around.

Chris Jungwirth, Armbands

When Chris (@nbagameworn_chris) was 14, he noticed players throwing armbands into the stands at the Target Center in Minneapolis. It was the early 2000s—prime KG era—and Chris would sneak from the cheap seats down to the court to grab a grail band from Garnett, or from the visiting Paul Pierce or Vince Carter. He even caught a Rookie LeBron James headband when the Cavs came to town in ’04. Before armband customization was banned for a few years in ’06, players would rock them with short messages, tributes and nicknames.

Chris made note of the ones he needed by studying the SLAMUPS posters on his bedroom wall. Waiting by the team bus, getting to know equipment managers, befriending ball boys and even getting to know players while hanging out by hotels—all of these tactics helped his collection grow.

In more recent years, Chris has splashed a little cash acquiring some of the big names of the past: the iconic “Pip” armband that Scottie rocked while winning hardware, the Reggie Miller finger sleeve that he wore while tearing the beating hearts out of our chests (Yes, I’m a Knicks fan…). He’s also got the unmistakable “Mailman 32” band that Karl Malone rocked while racking up countless buckets. Chris recently dropped $300 on a Jayson Tatum one and has seen a rare Penny Hardaway go for $1,000. I’m still trying to figure out how he managed to talk a Lakers locker room “source” into parting with some Kobe No. 24 finger sleeves for just $150! 

“There are only about five of us continually looking for armbands,” he says. “It gets competitive at times. I’ve been offered $3,000 for my LBJ rookie headband.”

Chris’ collection is currently at 130 armbands and rising. I didn’t even mention the signed PE sneaks he has…

Gerard Starkey, Sneakers

Arguably, basketball sneaker collections are only truly worth discussing if they’re game-worn, and not only that, but worn by the greatest player ever to step onto a basketball court. Gerard Starkey (@gerard_og_vi) had been buying Jordans since he was a 9-year-old skateboarder but when he was 15, he took a leap, figuratively of course, when he got his hands on a pair of Michael Jordan PEs (“Carmine” Jordan VIs). His previous collection suddenly eclipsed by the glow of an MJ exclusive, Gerard set his sights on the shoes that told stories. 

“If you just collect stuff, you end up boxing it and not really enjoying it,” he says. “If the items have a story, then they have context and meaning. If you don’t just have the VIs, but you have the VIs that MJ cut his toe on, then it means a lot more. I started off trying to collect a PE in every style he wore, and then it snowballed.”

He forged a network through his skateboarding and basketball communities. Before social media tied the whole world together, Gerard became tied in with a few of the OG basketball sneaker collectors, guys who’d built up deep catalogs before the market went crazy. He’d help them sell stuff and even claim a pair of game-worn Js in exchange—gathering items that he adamantly says he’ll never let go of. “I don’t sell stuff,” he says. “I don’t sell stuff ever.”

Not only has Gerard built up one of the best MJ sneaker collections in the world, but he’s also built a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable in the game. From offering advice and photo-matching to confirming that a pair has been laced by Mike himself, Gerard provides a service used by Christie’s Auction House as well as high-end collectors who need help sourcing legit items. If there’s a top-tier item sold that has touched Jordan’s feet, it’s usually been through Gerard’s reliable hands.

The game has changed drastically since Gerard started collecting, with the current market allowing millionaire collectors to build a viral-worthy arsenal of MJ PEs in six months. Gerard, though, is unfazed: “They bought their collections. I built mine.”

Ferran Salavert, Jerseys

Hoops hoarders often set out on one path, but become sidetracked by a different obsession. Spanish native Ferran Salavert (@fibawhatelse) initially began collecting FIBA jerseys, primarily from teams in Spain. His favorite, Club Joventut Badalona, produced the likes of Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernández, and his love for the team prompted Ferran to hunt for game-worn jerseys of Joventut Badalona players who made it to the NBA.

“I like the NBA,” he explains, “but my roots are in European basketball.” 

This mission then expanded to Spanish NBA players, which eventually led him to expanding to jerseys of NBA players who hooped in Spain. Needless to say, this has created one of the most beautifully eclectic collections—“The European focus of my collection is what makes it unique”—of game-worn jerseys around. His collection currently stands at 250 jerseys, with his most valuable ones being the Gasol brothers and Ricky Rubio gamers.

Marcin Wójciuk, John Starks Gear

Even though he’s in Poland, Marcin Wójciuk (@john_starks_3) found himself collecting jerseys of each New York Knicks player who took the floor in the ’94 and ’99 NBA Finals. The collection grew, but so did his focus on John Starks. Marcin loved Starks. He could relate to the passion, the hustle and the sporadic nature of his game. This new focus on Starks led to a condensing of the initial collection. Quality over quantity was his new goal—game-worn jerseys and sneaks, the rarest trading cards, signed photos, but only the highest quality Starks items would suffice. 

“The first Starks jersey I bought was a fake,” Wójciuk says. “I waited three months for it to arrive in Poland from the States. I keep it as a reminder of where it all started.”

At the last count, he has 460 pieces. Marcin is still on the hunt for the adidas Intruders (rocked on the cover of SLAM 4) and has a friend who owns the pair that Starks wore in the ’94 Finals. If he’s reading this, I hope he sees sense and sends them to the place where all John Starks-related items can find their true home.

Leo Klein, All-Star Weekend Basketballs

The beauty of basketball collections is that most are never truly complete. New items are released, fresh players join the League and the hunt for another must-have grail item continues. One of the most complete collections I’ve ever seen, however, belongs to long-time NBA fan Leo Klein.

Like others, Leo has some of the more commonly collected items—jerseys and signed photos—only his are in mind-boggling quantities and presented beautifully in a man-cave-style basement to die for. The centerpiece of his incredible collection, though, is something much less common: a full run of NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Contest money balls dating back to when the competition began in 1986. There are 35 in total, all displayed in custom Lucite cubes. Leo has been to every All-Star game since 1994, picking up much of his collection in person. 

“I was often in the right place at the right time,” Klein says, “and so got handed things that someone in the regular crowd wouldn’t be privy to. Traveling to 25 All-Star games was part of the catalyst in why I decided to see if I could collect a full run of money balls.”

Others weren’t so easy. Despite knowing many of the top NBA personnel, grabbing any of the pre-1990 balls presented a difficult task, primarily because so few were produced. Klein contacted sponsors of the competition, tracked down collectors via auction houses and even placed an ad, specifically to find the balls from ’86 and ’87. 

Leo’s commitment to such a specific item, the way the collection was acquired and the fact that the last ball in his collection was the end of Spalding’s NBA era, make it all so unique. The collection has been valued at anywhere between $150,000 to $500,000, and to the right buyer, he might just consider selling. 

Photo credit Nathaniel S. Butler.  

The post The Most Elite Hoop Collections Out There: From NBA Jerseys to Rare Jordans Game-Worn by Michael Jordan appeared first on SLAM.

The NBA MVP trophy will be known as The Michael Jordan Trophy. Feels right. pic.twitter.com/baVlwnwOZf

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 13, 2022

Jordan’s bonafide’s include winning five MVPs, going six-for-six in the NBA Finals with six Finals MVPs, and 10 scoring titles; he’s a 14-time All-Star and three-time All-Star Game MVP. He’s also been the Defensive Player of the Year, a nine-time All-Defensive team member, and an 11-time All-NBA member. MJ had his iconic No. 23 retired by the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.

The Michael Jordan Trophy will stand 23.6 inches tall and weigh 23.6 pounds, nods to his legendary jersey number and six titles with the Bulls. The MVP trophy has a five-sided base, a tribute to his five MVPs, and its six-sided name badge honors each of his championships. The base is shaped at a 15-degree angle for the 15 seasons Jordan played in the NBA.

Although Jordan approved the design and was involved every step of the way, the Michael Jordan Trophy doesn’t depict him. The Michael Jordan Trophy is a bronze player representing a player “breaking out of a rock to reach for the ultimate rock — a crystal basketball,” per the League. The MVP award symbolizes how hard work leads to something more polished and, finally, something great as you get to the top of the trophy.

“Anybody should be able to see this and see themselves in it,” said longtime Jordan Brand designer Mark Smith, who oversaw the trophy’s design. “They should feel the excellence of Michael Jordan and his pursuit. It’s got his name on it, but it isn’t him. It’s everybody. It could be a shipbuilder, or it could be a teacher or a lawyer or a writer who looks at it and says, ‘That’s what I’m trying to do.’”

A legendary namesake for the pinnacle of basketball performance.

The new Michael Jordan Trophy for the NBA #KiaMVP features a player breaking out of a rock as the patina of the trophy grows more burnished – “raw to refined” – signifying the MVP’s hard work achieving the honor. pic.twitter.com/NNsZkkDO9H

— NBA (@NBA) December 13, 2022

The League had decided to rebrand most of its trophies in the last two and add a couple. The NBA introduced the Jerry West Award, given to the Clutch Player of the Year. Like most NBA awards, a media panel decides the winner, and coaches will nominate players for the clutch award. The DPOY will now receive The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, the ROY will receive the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, the Sixth Man of the Year will receive the John Havlicek Trophy, and Most Improved Player will receive the George Mikan Trophy.

“Our new collection of trophies celebrates some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “As we recognize the League’s top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards.”

“I’m always going to numbers and symbiology as key root DNA to make something specific and authentic for that person,” Smith said. “When you start putting all these things together, there’s only one person, and it becomes very unique. Not different, but very unique.”

New names and trophies for NBA’s major individual awards:

– MVP: The Michael Jordan Trophy
– DPOY: Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy
– ROY: Wilt Chamberlain Trophy
– Sixth Man of Year: John Havlicek Trophy
– Most Improved: George Mikan Trophy
– New Clutch Player of Year: Jerry West Trophy

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 13, 2022

Other redesigned or reimaged trophies include some being named for Joe Dumar (sportsmanship), Red Auerbach (Coach of the Year), the Kobe Bryant All-Star MP award, and the Larry O’Brien Trophy for NBA champs and the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy.

The Eastern and Western Conference Finals winners get the Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson trophies, while the East finals MVP gets the Larry Bird Trophy, and the West finals MVP gets the Magic Johnson Trophy. Divisional winners get trophies named after Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton (Atlantic), Wayne Embry (Central), Earl Lloyd (southeast), Willis Reed (Southwest), Sam Jones (Northwest), and Chick Cooper (Pacific).

The post NBA Renaming the MVP Trophy After Michael Jordan appeared first on SLAM.

However, numerous injuries have kept Williamson sideline during pivotal periods, and some, like his foot injury in 2021, kept him away from the court for an entire season. The excitement the Duke product once had from his fans turned into a wave of negativity around his production towards his physical health.

In year four, the former first-overall pick has proven he’s lived up to his draft value by making history in his 100th career game. Williamson has scored 2,524 points through the first 100 games of his career, the most scored by any player since Michael Jordan (2,721) did it, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Yea, he did a lil bit of everything #Pelicans | @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/yFy8cNupdM

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 29, 2022

The NBA has seen some generational talent, but only a select few come close to the level of production Jordan once did with the Chicago Bulls. With Williamson’s total points being second to the iconic figure, there’s no doubt the Pels fanbase has regained faith in No. 1.

Zion spins and sinks the and-1 in the clutch!

The @PelicansNBA lead by 2 on NBA League Pass with 43.1 remaining. Use code NBA50 at checkout for 50% off https://t.co/kv8oudlxUm pic.twitter.com/LV2i3Y5Pp1

— NBA (@NBA) November 29, 2022

That’s one record down and several more to go for Williamson to put under his belt. The human highlight reel may be next to a name like Jordan for his 100th career game, but that doesn’t mean he’ll earn the same level of respect as one of the all-time best. A healthy Williamson has shown his capabilities, and it’s just a matter of remaining consistent with them.

The post Zion Williamson Makes Michael Jordan-Like History in His 100th Career Game appeared first on SLAM.

The Best NBA Photos of All Time Special Collector’s Issue is out now.

One quick note on the content: These images are in zero particular order, nothing is chronological, just incredible photo followed by incredible photo. Three legendary photographers were tasked with choosing their favorites from their respective catalogs, so Nat Butler, Andy Bernstein and Atiba Jefferson all have their own sections, but beyond that, this magazine was designed so that the reader has no idea what will be on the next page. 

Only that it’ll be absolutely beautiful and it’ll tell one hell of a story.

Peace,

Adam Figman

The post SLAM Presents: The Best NBA Photos of All Time Special Collector’s Issue appeared first on SLAM.

As the game continues to evolve, superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo are now mentioned in the conversation as greats. The NBA champion and Finals MVP recently shared his thoughts on what it takes to make waves in the League.

“It takes more than skills to be great,” said Antetokounmpo in an interview with SiriusXM Radio. “…But the thing that makes me a step further…is the obsession and the discipline I have towards the game.”

The Greek Freak’s resume includes winning the Most Improved Player award in 2017, which jumpstarted a long list of All-NBA teams as well as a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020, a back-to-back Most Valuable Player award from 2019-2020 and an NBA title to go along with a Finals MVP award in 2021.

For him, greatness goes beyond just one’s skillset—and he uses James as an example of how he’s not only dominated throughout his career, but has been consistent.

“You think about LeBron [James] you think about consistency,” said Anteteokounmpo as his example. “He’s been great for 20 years… it’s about getting better, obsession… it’s not just skills.”

It’s that commitment that has made James, and Antetokounmpo, superstars that are continuing to make waves today. Anteteokounmpo continues his pursuit of greatness with the Bucks on Oct. 20 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The post Giannis Antetokounmpo Believes It Takes More Than Skills to Make the NBA appeared first on SLAM.

Thought exercise time: Jordan Brand doesn’t exist. Trippy, right? Saturday mornings would be less invigorating and probably way less frustrating. Bank accounts would be fuller. Closet space would be more robust. Outfits would be more wack. Connections with other sneakerheads wouldn’t be as strong. Memories would be unknowingly incomplete. The entire game would be entirely different. 

Appreciation exercise time: Stop for just a moment and commemorate Jordan Brand’s 25th anniversary. 

Flip the calendar back to September 9, 1997, on a 62-degree day in New York City. Michael Jordan held a press conference to unveil Brand Jordan. Yeah, Brand Jordan. Not Jordan Brand. Brand Jordan. 

Flanked by Ahmad Rashad, Vin Baker, Ray Allen, Eddie Jones, Michael Finley and Derek Anderson, MJ wore an oversized beige suit and stood on stage to share with the world that he was embarking on a new adventure. He was leaving the house that Nike built, ready to live on his own with his own gear. 

He was five titles deep at that point, 12 signatures in, with three kicks already retro’d and the Air Jordan XIII unveiled at that very same press conference. His commercials were all hits and he was just a year removed from the acclaim of Space Jam. Nike’s goal for Brand Jordan was just $250 million. With all of that winning he had already done, it was a layup. And a layup it has been. But not a layup on a regulation hoop with a 29.5 inch ball. It’s been a layup on a 4-foot kiddie hoop with a marble as the ball. That’s how successful it’s been.  

Michael Jordan has made over $1 billion from Jordan Brand in the last 25 years. 

Here we go again for emphasis: Michael Jordan has made over $1 billion from Jordan Brand in the last 25 years. 

That’s numeric proof that the adventure has been stupidly fruitful. 

The other proof isn’t as tidily quantifiable. It’s more of a knowing. The Jumpman is every-damn-where. Pole to pole, from Hong Kong to Beaverton, this quarter century has affirmed that Jordan’s sneakers are still the most sought-after, most worn and most popular in all of basketball footwear. 

What started in 1984 with the Air Ship (hop on back to page 9) has evolved into a titan. Michael has become the soul of our soles. His longtime agent David Falk loves to tell the story of how Nike’s goal for the first three years of Jordan’s initial five-year contract was to get up to $3 million in sales. 

The Air Jordan I made $126 million in the first year of that deal. 

The II wasn’t as monetarily successful, but it was still impactful (hop on forward to page 90). The III broke the door off the hinges with striking force. The IV-VIII kept the hits rolling until the XI came through as the ultimate masterpiece. 

Money was always extremely involved with Nike and with Tinker Hatfield. He was articulate, rapidly understanding sneaker technology so he knew what he wanted from the III and beyond. With his fingerprints all over the blueprints, the XIII’s arrival coincided with this quote from Mike Wise’s New York Times profile that released on Brand Jordan’s launch day: 

“It’s a part of me; it’s a part of the creative personality I have,” Jordan said to Wise back in ’97 about his burgeoning sneaker empire. “When I walk away from the game, this is my means of staying in tune with the game. Not coaching, not commentary. Those are things that I chose not to do and I don’t want to do.”

Numero 23 stuck to his words. Now that the Air Jordan 37 has landed (hop on forward to page 70), he hasn’t done any coaching and he rarely appears on TV talking about hoops. But he’s still active with the Brand. He still gets final approval on what the Brand’s designers call the “game shoe.” This colossal turn in the sneaker business has kept his legend alive in the almost 20 years since he last played. The youth know him as the sneaker leviathan just as much as they know him as the GOAT. On the low, it seems like that’s what he wanted, as evidenced by another quote from Wise’s piece in the Times: 

“I got away from the game, I got away from the city a little bit, I got more into things like this,” he said, surveying his own line of sneakers in front of him. “I did a lot of basketball camps this summer, staying in tune with the kids who love the game. I think that’s fun.”

The players who joined him on stage that day became sneaker legends in their own right. Anderson helped to pioneer the Air Jordan XI Low. Finley played in numerous retros that paired perfectly with his Mavericks and Spurs jerseys. Jones and Baker respectively spearheaded the Jumpman Pro Quick and the Jumpman Pro Strong. And Allen…that two-time champion has a tier 0 Jordan sneaker collection. Seen it, can confirm it. 

The Brand continued to link up with exemplary players in the NBA, the WNBA, the MLB and the NFL after that first five. It’s been the best of the best, as well as the best of the coolest, that have rocked the Jumpman. 

The current roster, led by Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum, holds the future of the League in their hands. 

These last 25 years have been characterized by flight. Gravity has been determined to be optional and, ultimately, unnecessary. With just a few steps in his Air Jordans, MJ took off long ago. There’s no return date for this soaring and all we really know about what the future holds for Doncic, Williamson and Tatum is that the Jordan Brand most definitely exists, and that higher and higher is the only way to go. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Looking Back at Jordan Brand’s Monumental Impact on the Game over the Past 25 Years appeared first on SLAM.

Today, the Martin brothers continue to express that love for hoops through their own clothing brands. Christian founded Collect and Select, which combines vintage sportswear designs with a modern streetwear twist, utilizing old-school NBA logos to evoke a sense of nostalgia. Alexander founded Who Cares, which strives to empower individuals by spreading the message to live freely and authentically, unbothered by outside noise. Players have been seen rocking both brands through the tunnels of NBA arenas.

After building their companies separately, Christian and Alexander came together to create the widely-known “WHAT THE” swingman shorts.  The design—inspired by Nike’s What The Dunks—meshed together the retro logos of 13 different NBA teams. When the shorts first dropped at a pop-up in the Bay Area, hundreds of people lined up to get a pair. “WHAT THE PT II” and a pastel colorway released soon after and sold out instantly.

Collect and Select and Who Cares recently joined forces again, this time collaborating with SLAM on the ’92 Gold Shorts. The new product celebrates the 30^th anniversary of The Dream Team, the iconic, unrivaled USA squad that took home the Gold at the ’92 Olympics in Barcelona.  

“The whole vibe was centered around the Gold medal,” Christian says. “On that Gold medal, you’ll obviously see these intricate details that we tried to kind of mimic and convey in our own style. If you were to take their Gold medal that they won, along with their [USA] uniforms, and kind of deconstruct that and put it back together, that’s the main vibe that we were going for.”

“Just to connect to our childhood and make that full circle moment work on a pair of ’92 Dream Team shorts, it’s crazy,” Alexander adds. “I just can’t wait for the release.”  

SLAM x Collect And Select x Who Cares: ’92 Gold Shorts are available now.

The post SLAM Collabs with Collect And Select x Who Cares on ’92 Gold Shorts to Celebrate The Dream Team appeared first on SLAM.

This list is also featured in our special issue, SLAM Presents TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time. Shop here.

Check out the full list below to see who our number one is and where your favorite team ranks. We expect that there will be some disgruntled fans out there, but that’s what makes this fun, right?

No. 66-75

Last but certainly not least. From the 1997-98 Pacers who put up a fight against the Chicago Bulls’ “Last Dance” squad to the 2018-19 Raptors that made history in the 6.

READ HERE

No. 65-55

These squads set the foundation for greatness to come. The birth of the Celtics dynasty with Bill Russell to the 2004-2005 Phoenix Suns had the best record in the L.

READ HERE

No. 54-44

Rewriting history. The 2003-04 Pistons that ended the Lakers’ Finals run to Milwaukee’s first title.

READ HERE

No. 43-33

Heavyweights turned champions. From the 1983-84 Celtics that brought the ‘chip back to the Bean over LA to the 2011-12 Heat that won LeBron James his first ring.

READ HERE

No. 32-22

Tight spaces and pressure packed situations formed these teams into dynasties. From the 2001-02 Lakers completing the three-peat, to the Spurs squad that gave Tim Duncan his third ring.

READ HERE

No. 21-11

These squads made history. The 2015-16 Warriors that won 73 games to the Cavaliers team that upset them in that same Finals.

READ HERE

No. 10

Back to back. Miami became the first Eastern Conference team to repeat as champions since the “Last Dance” Bulls.

READ HERE

No. 9

At the height of their dominance in 2000-01, the Shaq and Kobe-led Lakers generated one of the best postseason runs ever when they lost just one game in the 2001 playoffs.

READ HERE

No. 8

Paid in Full. The early 80’s were mostly dominated by the Lakers and Celtics, but the 1982-83 Sixers, led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone, swept LA in the Finals.

READ HERE

No. 7

The first of six rings for Jordan, this Bulls squad redeemed themselves when they swept the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals and then defeated the Lakers in five.

READ HERE

No. 6

A revenge tour and Magic’s first regular-season MVP, this “Showtime” Lakers team returned to the Finals after missing it the previous season.

READ HERE

No. 5

A coin flip in ’69 allowed the Bucks to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which brought a championship in his second season as he averaged over 30 points per game and earned MVP honors. Legendary.

READ HERE

No. 4

Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics were flying high in the mid 80’s. Larry himself won his second Finals MVP trophy in ’86.

READ HERE

No. 3

The opening act before Showtime. The Lakers capped off a tremendous season and brought vindication to the franchise. Wilt Chamberlain was the Finals MVP, and Jerry West could finally feel like a winner.

READ HERE

No. 2

One of the most talented teams ever assembled in the L, the Warriors lost only a single game during the 2017 playoffs. Adding Kevin Durant made their 2016-17 squad unstoppable.

READ HERE

No. 1

Top 2 and they’re not 2. The 1995-96 Bulls weathered a perfect storm; getting Michael Jordan back in full form, adding Dennis Rodman, the Bulls won their fourth title.

READ HERE

Photos via Getty Images.

The post SLAM’s TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time: FULL LIST appeared first on SLAM.

Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak relieved former coach James Borrego after he compiled a 138-163 record in four seasons. Despite a dip in wins from his first to the second year, the team improved in his final two seasons and were in a position to make a playoff runs the following season had he stayed. Instead, Charlotte brass elected to look elsewhere.

Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson is one of the two finalists.

He spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Knicks and another three with Atlanta before taking the Brooklyn job in 2016. In three and a half seasons as head coach for the Nets, Atkinson took over what could be considered the most challenging rebuild job in the NBA, but each year improved the overall record before the Nets returned to the playoffs in 2019.

He compiled a 118-190 overall record as Nets head coach before resigning midway through the 2019-2020 season. Atkinson has spent the following two years as an assistant under Coach Ty Lue with the Clippers and Coach Steve Kerr with the Warriors.

D’Antoni is the second finalist for the spot as the more experienced coach. From 2003-2008, D’Antoni ran the “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns. In that run, D’Antoni compiled a 253-136 record, won 2004-05 NBA Coach of the Year, helped Steve Nash win back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards, and took the Suns to two consecutive Western Conference Finals in 2005 and 2006.

He would then spend four seasons with the Knicks, two with the Lakers, and the Houston Rockets from 2016-2020. In that run, he turned James Harden into the 2018 Most Valuable Player, took the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals in 2018, narrowly defeating the Warriors, and won NBA coach of the year in 2016-17. He compiled a total record of 217-101 in his Houston tenure.

Hornets owner Michael Jordan is expected to meet with Atkinson on Tuesday, with D’Antoni set for later this week.

The post REPORT: Kenny Atkinson and Mike D’Antoni Set to Meet With Michael Jordan For Charlotte Job appeared first on SLAM.

To find out who else made it on the list, read here.

1. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 72-10

Roster: Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Dickey Simpkins, Bill Wennington

In February 1996, while the Bulls were warming up for a game against the Lakers in Los Angeles, a man ran out of the stands and onto the court, where Michael Jordan was practicing some free throws. The man threw himself at Jordan’s feet and remained there for several seconds before being removed from the arena by security.

Some people may have been unnerved by the display of homage, however strange it may have been, but it didn’t rattle Jordan. He and the Bulls rolled past the Lakers, 99-84, yet another convincing performance by the greatest team in NBA history.

It’s not like the Bulls hadn’t been great before. They won three titles from 1991-93. But then Jordan decided to play some baseball, and though he returned during the ’94-95 campaign, it was too late to lift Chicago to another championship. All that changed the following season, when Jordan and the Bulls embarked on a remarkable year that transfixed the nation’s sporting public and caused folks like the man in Los Angeles to do crazy things to prove their devotion to the team.

This was the first time Superman, Batman and Rodman were together, and the presence of eccentric forward Dennis Rodman alone was enough to create a frenzy. But putting these three giant basketball performers on the same team was almost too much for the sporting public to process. The Bulls became the nation’s number one sensation. When they showed up in town, fans worked themselves into a froth. Home games at the United Center were more than just celebrations. They were practically coronations. That’s how good the Bulls were and how much people around the NBA expected them to win it all again.

Jordan, of course, reigned. He won the scoring title for the eighth time in his career. He was magnetic and capable of causing sensations before, but this season his impact on society grew even more. He got his own cologne. He announced his new Chicago restaurant, which would open the following fall. And he was part of a traveling circus that rivaled the Beatles’ arrival on American soil. Wherever the Bulls went, they were mobbed by adoring fans.

Scottie Pippen was a big part of the show, too. His scoring numbers were modest—19.4 a game—but whenever rivals paid too much attention to Jordan, Pippen took over. And then there was Rodman, the rebounding, defending dervish with multiple tattoos and hair colors, whose effort could never be questioned. Throw in highly-talented European forward Toni Kukoc, center Luc Longley and productive backcourt guards  Ron Harper and Steve Kerr, and the Bulls were as complete a team as there ever was. It was all held together by Phil Jackson’s steady hand and Tex Winter’s triangle offense, which continued to overwhelm rivals.

On April 16, they dumped the Bucks, 86-80, to win their 70th game, thereby passing the 1971-72 Lakers for the most regular-season victories in NBA history. Chicago had winning streaks of 18 and 13 during the season and finished with 72 triumphs. It was a remarkable performance, one the Bulls matched in the playoffs. They skunked Miami in the first round and needed only five games to dispatch the Knicks in the Eastern Semis. The Bulls trampled Orlando to win the conference championship, setting up a Finals meeting with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Seattle.

After winning the first three games of the series, Chicago stumbled twice, giving the Sonics some hope. It was hardly warranted. The Bulls won the finale, 87-75, to cap their history-making season. The greatest team ever laid the foundation for a 69-win regular season in ‘96-97 and a hysteria-inducing fandom that surrounded the ’97-98 season.

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The NFT is calibrated off the original acrylic on canvas, which was made using industrial rakes, brooms and tools—not paintbrushes. Keezerfeld, who describes himself as a “Thrash Expressionist Artist,” has sold over 100 NFTs to collectors on five continents and is one of the first artists to be selling Solana-based NFTs. The sale of “The Ghost of the ’90s” NFT will also include the original physical piece.

“The cross section of sports and art has always fascinated me, I’m excited about the convergence of so many worlds with the release of this physical work via the 1/1 calibrated NFT,” Keezerfeld told SLAM.

The piece captures the legendary Michael Jordan-led Bulls in which Chicago won six championships in an eight-season span. Such a feat hasn’t been achieved since, as players like Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman have gone down as basketball icons. The Bulls championship squads of the ’90s are also featured in our SLAM Presents TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time special issue.

An anonymous artist, Keezerfeld found success with “The Quarantine Chronicles,” (TQC), a series of nine abstract paintings containing commentary on mental health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The collection was featured in Elevator Magazine in April 2021. He says his most recent work features commentary on “the looming ghost of history that has existed for the team,” as the Bulls have not won a championship since Jordan left in January of 1999. In addition to his most recent work, Keezerfeld has over 100 pieces of artwork available for purchase on the secondary market via exchange art.

“The Ghost of the ’90s” is on sale now in celebration of the start of the NBA Finals. It can be purchased here.

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7. 1990-91 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 61-21

Roster: BJ Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, Craig Hodges, Dennis Hopson, Michael Jordan, Stacey King, Cliff Levingston, John Paxson, Will Perdue, Scottie Pippen, Scott Williams

Even if you’re old enough to remember this team, it’s nearly impossible to remember the baggage that Michael Jordan carried into the 1990s. Emerging from the NBA’s greatest decade, the era in which Doc, Magic and Bird took the League from afterthought to marquee act, Jordan was clearly the guy poised to take the League to the next level. He already owned an MVP award and a handful of the most eye-popping stat lines since Oscar Robertson had averaged a triple-double. Jordan was the present and the future. He was a phenomenon.

The problem was that, by the standards of his immediate predecessors, he just wasn’t a winner.

The ’90-91 season would be Jordan’s seventh in the League; by the time Bird and Magic tipped off their seventh seasons, both had a pair of championship rings. And of course, Jordan’s hated rival in Detroit, Isiah Thomas, had just led the Pistons to their second straight title, dispatching MJ and the Bulls along the way. It’s not that Jordan appeared to lack any of the qualities necessary to lead a team to a title; it’s simply that he hadn’t yet managed to do it. The narrative is the narrative. You’re not a winner until you win.

As so often happens, Jordan and the Bulls taking that last step to glory was less a question of dramatic change than it was evolution. Fourth-year forward Scottie Pippen was already one of the League’s best two-way players—he was an All-Star the season before—and he nudged his averages upward across the board (17.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.2 apg, 2.4 spg) despite playing slightly fewer minutes. Jordan himself posted his lowest ppg (still an NBA-best 31.5) in five years. As much as anything, the Bulls’ two most important players were more efficient, more dialed in, focused on a singular goal.

It wasn’t only Mike and Scottie, of course: Horace Grant averaged 12.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg, Bill Cartwright was a sturdy veteran post presence, and guards BJ Armstrong and John Paxson knew their roles. Together, they cruised to and then through the playoffs, rolling the Knicks, the Sixers and—most satisfyingly—the Pistons en route to a Finals date with the Lakers. When James Worthy and Byron Scott went down with injuries, any chance of a competitive series was lost, but it likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Showtime was done, and so was that silly narrative about Michael Jordan.

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Here’s our No. 21-11:

21. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors

Coach: Steve Kerr (Luke Walton, Interim Head Coach)

Record: 73-9

Roster: Leandro Barbosa, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Ian Clark, Stephen Curry, Festus Ezeli, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, James Michael McAdoo, Brandon Rush, Marreese Speights, Jason Thompson, Klay Thompson, Anderson Varejao

Never before in NBA history had a team finished the regular season with a single digit in the loss column. When these Dubs did it, fresh off the first of what seemed sure to be three or five or 10 titles with the Curry-Thompson-Green core, a championship seemed like almost a formality—and even more so when they took a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead in the Finals. Only then it was Cleveland’s turn to make history.

20. 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record: 57-25

Roster: Jared Cunningham, Matthew Dellavedova, Channing Frye, Joe Harris, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Richard Jefferson, Dahntay Jones, James Jones, Sasha Kaun, Kevin Love, Jordan McRae, Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams

There would be no shame in a second straight Finals loss to the mighty Warriors—no shame for LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin in falling short against the historically elite Dubs. There would be disappointment, sure, that the title LeBron came back to Cleveland to win, as part of arguably the most talented team in Cavs history, simply wasn’t meant to be. But this was Cleveland. They were used to disappointment. They weren’t used to making history. Until they did.

19. 1991-92 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 67-15

Roster: BJ Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, Bob Hansen, Craig Hodges, Dennis Hopson, Michael Jordan, Stacey King, Cliff Levingston, Chuck Nevitt, John Paxson, Will Perdue, Scottie Pippen, Mark Randall, Rory Sparrow, Scott Williams

One title, against an aging Lakers team, did not make a dynasty, and so the Bulls came into the ’91-92 season motivated for more. Those 67 regular-season wins were a statement, as was another MVP award for Michael Jordan (30.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 6.1 apg). But as ever, the playoffs were where it mattered, and Chicago needed to survive a seven-game series with the Knicks en route to the Finals. Once there, a hungry and talented Portland team promised to make the Bulls earn it. And so they did.

18. 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Record: 62-20

Roster: Jeff Ayres, Aron Baynes, Marco Belinelli, Matt Bonner, Shannon Brown, Austin Daye, Nando De Colo, Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green, Damion James, Othyus Jeffers, Cory Joseph, Kawhi Leonard, Patty Mills, Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter, Malcolm Thomas

The whole thing with the Spurs’ post-millennial dominance was that it was Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, and then whatever spare parts Coach Pop managed to perfectly align around them. It wasn’t supposed to be like this: A 22-year-old, third-year forward who averaged 12.8 ppg in the regular season emerging as the most impactful player in the entire postseason, including a Finals MVP performance in a five-game humbling of the Heat. This Kawhi Leonard guy might be pretty good.

17. 1997-98 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 62-20

Roster: Keith Booth, Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Scott Burrell, Jason Caffey, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Joe Kleine, Toni Kukoc, Rusty LaRue, Luc Longley, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Dickey Simpkins, David Vaughn, Bill Wennington

The Bulls kept the gang together for the “Last Dance,” and the result was a sixth title in eight years. There was plenty of tension and pressure. As usual, Michael Jordan was a hard-driving, big-scoring winner, while Scottie Pippen rode shotgun. Toni Kukoc did a bit of everything, and Dennis Rodman pounded the boards. Chicago survived a seven-game thriller with Indiana to reach the Finals, then dispatched Utah in six to end it all in style.

16. 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers

Coach: Alex Hannum

Record: 68-13

Roster: Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Costello, Billy Cunningham, Dave Gambee, Hal Greer, Matt Guokas, Luke Jackson, Wali Jones, Bill Melchionni, Chet Walker, Bob Weiss

After years of dominating the scorebook but not the winner’s circle, Wilt Chamberlain finally won a title. He did it by playing great defense, grabbing nearly every rebound and, amazingly, passing. He had plenty of targets. Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham and Wali Jones were dangerous scorers, and few were tougher inside than Luke Jackson.
The Sixers whipped the Celtics in five to reach the Finals and then stopped the Warriors to give The Big Dipper a championship.

15. 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Pat Riley

Record: 62-20

Roster: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, Earl Jones, Mitch Kupchak, Ronnie Lester, Bob McAdoo, Mike McGee, Chuck Nevitt, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, Larry Spriggs, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy

The Lakers had lost in two straight Finals but ’84-85 would be different. L.A. trampled all Western Conference competition and was led again by maestro Magic Johnson. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still a force in the paint, while James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper were a formidable supporting cast. After L.A. lost by 34 in the Finals opener, Abdul-Jabbar took over and was MVP of the Lakers’ first-ever championship win over Boston.

14. 1988-89 Detroit Pistons

Coach: Chuck Daly

Record: 63-19

Roster: Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, Darryl Dawkins, Fennis Dembo, Joe Dumars, James Edwards, Steve Harris, Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, John Long, Rick Mahorn, Pace Mannion, Dennis Rodman, Jim Rowinski, John Salley, Isiah Thomas, Micheal Williams

The Pistons won a title with a team as tough as their town. The Bad Boys were physical, to be sure, but they had plenty of talent. Isiah Thomas teamed with Joe Dumars in a lethal backcourt, with Vinnie Johnson providing heat off the bench. Rick Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer handled the rough stuff, and the mid-season trade for Mark Aguirre brought it all together. Detroit ended the Showtime era by sweeping the Lakers in the Finals.

13. 2017-18 Golden State Warriors

Coach: Steve Kerr

Record: 58-24

Roster: Jordan Bell, Chris Boucher, Omri Casspi, Quinn Cook, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Damian Jones, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, Patrick McCaw, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, Klay Thompson, David West, Nick Young

For the Dubs, regular-season records had long since been rendered meaningless. This was about trophies, and the last of Golden State’s trio of titles ended up being its most conclusive. KD and Steph both missed chunks of the season but still functioned as the League’s most reliable cheat code when it mattered, and after a seven-game scare from Houston in the West Finals, the Warriors swept a depleted Cavs squad for the championship.

12. 1996-97 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 69-13

Roster: Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, Bison Dele, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Robert Parish, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Dickey Simpkins, Matt Steigenga, Bill Wennington

By now, it was only a question of how long they could keep it going. A year after that 72-win campaign, the Bulls started the ’96-97 season with 12 straight victories and had five winning streaks of seven games or more. The machine just kept humming right up until the Finals, and then, there was a moment in Game 6 when it looked like the Jazz might force a Game 7. But they didn’t, because against these Bulls, nobody ever did.

11. 1964-65 Boston Celtics

Coach: Red Auerbach

Record: 62-18

Roster: Ron Bonham, Mel Counts, John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Willie Naulls, Bevo Nordmann, Bill Russell, Tom Sanders, Larry Siegfried, John Thompson, Gerry Ward

The best team of Boston’s ’60s dynasty? It’s at least in the conversation. Six Celtics averaged double figures, led by Sam Jones’ 25.9 ppg. It was the last of Bill Russell’s five MVP seasons, and the last of Tommy Heinsohn’s Hall of Fame career. The defining moment, thanks to a legendary call by Johnny Most, came against Philly in Game 7 of the East Finals: “Havlicek stole the ball!” A 4-1 dispatching of the Lakers in the Finals was almost anticlimactic.

Read here to find out who made it on the rest of the list, including No. 75-66, 65-55, 54-44, 43-33 and 32-22.

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At this point in the list, we’re getting into dynasty territory. Clutch moments and high-pressure situations were the norm for these squads, many of whom won multiple championships over a three to five year period. Different.

From iconic three-peats to historic dubs, here’s our picks for No. 32-22:

32. 2004-05 San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Record: 59-23

Roster: Brent Barry, Bruce Bowen, Devin Brown, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Dion Glover, Robert Horry, Linton Johnson, Sean Marks, Tony Massenburg, Nazr Mohammed, Rasho Nesterovic, Tony Parker, Glenn Robinson, Malik Rose, Beno Udrih, Mike Wilks

The Spurs and Pistons came into the season having split the previous two NBA championships, and both upset higher-seeded opponents (the Suns and Heat, respectively) in the Conference Finals that spring. That set up a title bout that made up for a relative lack of star power with heavyweight intensity and dominant D. Five of seven Finals games ended with the losing team not breaking 80 points. The series ended with Tim Duncan securing his third ring.

31. 1963-64 Boston Celtics

Coach: Red Auerbach

Record: 59-21

Roster: John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Jim Loscutoff, Clyde Lovellette, Johnny McCarthy, Willie Naulls, Frank Ramsey, Bill Russell, Tom Sanders, Larry Siegfried

Yawn, another title run, but at least Boston got a new Finals opponent to break up the monotony. The San Francisco Warriors tried to play immovable object to the Celtics’ unstoppable force, and in Wilt Chamberlain, the Dubs at least had the firepower. But Boston had the balance, experience and pedigree: John Havlicek and Sam Jones led the offense, and Bill Russell did his usual work, dominating defensively and on the glass to lead Boston to its seventh championship in eight tries.

30. 1969-70 New York Knicks

Coach: Red Holzman

Record: 60-22

Roster: Dick Barnett, Nate Bowman, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, Bill Hosket, Don May, Willis Reed, Mike Riordan, Cazzie Russell, Dave Stallworth, John Warren

When a new decade brought an end to the Celtics’ dominance, the Knicks asserted themselves as the class of the League. Behind MVP Willis Reed’s 21.7 ppg and 13.9 rpg and Walt Frazier’s stylish 20.9 points and 8.2 dimes per, New York rolled to the League’s best record and a Finals meeting with the Lakers. What followed was a seven-game classic against West, Wilt and Baylor, best remembered for Reed’s Game 7 effort on a bum leg that inspired his teammates to victory.

29. 1981-82 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Paul Westhead, Pat Riley

Record: 57-25

Roster: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brewer, Michael Cooper, Clay Johnson, Magic Johnson,Eddie Jordan, Mitch Kupchak, Mark Landsberger, Bob McAdoo, Mike McGee, Kevin  McKenna, Norm Nixon, Kurt Rambis, Jamaal Wilkes

Pat Riley was second choice. When Paul Westhead was fired (at Magic Johnson’s urging) 11 games into the ’81-82 season, Lakers owner Jerry Buss named Jerry West head coach. Only West didn’t want it, so Riley—the former player turned broadcaster turned inexperienced assistant—got the gig. Duly motivated, Magic, Kareem and Jamaal Wilkes led L.A. back to the Finals, where they bounced the Sixers in six. Showtime was in effect, and one of the greatest coaching careers was born.

28. 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 58-24

Roster: Kobe Bryant, Joe Crispin, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Devean George, Robert Horry, Lindsey Hunter, Mark Madsen, Jelani McCoy, Stanislav Medvedenko, Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Penberthy, Mitch Richmond, Brian Shaw, Samaki Walker

The third title of the Shaq-Kobe axis didn’t come easily. That Western Finals series with Sacramento was brutal, and there were those who thought the Lakers shouldn’t have won it. But they did, and then L.A. dusted Jersey in the Finals, behind another overpowering performance from O’Neal. The dynamic duo was again tremendous, while Derek Fisher provided stability at the point, and supporting players like Rick Fox and Robert Horry stepped up when needed.

27. 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Record: 58-24

Roster: Brent Barry, Matt Bonner, Bruce Bowen, Jackie Butler, Tim Duncan, Francisco Elson, Melvin Ely, Michael Finley, Manu Ginobili, Robert Horry, Fabricio Oberto, Tony Parker, Beno Udrih, Jacque Vaughn, James White, Eric Williams

These Spurs scored when they needed to, and they moved the ball like no one else. But the real strength of the team was on defense, where San Antonio could stifle rivals, just like it did Cleveland in the Finals sweep. Tim Duncan was a no-frills frontcourt star, with point guard Tony Parker’s creativity and Manu Ginobili’s flair and passion the keys to the team’s success. Role players like Bruce Bowen and Michael Finley helped complete a pure team.

26. 1980-81 Boston Celtics

Coach: Bill Fitch

Record: 62-20

Roster: Tiny Archibald, Larry Bird, ML Carr, Terry Duerod, Eric Fernsten, Chris Ford, Gerald Henderson, Wayne Kreklow, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Rick Robey

After Magic Johnson got his title in 1980, it was Larry Bird’s turn. He and the Celtics waged a year-long battle with the Sixers that culminated with a seven-game Eastern Finals series that featured three big Boston comebacks. Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were interior forces, while Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford and Cedric Maxwell patrolled the perimeter. The Rockets were tough in the Finals, but they weren’t tough enough to stop the Celtics machine.

25. 1989-90 Detroit Pistons

Coach: Chuck Daly

Record: 59-23

Roster: Mark Aguirre, William Bedford, Joe Dumars, James Edwards, Dave Greenwood, Scott Hastings, Gerald Henderson, Vinnie Johnson, Stan Kimbrough, Bill Laimbeer, Ralph Lewis, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Isiah Thomas

The Bad Boys went back-to-back with the same formula that won their first title: ferocious defense, timely offense and a Mean Streets attitude. Isiah Thomas smiled a lot, but he was a killer. Joe Dumars quietly piled up the points. Bill Laimbeer made no friends inside. Dennis Rodman rebounded and defended like a dervish. Mark Aguirre scored in many ways. James Edwards was a force in the post. And nobody wanted to mess with John Salley.

24. 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 65-17

Roster: Trevor Ariza, Shannon Brown, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, DJ Mbenga, Chris Mihm, Adam Morrison, Lamar Odom, Josh Powell, Vladimir Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton, Sun Yue

The first of back-to-back titles was Kobe Bryant’s initial one as undisputed leader of the Lakers and redemption for the Mamba. A year after losing in the Finals to ancestral rival Boston, the Lakers piled up 65 wins—third most in franchise history—with Bryant leading the way but receiving plenty of help from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum inside. The anticipated Finals matchup with Cleveland and LeBron James didn’t happen, so L.A. whipped Orlando instead.

23. 2007-08 Boston Celtics

Coach: Doc Rivers

Record: 66-16

Roster: Ray Allen, Tony Allen, PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, Glen Davis, Kevin Garnett, Eddie House, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Scot Pollard, James Posey, Leon Powe, Gabe Pruitt, Rajon Rondo, Brian Scalabrine

Depending on how you define it, the Super Team era started in Boston in the summer of ’07, when future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce to give the Celtics their best team in (at least) 20 years. Behind Pierce’s scoring, Allen’s shooting and KG’s two-way play, the Cs posted an NBA-high 66 wins and bounced LeBron and the Cavs en route to the Finals, where they renewed their rivalry with the Lakers. Not long after, they hung banner No. 17.

22. 1992-93 Chicago Bulls

Coach: Phil Jackson

Record: 57-25

Roster: BJ Armstrong, Ricky Blanton, Bill Cartwright, Joe Courtney, Jo Jo English, Horace Grant, Michael Jordan, Stacey King, Rodney McCray, Ed Nealy, John Paxson, Will Perdue, Scottie Pippen, Trent Tucker, Darrell Walker, Corey Williams, Scott Williams

The Lakers and Pistons had taken some of the magic out of title repeats by the time the Bulls
won their second straight, but no team since the Celtics’ ’60s dynasty had won three in a row. The Bulls felt like making history. The formula by now was familiar: Jordan averaged League-
highs in points (32.6) and steals (2.8), Scottie Pippen was a terror at both ends and Chicago made the big plays when it mattered, edging Barkley and the Suns in the Finals to seal the threepeat.

Read here to find out who made it on the rest of the list, including No. 75-66, 65-55, 54-44 and 43-33.

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With two 50-pt games in the last week, @KingJames has catapulted himself into the NBA's leading scorer with 29.7 points per game.

On the latest episode of #TheETCs, @KDTrey5 spoke highly of his Finals rival and discussed the age-old LBJ/MJ debate.

pic.twitter.com/hU8rapgmiB

— Boardroom (@boardroom) March 13, 2022

Instead of arguing for who is better between the two, Durant is among a few who dismiss the argument because the MJ and LBJ will never play against each other. He also gave both their flowers when he talked about seeing two of the greatest players to ever play in the League at the NBA75 celebration this past All-Star weekend.

“They’re both unique and sitting in their own different areas of greatness,” Durant said. “And when you see everybody in the same room like that, you realize, why the hell are we always comparing these guys?”

Frequently, the debate will get intense between stans of both all-time greats. Signature moments, Finals wins, clutch factors, the fear they instilled into their opponents all come up in arguments over the GOAT. For some, the fact that the Black Cat went undefeated in the NBA Finals and is perhaps the player the most synonymous with being clutch and excellence in professional basketball cements him above all else.

The case for Bron boils down to his 10 Finals appearances, including eight straight with the Heat and Cavaliers. His longevity and the fact he continues to play at a high level at 37-years-old also build his case. Don’t get it twisted either. James is clutch, too; he has the most career playoff buzzer beaters with five and has also hit 97 go-ahead/game-tying shots in the final minute of games, the second-most in NBA history behind only Kobe Bryant.

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One hundred and twenty-four pages of history, featuring our list of the best 75 players ever, as well as lists from celebrities around the basketball world. There’s also a rundown of the sneakers and fits that have defined these seven and a half decades.

As far feelings surrounding and reactions to this very thoroughly conceived list, well… sorry.

SLAM Presents the Top 75 NBA Players of All-Time is OUT NOW!

This special issue is available now in these exclusive Gold (94 copies) and Black (60 copies) metal editions.

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They held Kukoc to only four points.

“You ever watch a lion or a leopard or a cheetah pouncing on their prey?” Karl Malone said in 2012 via GQ’s Oral History of the Dream Team. “We had to get Michael and Scottie out of the locker room because they were damn near pulling straws to see who guarded him. Kukoc had no idea.”

Eventually Kukoc made it to Chicago and helped Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls win three-straight NBA championships.

On Saturday night, Kukoc included in his Hall of Fame speech some sincere gratitude for Jordan and Pippen.

“I would like to thank Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for kicking my butt during the Olympics in Barcelona, and then motivating me to work even harder to become an important part of the Chicago Bulls.”

“I would like to thank this gentleman here… for kicking my butt at the Olympics in Barcelona.”

Toni Kukoc shouts out Michael Jordan in his @Hoophall enshrinement speech. #NBAHOF pic.twitter.com/RW4vhjPcMZ

— NBA TV (@NBATV) September 12, 2021

Kukoc also thanked Bulls governor, Jerry Reinsdorf and especially Jerry Krause for “insisting on bringing me to the Bulls and believing in me as a player when it was uncommon for non-American players to play in the NBA.”

He now joins Jordan, Pippen, Krause, Reinsdorf, Phil Jackson, Tex Winter and Dennis Rodman from that second three peat team from the 90’s Bulls dynasty.

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That’s what happened to PGA Tour player Harold Varner III in 2017, when a strong performance at that August’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC, helped prompt a text from “the boss.” MJ himself, who is as serious about golf as he is about basketball, reached out to Varner.

“I had been wearing Oxford Apparel and using a Nike Elite account to buy my golf shoes, but I really wanted to join Nike or something athletic. And then MJ hit me up. It was perfect,” Varner says.

By the first event of 2018, Varner had lost his Srixon hat and basic Oxford Apparel and Nike cleats and took the course at the Sony Open in super clean gear and some dope Jordan XIII golf cleats. It’s been on ever since.

“Without a doubt. I’ve seen grown men go crazy over something I’m wearing,” Varner says. “(Other Tour players get excited too, but) I don’t give a fuck about what they want. They’ll be like, ‘Can MJ get me some of those shoes?’ I just tell them to figure it out themselves and keep it moving.”

There are five other Jordan golf athletes—Keegan Bradley, Luke Donald, Pat Perez, Camilo Villegas and Bubba Watson—but they have other sponsorships that require branding on their clothes.

HV3 (a great IG follow @hv3_golf, fwiw) on the other hand, a super solid golfer who has finished in the Tour’s top 110 for the last five years but has no career wins on Tour and isn’t terribly well-known for his golf achievements, has been quick to embrace all the buzz his head-to-toe Jordan gear generates.

“Every time I play well, people want to talk about my shoes,” the 31-year-old Varner says. “And I’m sure seeing me wearing all this stuff on TV is good for their popularity.”

Jordan Brand won’t share specific sales numbers and in the case of golf (akin to Jordan’s relationship to Nike in baseball and football), the footwear is really just an arm of Nike Golf, but growth can be ascertained by the fact that there is now a standard Jordan golf shoe available year-round—the ADG3, which retails for $140—in addition to the occasional retro drops which set reselling sites on fire much like their basketball siblings.

In a sport that hasn’t traditionally been known for its inclusivity, Varner thinks the exposure of his cleats and apparel has been a unifier. “My shoes have gotten me attention from everyone, from millionaires to poor people. Jordans really seem to bring people together.”

Ben Osborne, a former SLAM Ed., is now Head of Content for Just Women’s Sports.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post How a Text From Michael Jordan Changed Pro Golfer Harold Varner III’s Career appeared first on SLAM.

Last week, Morehouse received a $1 million donation to enhance journalism and sports-related studies at the 154-year all-men’s school.

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Jordan originally announced a commitment to donate $100 million “to organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education” in June 2020.

Morehouse College vice president Monique Dozier released a statement about Jordan’s donation, via MSN’s Andrew Holleran.

“Morehouse is grateful to Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand for an investment in the education of talented men of color who will ensure there is equity, balance, and truth in the way sports stories are framed and the way the Black experience is contextualized within American history,” said Monique Dozier, vice president for institutional advancement at Morehouse.

The money will help continue to support the journalistic and sports programs originally launched by donations from famed director and film writer, Spike Lee. Lee is also famous for his collaborations with Jordan on Nike Air Jordan commercials.

Jordan’s donation will also help support scholarship, technology, and educational programming initiatives for students attending the Atlanta-based HBCU.

With his latest donation, Jordan reminds us that he’s long since changed the conversation about his lack of activism in the Black community despite being one of the most well-known and influential African-Americans of all-time.

The post Michael Jordan Donates $1M to Morehouse College for Journalism Studies appeared first on SLAM.

This is an extremely rare accomplishment at Curry’s age. Him and Michael Jordan are the only players to win the NBA scoring title after turning 33.

Curry now will also join an exclusive list of players who have won multiple scoring titles, MVPs and NBA titles in NBA history. On this list now include Steph Curry, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

The 33-year-old has put up MVP-level numbers across the board this season, proving why he’s one of the best point guards and shooters in the history of the league. 

Coming into the final game of the season where he secured the scoring title, Curry was averaging 31.8 points, 5.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting .421 from deep on 12.6 attempts per contest. 

History continues to be made by Steph Curry, who at this stage of his career looks as good as he’s ever been. He’s carried the Warriors into the play-in tournament and makes them a dangerous team that nobody wants to see in the postseason. 

The post Steph Curry Becomes Oldest To Win Scoring Title Since Michael Jordan appeared first on SLAM.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2020 decides the selection of previous inductees to make the presentations. Due to Kobe Bryant’s tragic accident back in January of 2020, his family made the decision of selecting Jordan, who spoke at Kobe’s memorial service in February 2020.

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It was at the memorial service where Jordan gave the true insight of their close relationship.

“At first, it was an aggravation,” Jordan said of Bryant constantly peppering him with questions early in his career, per ESPN. “Then it became a passion.

“As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother I could be.”

Jordan will be a busy man at the ceremony. He is the only Hall of Famer that will present two candidates to the Hall of Fame, introducing Baylor’s women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey into the Hall as well.

The other 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees and Presenters are as follows.

• Patrick Baumann, presented by Russ Granik (’13), Vlade Divac (’19)
• Kobe Bryant, presented by Michael Jordan (’09)
• Tamika Catchings, presented by Alonzo Mourning (’14), Dawn Staley (’13)
• Tim Duncan, presented by David Robinson (’09)
• Kevin Garnett, presented by Isiah Thomas (’00)
• Kim Mulkey, presented by Michael Jordan (’09)
• Barbara Stevens, presented by Geno Auriemma (’06), Muffet McGraw (’17)
• Eddie Sutton, presented by John Calipari (’15), Bill Self (’17), Sidney Moncrief (’19)
• Rudy Tomjanovich, presented by Calvin Murphy (’93), Hakeem Olajuwon (’08)

The 2020 class of honorees had to wait a year for induction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The post Michael Jordan Named Presenter For Kobe Bryant At Naismith Hall of Fame appeared first on SLAM.

In previous eras, players like Curry were more common, sticking with one team and playing out their entire career in one city. An example of this was Reggie Miller, who spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers.

Miller recently spoke to Nick Friedell of ESPN, saying that he isn’t on board with the recruiting that goes on in the modern NBA. In fact, he said that even if Michael Jordan would have recruited him, he wouldn’t have even considered it.

“I would have told him to go f— himself”

While the league has shifted of late when it comes to the style of play on the floor, it’s also changed off the court. Like we’ve seen with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, its not uncommon to have several superstars on one team these days.

The post Reggie Miller Speaks On Player Recruiting in NBA appeared first on SLAM.

Let’s take it back to 1997. Before Michael Jordan’s last season in Chicago, SLAM produced an ALL-MJ special issue, full of iconic stories, photographs, and an exclusive Q&A with the GOAT himself.

Now that mag is back with the same timeless flair. This entire issue is a time machine back to when MJ ruled—and inspired—the world. From the design language, the advertisements, the writing; it’s all a portal into a time where the legend was real life.

Vol. 2 of the SLAM Rewind Series is out now and comes with an exclusive trading card from Upper Deck.

SLAM PRESENTS: JORDAN REWIND SERIES is available now on SLAMgoods.

The post SLAM Presents: JORDAN – Rewind Series OUT NOW! appeared first on SLAM.

With a silver sharpie in hand, he began the process of “touching immortality.” He double checked he was about to spell his own name right and then added his signature underneath Jordan’s. A bold move. 

Haters would say that he had ruined the basketball, but this was more so a statement piece for him set with intention. Winston was reimagining what it meant to idolize a legend, to respect all that he’s done for the game, while knowing that he, himself, has what it takes to succeed. 

“As hard as it probably is for some people to understand it is an image, it is out of appreciation for [Jordan],” Winston said via FaceTime in October, calling from his studio that resides on the border of Bushwick and Maspeth. “I grew up collecting basketball cards, going to autograph signings. The idea 20 years ago of someone handing me a Michael Jordan basketball and then me thinking, ‘Well, yeah, then you put your name on it,’ that’s just madness, that’s just crazy. I love the reaction that some people are like, ‘Well, you just ruined that ball’ and it’s just like, well, we’ll see about that.”

Winston, who grew up in California but has lived in New York City for the past 15 years, didn’t go to art school and doesn’t have an MFA in art history or contemporary art. Yet, through hustle and innate curiosity, his work has garnered the attention of many and has been featured in galleries across the country and Europe. His work has been included in shoots with Adidas and Pharrell as well as Louis Vouitton and the NBA.

After graduating from Wagner College, having studied art administration, Winston wanted to “make a lot of money” to pay off college debt but struggled to find a job after the housing market crashed. Frustrated, he felt like the world “owed” him something and as he walked to job interviews, he found himself noticing bits of paper along the streets on the ground. This became a catalyst for his own artistic medium, taking what others discard or scorn — trash, cigarettes, drug paraphernalia — and bringing them to light in his collages.

Yet, as Winston recalled, looking at the ground all the time got hella depressing and as he was sweeping cigs off the ground around the Marcy Houses, he heard a few kids on the basketball court complaining about the broken basketball nets. As a hoops fan, he understood their pain. 

“I hated playing on broken basketball nets my whole life,” he said. “You don’t get to call swoosh, you know?” 

So he went out and bought 10 basketball nets from Modell’s and replaced the broken basketball nets with new ones. He used the discarded nets in pieces like, “Better On The Nose Than in The Eye,” which exists as an act of exchanging old and new.

“That really was the snowball that created the avalanche in terms of what my work is today.”

Basketballs that had been left by their lonesome on empty courts around the city also caught his eye, as if stories and hoop dreams were scuffled onto the worn-out leather. He intentionally assembles them into neat lines and “X” shapes, like beanstalks, he explained, leading you to new places. 

“I think one of the things so many people are drawn to about basketball is it’s one of those sports you can literally make something out of almost nothing… I do think, these pieces, for me, as kinda dark and dirty as they might be perceived are about hope.”

Having grown up a Clippers, Knicks and Lakers fan (in that order), Winston like many of us, wanted to be just like Mike. There’s a parallel between his work and using familiar objects, like basketballs, that others can also connect to. 

 “Art can be super intimidating and it can be very elitist and I want people to understand like you can do it too and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions,” he said. 

He admires the work of creatives and supporters, like Virgil Abloh. The two “met on the internet five years ago” and have had in-depth conversations about the idea of celebrity and putting people and athletes on pedestals. 

“When [Abloh] had his line before Off-White, Pyrex Vision, I just remember thinking like this wild, this guy is putting Caravaggio painting on clothes, referencing Pyrex, the crack epidemic,  hip-hop, bridging all this stuff together… That ethos that he has is something that I’ve been drawn to and I just think that he’s just a really brilliant mind.”

The two have also talked about how in today’s era, the selfie is “far superior to the autograph.” While a signed ball by Jordan is worth thousands of dollars, a selfie with him is worth some valuable cultural capital. 

“If you walk up to someone these days, let’s say a kid who is 16 or 17 years old, I don’t think they’re as floored as I would have been at the same age if someone showed me an autograph from an athlete or a celebrity that I really liked,” he said. “Some of the paintings that I’m making, some of the text is now becoming blurry and I’m almost making it unreadable because these ideas that we have are dissolving about what celebrity is and they’re becoming something else.”

Winston said he feels fortunate to be able to do this work, to live out a dream he once didn’t know he had. While he calls himself a “relatively unknown artist in this scheme of art history,” he’s turning heads as a notable artist all on his own hustle and grind. Sometimes you gotta AI them for your own survival, to be bold and ballsy enough to find treasure along the discarded, to stamp your own name along the greats. 

“I revel in the fact that, like, I kind of figured out a lane and a system that works for me and I’m constantly tweaking it but that ball was an ode to that,” he said. “The greatest athlete to me is Michael Jordan and so it’s like when Iverson crossed up Jordan his rookie year or when Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue, those [are] moments of defiance, of announcing, like, I’ve arrived even if the odds are stacked against me.” 

Deyscha “Sway” Smith is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow her on Twitter @deyschasmith

Photos courtesy of Johnny Lewis. Johnny is a Social Media Manager at SLAM, you can follow him on Instagram @johnnysilk

The post The Defiant One: Artist Tyrrell Winston Found the Beauty In Old Basketballs appeared first on SLAM.

Such was the case on Thanksgiving, as ESPN’s Max Kellerman and Kendrick Perkins had a spirited debate about whether Jordan or Durant was the better scorer.

.@KendrickPerkins called Kevin Durant the best scorer of all time.@maxkellerman: “Michael Jordan not only scored more than KD, won more than KD, but scored more efficiently than KD.” pic.twitter.com/Xpi0nJ5u2M

— First Take (@FirstTake) November 25, 2020

Perkins, who often vociferously defends today’s stars, took the stance that Durant is the best scorer of all-time: “By the eye test, KD is the best scorer that I’ve ever seen. He has zero flaws to his game.”

Kellerman, however, believes that “Michael Jordan not only scored more than KD, won more than KD, but scored more efficiently than KD.”

Durant, however, wants nothing to do with it. After a Twitter user commented on the First Take debate, insisting that Durant was a bigger offensive threat than Jordan, Durant voiced his take on who was a better scorer.

Mj is one of one, God level, unmatched, unparalled, a pure master at this shit. I’m still watching his games to learn. Leave me out of it please

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) November 26, 2020

“MJ is one of one,” Durant wrote. “God level, unmatched, unparalleled, a pure master… I’m still watching his games to learn. Leave me out of it please.”

Whether an act of humility, or what some suggest to be further evidence that he’s not cut out for the pressure of the GOAT debate, only Durant will truly know.

But it’s not unusual for today’s stars to have a reverent attitude toward Jordan, with only one of the League’s current stars bold enough to claim that he’s at least as good as His Airness.

The post Kevin Durant: Michael Jordan Is a ‘God Level’ Scorer appeared first on SLAM.

It’s a fascinating thing, watching an argument evolve.

Before it can evolve, of course, it has to exist. Something has to pull an idea out of the ooze and lift it into the light, to make it a thing people can see and hear, ponder and take sides on. It’s not always clear when such a thing happens, or why, but at some point, the existence of the argument is acknowledged. Accepted. Eventually, no matter what side you might be on, or whether you think the argument itself is valid, its presence is confirmed. It exists. It’s real.

When was this particular argument born? The possibility might’ve occurred to some as early as 2007, when a 22-year-old LeBron James dragged a thoroughly overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers roster to the NBA Finals. For others it might’ve been 2008, when certain numbers—30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists over the course of a full season—proved too incredible to ignore. Then came 2009 and 2010, back-to-back MVP awards, an accumulation of accomplishment far behind the dreams of most players’ careers, let alone a guy who was just 25.

Of course, it wasn’t something anyone had to take seriously until he won a championship. That finally came in Miami in 2012, and again in 2013, and with that, the argument was undeniable. A tangible thing. Ten years, four MVPs, two titles, and the feeling that he was nowhere close to finished. Whatever you thought of LeBron after his first NBA decade, no one who understood the game thought he wasn’t in the conversation. An acronym so overused it barely merits a mention here, but for the record, yes: Greatest of All Time. Whether or not you thought he was the GOAT was beside the point. It only mattered that there was a case to be made.

That was seven years ago. The argument has indeed evolved. It looks nothing like it looked in 2013.

Remember 2016? Remember last month?

The evolution has been slow and gradual at some points, dramatic at others. The accumulation continues, a man climbing so many lists of career achievement that it starts to seem unfair. How does he stay so healthy? How can he stay this good for this long? That’s part of the evolution, too, the extent to which LeBron has changed the argument, strengthened his case, in ways both predictable and unforeseen.

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The thing about evolution is, it keeps going. That’s the point. And what sets LeBron apart, at least for this moment, is that he’s still going, even as no one else in the argument is. Every other name you might wish to put forward in this argument is retired and enshrined in Springfield. Only LeBron is still active—and not just active, not simply playing out the string like so many of the greats do. Year 17, and he’s still inspiring new arguments, like what it means to not give the MVP award to a guy who averaged 25, 10 and 8 in the regular season, then just shy of 28, 11 and 9 in the playoffs en route to another title. With LeBron, there’s always so much more you could argue about.

But that’s off topic. Seasonal arguments come and go. This one’s bigger. Comprehensive. And as LeBron keeps going, keeps evolving, he forces the argument to do the same. Year 17, and the world keeps waiting for #WashedKing to show up, and then he goes and posts career-high assists in career-low minutes, and the argument evolves again.

And now here we are, waiting to see what’s next. The other guys—you might have a half dozen names in mind, but more likely, it’s just the one—they’re waiting, too. Most of them probably are at peace with it. Michael Jordan…well, who can say for sure. But all he can do, all any of them can do, is wait. Wait and see what else LeBron does, and for how much longer. The argument’s evolution is out of their hands. Only LeBron can influence it now.

But actually, no, that’s not quite right. Only LeBron can change the facts of the argument—that’s true enough. But it’s the rest of us who decide the narrative, set the terms, pick and choose the particular set of stats and milestones and frozen moments with which we make our argument, whatever it might be. As long as the argument exists, you can choose your fighter and state your case. For some of us, there’s nothing LeBron can do to change our position; for others, LeBron’s already done more than enough.

And so consider this a plea for peace, or sanity, or maybe just common sense: It’s time for us to evolve past the argument. It’s time for the most passionate, engaged basketball fans on the planet—if you’re reading these words in this magazine, that’s you pretty much by default—to recognize the impossibility of a debate that crosses eras and styles and a thousand other variables, and to accept that impossibility as a blessing. A thing of beauty. To know that you can choose, but that you don’t have to, and that you can be right either way.

Michael Jordan, as others have documented at length, had excellent timing. As recently as five years before he was drafted, the NBA was considered a second-class league lacking star power or national relevance. Jordan would eventually lift the League to unprecedented heights, but the dirty work of lifting the NBA out of the gutter of public perception had already been done in the few years before his arrival—by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, mostly, with a notable assist from Julius Erving along the way. When he was drafted in 1984, Jordan joined a league that was growing in popularity, a media landscape being dramatically altered by ESPN, and the very idea of marketing being reimagined by Nike. Jordan the player still had to be remarkable, and he was, but the work of crafting and promoting his legend was hardly a solo act.

LeBron James played his first NBA game six months after Jordan played his last, but he might as well have joined an entirely different league. In a lot of ways, it was Jordan’s league—not literally in 2003, of course, not with Shaq and Kobe running together and Allen Iverson already an icon—but to the extent that Jordan’s place in the history of the game was unquestioned. The “GOAT debate” wasn’t really a debate at all; most just accepted that it was Jordan, and then it was everyone else. The cases you could make for the others—Russell’s defense and leadership, Wilt’s sheer statistical dominance, Oscar’s completeness, Magic’s passing and vision, West and Bird defining clutch—were all absorbed or devoured by Jordan. The breadth of his skill set, the depth of his competitiveness, and those half dozen rings were simply too much to argue with.

Into this stepped LeBron, a Jordan obsessive like any ’80s kid, but also, already, a student of the game, possessed of a combination of size, strength, vision, athleticism, speed and basketball intelligence that still, all these years later, stumps any attempt at succinct comparison. There was some Jordan in his game, sure, but there were also traces of Oscar and Bird, hints of Wilt, and a whole lot of Magic Johnson. LeBron’s passing—his ability to find and make passes even as a rookie that many of the League’s point guards would be reluctant to try—was one of his greatest assets; the irony is that, in the evolution of the argument, it was also seen as a crutch.

It will seem a distant memory by the time you read this, but the 40 or so hours between Games 5 and 6 of this year’s Finals brought back a taste of the criticism that LeBron endured in torrents earlier in his career: He’d rather pass instead of taking the game winner. Jordan would never. This was both historically ignorant—Steve Kerr says hello—and spoke to how warped the argument was from early on. As the logic went, being a passer on the level of Magic Johnson was held against LeBron because it kept him from being Jordan-caliber clutch.

But, again: The argument evolved. Maybe it’s the 11 Finals games with a triple-double, one more than Magic and Bird combined, and precisely 11 more than Jordan ever managed. Making Finals triple-doubles look like light work seems as good a definition of “clutch” as any you might come up with.

If there’s any certainty in this argument, then, it’s in the different ways the players themselves made their case. Across eras in which the style, pace and officiating changed so drastically, each imposed himself on the game in ways that at times seemed unstoppable. As he reminded us all via sometimes selective hindsight this past spring, Jordan did it with singular, almost sociopathic focus. Once he found the coach and wingman he needed to win titles, he couldn’t imagine playing without them; lesser teammates, meanwhile, were essentially intimidated into competence or cast aside. His legacy and greatness are forever linked with a single coach and a singular system.

LeBron? The coach, the system, and even the Robin to his Batman have all proven flexible; success and failure have increasingly come on his terms, wherever and with whomever he deemed the right fit at the time. The willingness to switch franchises, deemed a threat to his legacy when he first left Cleveland for Miami, has over time helped define it. Each of the three times he’s left a team, he’s won a championship with his new team two years later. Call it ring chasing if you want, but the rings weren’t there until he brought them.

Michael Jordan changed the game of basketball. LeBron James is changing it still. Jordan might still be the guy you’d want taking the last shot; LeBron might be the guy you’d want starting and playing 44 minutes in a Game 7. You can choose any number of criteria, or, again, you can choose not to choose at all. You can embrace the idea that there is no single greatest of all time, that there are at least two right answers, neither of whose greatness does anything to diminish the other’s.

The argument has evolved, as has the game and its players. Among the greatest, only one is still going, 17 seasons and immeasurable impact already in the books. The only wrong choice is choosing not to appreciate him while you can.

—

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Ryan Jones is a Contributing Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @thefarmerjones.

Photos via Getty.

The post LeBron James vs Michael Jordan: The GOAT Debate appeared first on SLAM.

In a bonus feature from The Last Dance’s limited blu-ray gift set, Jordan told Stuart Scott just that while appearing on his Sunday Conversation show back in 1998.

“It’s not fair, you know, but it’s a standard of measurement. When I came in, [it was] Dr. J, Elgin Baylor. It’s just a standard of measurement for people to compare to. But there’s never going to be another Michael Jordan. There’s never going to be another Dr. J. Magic Johnson. Larry Bird.

Now, there’s gonna be a Kobe Bryant, there’s gonna be a Grant Hill, Anfernee Hardaway. These guys are going to have similar traits, it’s how they manifest those traits to be the best basketball player, the best role model that they can be.”

That wasn’t the last time Jordan spoke on the subject. The Bulls icon has since been honest about who he thinks deserves the GOAT title – and it’s not himself.

In 2009, Jordan told Michael Wilbon that he “doesn’t want” the title because he hasn’t played against legends in the league prior to himself — like Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.

He shared those same sentiments in a recent interview with Cigar Aficionado.

Still, don’t get it twisted. Back when MJ had his hoop earring in, he made it clear that he doesn’t think there will be another like him.

The post Michael Jordan on Legacy: ‘There’s Never Going to Be Another’ appeared first on SLAM.

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It’s unclear whether or not Falk’s declaration is hyperbole, but there’s no doubt he believes that competition was better in Jordan’s era.

Though he believes players shouldn’t be compared across eras, Falk said that there are only “four or five” current superstars compared to 25 superstars in Jordan’s career.

Falk’s discourse about today’s player-driven superteams has obvious merits (although the League has re-established the competitive balance it’s been missing for a decade).

His belief about today’s players having diminished skill levels is an uncommon one. To the contrary, many analysts believe players are more skilled now than ever before because of the emphasis on positional versatility, perimeter shooting and guard skills.

The post David Falk Compares Michael Jordan’s Era To Current NBA appeared first on SLAM.

Hoping to uncover some of the mystery, Cigar Aficionado’s Marvin R. Shanken held an extensive interview with Jordan, asking him questions about his career, his father, his hobbies and a plethora of other subjects.

One of the most interesting responses from His Airness came nearly halfway through the interview, as he revealed why he never had an interest in coaching.

“I have no patience for coaching. My biggest problem from a competitive standpoint is the focus of today’s athlete and the focus where I saw the game, how I pursued the game — it changes and it’s totally different.

For me to ask an individual to focus on the game the way I played the game, in some ways would be unfair for that kid that would have to endure that. If he didn’t do it, there is no telling where my emotions would be. I don’t think I would have the patience for it. So in essence, coaching is something that I’ve never really felt I could do from an emotional standpoint because I’m much different and I have a different perception about things than what the kids do today.”

Jordan has long been known as one of the fiercest competitors to step foot on the hardwood and it’s easy to see how his mindset — from his dedication to maximize his potential to his desire to win games — could leave him lacking the requisite patience that coaching requires, particularly with young teams.

One could argue that being a key decision-maker and principal owner of an NBA team, as he is with the Charlotte Hornets, requires even more patience. However, he can have much more of an indirect, hands-off approach in his current role than he would have as a head coach.

Should Jordan have entered the coaching ranks though, he would have joined a horde of Hall of Fame players to try their hand at it. It would have been like seeing Magic Johnson or Jerry West on the sidelines, albeit with a much more bristly demeanor.

The post Michael Jordan: ‘I Have No Patience For Coaching’ appeared first on SLAM.

It hasn’t even been a week since Game 6 of the NBA Finals and James is already plotting and strategizing how to be better for the next season. What better way to do that than to study your hero?

After succeeding in winning his fourth title, James posted several videos on his Instagram story on Wednesday night. These stories featured him in bed watching April’s compelling, galvanizing Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance.

James captioned the story saying, “doing my homework.”

James and Jordan are often pitted against one another especially when it comes to the age-old G.O.A.T debate. But it’s clear that James knows he has big shoes to fill and that studying the six- time Finals champ could be the gateway to the rings to come in the near future.

The post LeBron James Studies The Last Dance as Homework appeared first on SLAM.

Jordan was named as a member of the NBA Foundation’s Board of Directors, along with NBA commissioner Adam Silver; NBA Board of Governors chairman Larry Tanenbaum; NBPA executive director Michele Roberts; New Orleans Pelicans governor Gayle Benson; Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris; and Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes.

Per an NBA press release, the NBA Foundation’s goal is to “drive economic empowerment for Black communities through employment and career advancement, seeking to increase access and support for high school, college-aged and career-ready men and women, and assist national and local organizations that provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development in NBA markets and communities across the United States and Canada.”

In addition, all 30 NBA team governors will contribute a combined $30 million annually in initial funding over the next 10 years. The Foundation will also work marketing and media partners to develop additional programming and funding sources.

The NBA’s latest initiative—one that has many of the most influential members of the League on it’s inaugural Board of Directors—is the type of program that has the potential to provide underprivileged families with the means to break free from traditional barriers of economic and societal advancement.

The post Michael Jordan Joins NBA Foundation’s Inaugural Board of Directors appeared first on SLAM.

The Pistons legend took to Twitter to hail King James’ greatness, saying that the future Hall of Famer is “the best and most ‘complete’ player I have seen in my lifetime… on and off the floor.”

“He passed the eye test,” Thomas continued. “The numbers confirm what my eyes have seen in every statistical category. #Goat let it be known!”

It should be noted that Isiah developed a rivalry with Michael Jordan—who many consider to be the greatest player of all time—during their playing days, so his opinion may be biased.

Nonetheless, James’ combination of physical prowess, career accomplishments and basketball mastery is undoubtedly rare. Thomas won’t be first person to proclaim that LeBron is the best player to have ever played and he won’t be the last.

Finals record aside, James is a three-time NBA champion (currently vying for his fourth championship) who has the ability to play all five positions at a high level. He’s the greatest passing forward the League has ever seen, has the ability to score from all three levels, steps up defensively when needed and has become a master manipulator of the game.

Yet, that pales in comparison to his leadership on and off the court. His off-court impact has been what truly separates him from a player like Jordan.

James has put his money and his platform to great use. The father of three has started a charitable foundation, built a school and funded a scholarship in his hometown, been one of the league’s global ambassadors and a prominent voice in the discussion about social justice issues.

When looking at both the player and the person, LeBron has as rational a case as any when it comes to the GOAT mantle.

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The post Isiah Thomas: LeBron James ‘Most Complete Player I Have Seen’ appeared first on SLAM.

In an interview with former NBA forward Dorell Wright on The Player Tribune’s Text Message Talk Show, KD was transparent on a number of topics, including part of the motivation behind the number change and his mentality while rehabbing from the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in 2019.

Durant fielded a number of questions that required him to list his favorites. Whether it was WNBA players, MVP winners, or Nike KDs, Durant had answers at the ready.

Asked why he switched jersey numbers away from the No. 35 he wore with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors, Durant opened up about some of the NBA legends he respects.

“Wanted to try something new for this phase of my career plus ALL my favorite superstars rocked 2 numbers…..Kob, Mike, Bron…

Oh yea I can’t forget Melo”

Kobe Bryant. Michael Jordan. LeBron James. Carmelo Anthony.

Kobe and Jordan’s appearance on this list was predictable, given the scorer’s mentality that Durant shares with the Hall of Famers. Subsequently, Melo’s name being listed makes sense as well, particularly when noting that both he and Anthony played for Oak Hill Academy in high school.

On the other side of the spectrum, there’s LeBron, who KD did happen to make a song with in 2011. Still, given LeBron’s pass-first mentality, the burgeoning rivalry between the two for the title of the best player in the world, and his assertion that LeBron isn’t the greatest player of all-time, his place in Durant’s exclusive list does raise eyebrows.

The post Kevin Durant: ‘All My Favorite Superstars Rocked Two Numbers’ appeared first on SLAM.

Jordan and partner Denny Hamlin, a long-time Jordan Brand athlete, will be the majority owners of a NASCAR Cup Series team when the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season begins.

For Jordan, NASCAR is nothing new. He’s been familiar with the sport since he was a kid.

“Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters and me to races,” Jordan said in a press release about the purchase, “and I’ve been a NASCAR fan my whole life.”

Perhaps what is most exciting about this announcement is the fact that Jordan will bring diversity to the sport as one of the only Black owners of a NASCAR team. He made sure to highlight this when the recent news was announced.

“The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me. Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners. The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more…In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing.”

Bubba Wallace Wallace is the NASCAR Cup Series’ only Black driver and is having one of the best seasons of his career. After announcing earlier this month that Wallace would not return to Richard Petty Motorsports, this new opportunity could not come at a better time.

The post Michael Jordan Expands His Sports Ownership Portfolio Into NASCAR appeared first on SLAM.

Don CC is the Godfather of the Air Jordan XI baseball cleat.

The “Concords” were on his feet when he and the New York Yankees won the 2009 World Series. And now any ballplayers who want a pair have to go through him, the Don.

“A lot of guys started asking about it but we kind of made it a rule,” Sabathia tells SLAM. “You gotta win a championship to get the XIs. It’s a rite of passage of baseball guys that [if] you win a championship, you get those.”

Other baseball players have worn Air Jordan XIs on-field. Even Sabathia’s teammate, Derek Jeter, once had a pair of XIs that looked like “Space Jams.” But the diamond version of the silhouette is now officially tied to 52.

Great men are not born great. They grow great. Sabathia’s long list of accomplishments make him a lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He’s won the Cy Young Award and the ALCS MVP, played in six All-Star Games, notched 251 career wins and, of course, that ’09 World Series victory.

The Bombers took home the chip during Sabathia’s first season in the Bronx, which was also the first season the new Yankee Stadium opened up. He was already well-established by the time he started playing in the Cathedral, an eight-year veteran with multiple All-Star appearances and a reputation for his lefty sliders, changeups, cutters and sinkers.

But he was cooking during that ’09 campaign. As one of the few baseball players with Jordan Brand at that time, his reps at the Jumpman expected him to make the All-Star Game. Even though he didn’t get the nod in that particular season, a box still showed up at his place.

“They sent me my first pair of ‘Concords’ [in] ’09 because they thought I was going to make the All-Star team,” CC remembers. “Dale Allen [Director of Sports Marketing at the Brand], at the time, he was like, Don’t wear them. I’m going to send you these. If you make the All-Star team, wear them. But if you don’t, don’t wear them.”

Don CC pauses right here and lets out a huge laugh. Nobody tells a Don what to do.

“Yeah, right! Like, you sent me these cleats, I’m wearing them. I was like, Yeah, for sure, I’m not going to wear them. He sent them and right away, my first start after the All-Star break was a big game against Boston. And I had them on, pitched great and the rest is history.”

Just like Michael Jordan before him, Sabathia played in the “Concords” even though he was told not to. And just like Jordan before him, Sabathia was winning. He was 19-8 on the mound in ’09 and the Yankees finished the regular season with a 103-59 record. Sabathia had his favorite sneaker converted into a cleat just for him.

Jordans were everything and everywhere in the ’80s and ’90s. Sabathia says that the XIs immediately stood out to him when he was in 10th grade, becoming his favorite pair right away. But he couldn’t afford them while he was growing up in Vallejo, CA. He was a huge fan of MJ and understood his impact on sneakers and sports and actually played baseball, football and basketball when he was a kid. Sabathia remembers finally being able to get the Air Jordan XIIs in 11th grade and playing in them, beating them up and holding on to them for as long as he could. That’s why as soon as he started playing in the XIs with the Yankees, they quickly became his number one option.

“I’m like, Yo, I need eight, nine pairs of these. This is my shoe forever,” he says. “And we went on to win the World Series, pitched in the playoffs all down the stretch with the ‘Concords.’ For me, it’s just about feel. After that stretch in ’09, wearing the ‘Concords,’ anytime I needed a big game or it’s a big start or I needed to get back rolling, I would always put on ‘Concords’ or some version of them. That was always my go-to shoe to get me back on track, make me feel good.”

His personal history with them, as well as their overall stature and appearance, were already easy money. Their on-field performance is what kept them in-rotation. The wraparound patent leather rand makes them extremely durable. It allows for the exclusion of a pitching toe, a medial side add-on aimed to protect the toe area.

“When you throw you drag your foot on the dirt, off the mound,” Sabathia explains. “When I have XIs, I never put that little extra because the patent leather can take it.”

The Brand sent more and more XIs to Don CC after the World Series. The next decade saw him get PEs shouting out his little league team from back home in Vallejo and his 200th career win, as well as more Yankee-themed flavors. The smile on his face when he talks about the memories and the cleats tell the entire story. He went from being the kid who couldn’t get them to the Don who made history in them.

“For me, it represents my championship, because these are the shoes that I had on down the stretch to help us win the World Series,” he says. “Obviously we won a championship in them, too. For me, it’s just about my legacy. Anybody that ever asks me about my cleats, it’s always the ‘Concords.’ At the time when I first wore them, it was a big deal because nobody was really wearing them. It just means everything to me to have these shoes and for them to be such a big part of my childhood and me wanting them so bad…and then to be able to win a championship in them? It’s just a surreal feeling.”

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF JORDANS VOL. 6

Max Resetar is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Photos by Jon Lopez.

The post How CC Sabathia Became the Godfather of the Air Jordan XI Cleat appeared first on SLAM.

SLAM Presents JORDANS Vol. 6: the defining basketball sneaker is fully chronicled in this special edition issue.

Michael Jordan’s personal XI Lows, an exclusive look at the “Miami Heat” XIs that were made just for Ray Allen, Chris Paul’s and Deion Sanders’ PEs and a detailed breakdown of the design of the XI and its impact on the world. The mag also includes an interview with Marcus Jordan, Michael’s son.

Two separate covers mark the importance of the XI’s most influential makeups, the “Concords” and the “Breds.” Much more on the shiniest, flyest and most iconic basketball sneaker ever is waiting for you. Head to our store to cop now.

The post SLAM Presents JORDANS Vol. 6 Is Available Now appeared first on SLAM.

September, 1991. Just a few months after winning his first NBA title—and five years before his co-starring role alongside an animated rabbit in a Hollywood blockbuster—Michael Jordan made his first great leap into mainstream popular culture when he hosted the Season 17 premiere of Saturday Night Live.

The episode was an instant classic, and not only for the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s unforgettable rendition of Green Eggs and Ham or a pair of intense performances from musical guest Public Enemy. Jordan was practically perfect, knocking out a memorable monologue (in a quilted, olive-green jacket that later inspired a special makeup of the Air Jordan VI) and appearing in a half dozen sketches, three of which became iconic: “The First Black Harlem Globetrotter,” “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans” and “Daily Affirmation With Stuart Smalley.”

Polished and composed, Jordan nailed nearly every line. Almost 30 years later, cast members, extras and writers remember being struck by Jordan’s professionalism and star power—and by how well that episode holds up. “We had a lot of athletes on the show,” long-time writer Robert Smigel says, “but Jordan was the pinnacle.”

NO. 1 PICK

ROBERT SMIGEL (SNL writer and cast member): The preceding summer, there was a comedy tribute to Jordan at the Chicago Theatre. He didn’t do a ton of comedy on that show, but he did the “Super Fans” piece with us that night. I met him, got to work with him and do the sketch with him—he was very laid back and friendly. The sketch was a big hit and he had a great time. I was told later that that gave him the confidence to host SNL. I’m sure they were already pursuing him heavily. He was such a great choice to host.

STUDIO 8H

JIM PITT (SNL talent coordinator): It’s one of my favorite subjects. I was one of only two guys in the talent department, and whenever
an athlete hosted, it was like, “Why don’t one of you guys handle this?” So I was sort of Michael’s guy all week. I went out to New Jersey, picked up him and his wife at the airport and when it was call time, I’d just go hang and wait for him.

ELLEN CLEGHORNE (cast member): I was a new cast member. That Monday was my first day at work, and I got to meet Michael Jordan.

CHRIS ROCK (cast member, via Complex’s Sneaker Shopping, 2017): He was the biggest star that had ever done the show…He was at the height of his powers. It was like hanging around Iron Man or something.

GARY NEWTON (SNL extra): It was always a big deal to host the first show of the season and obviously Jordan was at his zenith. It was like Babe Ruth had come in to host the show.

SMIGEL: It was like Babe Ruth—I remember Al Franken saying that. It’s funny to think back on that; nowadays all the emphasis is on “rings.” This guy only had one ring at the time, but there was no question in anybody’s mind he was the greatest player anybody had seen. We’d had Joe Montana and Walter Payton, Wayne Gretzky; whenever we had an athlete, everybody’s starstruck. With Jordan, people just couldn’t believe he was there.

CLEGHORNE: I’m from New York, I was a big-time Knicks fan, but my mother’s from Chicago, and I used to spend summers in Chicago. But it didn’t matter—just the phenomenon of Michael Jordan, even if you were a Knicks fan, everybody was a Michael Jordan fan.

PITT: People would be surprised that athletes were such good hosts, but [SNL creator] Lorne Michaels would say, “They’ve been coached their entire lives—they take direction really well.” That week of the show is unlike anything else in entertainment or sports; they’ve conquered the highest heights, but they don’t necessarily know how to do this. They have to just trust the process.

ADAM SANDLER (cast member, via Dan Patrick Show, 2017): I don’t think he had that much pressure on himself. I don’t think he was like, “I want to be a great host.” He wanted to do it right for the show’s sake.

THE JORDAN RULES

ROCK: The cast is used to famous people—we had famous people on every week and nobody would ask for autographs or anything. But Jordan, yo…it got to the point, they had to put a guard, a policeman, outside Michael Jordan’s dressing room for the cast. Just for us.

SANDLER: I remember Lorne was telling everybody, “Just stop with the autographs. Stop. Leave him alone.” It was nuts.

PITT: It was the only time in my seven years that there was a sign on the host’s door saying “No Autographs.” That wasn’t him—it was the show instituting that. But I will say, he signed a lot of stuff in the first half of the week and he was very gracious about it.

SMIGEL: I know he signed a lot of basketballs that week. I still have mine. I keep it in a closet, I’m so afraid of something happening to it.

ROCK: I remember at one point me, [Chris] Farley, Sandler and [David] Spade were gonna go to McDonald’s and Jordan was about to come with us [laughs]. I think we got to the elevator and he’s like, Eh, I can’t go, guys. But it was cool. We got to hang out with him the whole week and he was funny in the sketches.

SANDLER: He was hanging out, we became tight—for the week, you know. He was genuinely lovable. He was just cool, man. Handsome dude. He owned the whole place.

CLEGHORNE: He was very kind. You work with some people who aren’t that nice, and then you see how this man, who’s the best of the best in his industry, could be so nice. I wrote this sketch, “Zoraida the NBC page,” and it’s just me and him, and I keep touching him, grabbing his arm. We did a lot of takes in rehearsal, and he could’ve been like, “Uh, don’t touch my arm.” But he had a sense of humor. He played along.

PITT: He was great to deal with. I wouldn’t say he gave up a whole lot, but he was super nice to people on staff. Once he got through that Monday meeting, where all the writers pitch their ideas, he got more and more comfortable. As the week went on, it gets a little more serious with rehearsals and it’s a very regimented schedule. He did his work, he learned his lines.

“THE FIRST BLACK HARLEM GLOBETROTTER”

In Smigel’s sketch, the all-white Globetrotters of the 1920s take a chance by signing their first African-American player, “Sweet River Baines.”

SMIGEL: I’m a huge basketball fan and I grew up loving the Globetrotters.

PITT: Every once in a while, staff members would end up in sketches as extras. In this case, Smigel specifically wrote me into it. The idea was that the original Globetrotters were these slow white, ethnic guys. My name was “Mick O’Herlihy.”

NEWTON: I worked during the day at the fitness center at 30 Rock, on the same floor where they filmed. That’s how I got to know the casting directors and I did some extra work—probably eight or nine sketches over the course of three years. You come in, you don’t make waves and hopefully they bring you back. For this one, they brought a bunch of people in, like an audition. There wasn’t really a way to see if guys could play, so they started asking people basketball trivia questions—that way they could tell if you were a poser. I played in high school and I loved the game, so I did well on the trivia.

SMIGEL: Tom Schiller was this brilliant filmmaker who did short films for SNL and he had a real affinity for old-timey aesthetics. But he was also this hilarious eccentric, so he comes to the set and he’s literally wearing an old director’s beret and he’s got a megaphone, almost like a character as he’s directing. And Michael Jordan is looking at him like, Who is this guy?

PITT: We filmed the basketball scenes earlier in the week, maybe on Thursday, at the 23rd Street Y. The basketball sequences were
pretty basic—old fashioned, two-handed set shots, hook shots and the Globetrotters’ “magic circle.”

NEWTON: We had to look really rigid—single bounce passes, maybe one dribble, that was it.

SANDLER: Michael was in some old-time wig. We were all on the same team as him—we got to pass him the ball and he’d take a shot.

SMIGEL: I put myself in the sketch—the scene where someone’s taking a two-handed set shot and Michael blocks it so hard, just smashes it. I couldn’t resist having my shot blocked by Michael Jordan.

NEWTON: I was on the opposing team. On one play I got position in the middle of the lane and he actually jumped over me and dunked. They didn’t use it in the show, but just to have that happen…

PITT: There was a lot of downtime, so the amazing memory for me is really more than shooting the scenes, but shooting around with six or seven other guys and one of them is Michael Jordan. We were friggin’ shooting around with Michael Jordan. It was pretty surreal. At one point I did a little drive to the hoop, no effort at all and I kind of threw it up and he stuck his arm out half-assed and it went in and he leered at me. I just realized, “Wow, everything is true. He is super competitive.”

SMIGEL: You see him on the court and you know he’s a crazy competitor. Between takes, he’s watching the actors shoot around and he just looks at me with disgust, like, Look at these guys, just a bunch of weekend hacks.

NEWTON: At some point that day, one of the principal cast members goes over and gets his autograph. And then another one goes over and another one. It was those guys taking the lead that kind of gave us all permission. It probably helped that there were only 12 to 15 people at the gym. I’m not usually one to get autographs, but I had a basketball that I got signed for my little brother. I gave it to him for Christmas.

SANDLER: I remember Rob Schneider with a basketball. I was like, I thought we’re not allowed to do that! He’s like, It’s Jordan. I gotta. I skipped it to be cool and now I regret it.

“BILL SWERSKI’S SUPER FANS”

An update on the sketch that helped convince MJ to host, with Jordan joining the beer-swilling, Bears-obsessed, heart-attack-prone Chicagoans at Ditka’s Restaurant. Mike starts by ordering a Gatorade and finishes by donning a grass skirt and joining the Super Fans for a hula dance.

SMIGEL: In the sketch, they’re imposing their football obsession on the basketball player, but it turned out the Bulls were the ones who made the sketch famous. It became famous in Chicago the season before, and then we did it again for the season finale, and then the Bulls won the championship. The Bulls even put it on their court one season—it actually said “Da Bulls” on the sideline. The Bulls were really the thing that made it national. At the end of the sketch, we did the hula dance with Michael and I got a picture of that. It’s the only show business photo I have in my house.

“DAILY AFFIRMATION WITH STUART SMALLEY”

Written by and starring future US Senator Al Franken, the recurring Stuart Smalley sketch peaked with Jordan’s appearance. Arguably the show’s most enduring image is Jordan—aka “Michael J.” to protect his anonymity—looking at his reflection in a mirror, with Smalley hovering over his shoulder, giving himself a pep talk to boost what Smalley assumes is his fragile self-esteem. The fact that Jordan managed to not break character (although it was close for a second) is the sketch comedy equivalent of a 50-point game.

CLEGHORNE: It’s read day—Wednesday—and Michael Jordan is sitting at the top of table, and Al Franken is sitting directly across from me. Franken pulls that sketch out, and I’ll tell you, I never laughed so hard at anything in my life. They asked me at the 45th reunion to pick a sketch, and most people picked a sketch they were in. I picked the Stuart Smalley sketch with Michael Jordan. Just the magic of those two together…that was the funniest thing I had ever seen.

PITT: How he was able to keep a straight face during that, I don’t know.

SMIGEL: That was such a great moment, and him not breaking character upped the sketch over time. It was already great, because the sketch was so absurd—just the idea of him being anonymous. It was fantastic.

THAT’S A WRAP

PITT: I hadn’t bothered him all week, but after the show ended—this is like 1:30 Sunday morning— I’m walking with him to the car in the basement garage and I had this beautiful gold Michael Jordan signature basketball. I said, “This one’s for me, if you don’t mind,” and he said, “JP, you treated me well all week, happy to do it.” I’m not a basketball junkie, but it was an amazing experience.

SMIGEL: The way he was, his public persona… my kids are big NBA fans now and during the pandemic we’ve been watching classic games. You see some of his most amazing games and then he steps off court and he’s so unaffected. He also does that thing where you meet him and he repeats your name, so he knows it. Years later, I was at his retirement ceremony with my wife and we see him, and it’s, “Hey Robert, hey Michelle.”

SANDLER: We all were in love with him. He was the greatest. It was like the Jordan you loved when he hits a shot and smiles—that’s who we had on the show.

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF JORDANS VOL. 5

Ryan Jones is a Contributing Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @thefarmerjones.

Photos via Getty.

The post LIVE FROM NEW YORK: An Oral History of Michael Jordan Hosting SNL appeared first on SLAM.

That’s a quote from Michael Jordan. No, obviously not that Michael Jordan. The other one—the 40-year-old Regional Senior Vice President for iHeartMedia based in Lexington, KY, with the social media bio that reads: “An ordinary man with a legendary name.”

That Jordan actually did cross paths with the NBA Hall of Famer. They overlapped at a resort in Las Vegas and Michael (I’m talking about the iHeartMedia VP, stay with me) kept getting calls to his room confirming reservations that His Airness had made. The Michael Jordan returned to the same hotel about a month later and the front desk made a crucial mistake.

“Somehow his credit card and my credit card got swapped,” the iHeartMedia Michael tells SLAM. (We connected via LinkedIn, where there are exactly 100 pages worth of Michael Jordan profiles.)

“At 5:00 am on a Sunday morning, I have the credit card company calling me, wanting me to authorize these massive charges. The charges they were trying to push through were six figures.”

TMZ reports confirmed it was the Chicago Bulls legend out on another golf retreat, but it was Michael Jordan in Kentucky who was picking up the tab. So yeah, the card was quickly cancelled.

You often hear people say, “There’s only one Michael Jordan.” That’s actually far from true. The most reliable online database suggests there are over 3,000 Michael Jordans in the United States alone.

What’s true, however, is that the one Michael Jordan you’ve likely heard of does shape the experience for all the others.

Take Michael Jordan, the 34-year-old data scientist from the Bronx. When he was in basic training for the military, the drill instructors used to make him sing “I Believe I Can Fly” from Space Jam.

Then there’s Michael Jordan, the 38-year-old contractor whose parents are both from Ecuador—“I’m really not sure how the last name even ended up down there,” he says. He’s accustomed to it now, but admits “it’s a bit unnerving” whenever someone calls his name in public. Just imagine the stares. (The same sentiment applies for whenever a Michael Jordan hands his ID to a bartender or introduces himself on the phone. Yeah… that’s me.)

And consider Michael Jordan, the 30-year-old self-described “cyber security nerd” who’s working to start a software company. This Michael Jordan was previously in sales and…

“I would occasionally send ‘autographed’ basketballs to prospects or customers that I thought might find it amusing,” he explains. “Chicago was part of my territory so you can imagine all of the comments I got about my name. I think it was helpful, though. If you lived in New York, I bet you’d rather buy from a guy named Derek Jeter than Tim Smith, right?”

So yeah, there are advantages to having the name. Michael Jordans occasionally get upgraded without consideration for the fact that there are, you know, more than one. Restaurants prepare for the basketball player and end up with the guy from down the street. By then, it’s too late to fall back on arrangements. Disappointment for the waiters and managers, sure. But gratification for Michael Jordan. (According to the people I interviewed, the famous ESPN commercial that depicts interactions like these was pretty spot on.)

“When we travel, all my friends are like, ‘Hey, put the reservation under your name so that we get first class treatment,’” says Jordan with iHeartMedia. “If I could ever meet MJ, I’d thank him.”

It can be annoying at times, no question. Michael Jordan, the 42-year-old Dean of the Chapel at Houghton College, hears the jokes weekly. (Knowing the confusion I’d elicit in my story by referring to several people with the same name, the Dean offered this: “I’m kind of, like, a campus pastor, so feel free to call me a pastor if that’s helpful.” Yes, Pastor Jordan. That’s incredibly helpful.)

Do you play basketball? people ask him.

Ha!

I thought you’d be taller.

Pastor Jordan is actually 6-3. Only three inches shorter than MJ.

Mike Jordan, an NFL cornerback who’s played for the Rams, Browns, Giants and Titans, was actually named after the NBA superstar. He was born in 1992, not long after the second championship. (We’ll refer to him as Mike J, as many of his teammates do.)

“My oldest brother, he’s the one who named me,” Mike J says. “He’s 42 now. He thought it was clever to name me Michael Jordan.”

The jabs used to get to him. Now, it’s whatever.

I bet you sure wish you had his money, huh?

He hears that a lot.

You got more hair than we thought you’d have.

Very funny.

There’s another Michael Jordan in the NFL, a 22-year-old offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. Both his father and grandfather are also Michael Jordan. Growing up, he went by his middle name (Donovan) up until he saw Space Jam. Then he insisted on sharing some of the glory of conquering the Monstars.

“I was like, You know what, this guy is pretty cool,” Jordan recalls. “The first day of kindergarten, I said, ‘My name is Michael. Everybody call me Michael Jordan.’ The most important thing when I was a kid was watching the movie Space Jam and seeing him save the Looney Tunes.”

He’s still Donovan to family and goes by a plethora of nicknames on the field (“Jordan,” “MJ,” “Big Mike”), both as a member of the Bengals and during his college career with the Buckeyes.

Once, when he was a freshman at OSU, Michael volunteered to order the food for a Super Bowl party.

“I ordered online and put my name in and the delivery address,” he explains. “Quite a lot of time had passed and the food wasn’t there. I called the place and said, ‘Hey, I placed an order for Michael Jordan.’ And the guy on the phone, I could tell he ran the place, said to me, ‘Quit bullshitting me. I got a bunch of orders. It’s Super Bowl Sunday. Your name’s not Michael Jordan. Your order has been cancelled.'”

They ended up with frozen wings from the local CVS. Not ideal for the Super Bowl.

Big Mike actually sees his name as a source of inspiration: To pursue greatness, to be his own Michael Jordan.

“My goal, to separate myself from the NBA Michael Jordan, is to become immortalized just like how Michael Jordan is with basketball,” he says.

“When people hear the name Michael Jordan, they expect the best,” iHeartMedia MJ reinforces. “I think that’s a motivating factor there.”

Motivating, sure. Daunting? Well, maybe a little. Worth noting, however: Michael Jordans don’t seem to view their name as a burden. They don’t want to run from it. On the contrary, they embrace it.

Many like it simply because it’s a conversation starter. And, of course, it stands out. People remember it.

“I am not a very sociable guy and would probably be easy for people to forget if I didn’t have a famous name,” the aforementioned cybersecurity expert says. He does note that his younger brother, who went through a multi-year period being called Scottie Pippen, has probably had it worse than him.

“Since I’m pretty extroverted, I like having an easy entry into conversation with people,” Pastor Jordan reiterates.

None of the Michael Jordans I spoke to have considered changing their name or adding an element to differentiate themselves. One has the middle name Bradley and points out that it wouldn’t really improve things to go by Michael B. Jordan—shout out to the actor. “I can only imagine that there will be a pop singer in a few years named Michael Bradley Jordan and I’ll be further demoted,” he jokes.

The comments here and there aren’t enough of a bother. It’d be another thing if they could never successfully complete a pizza order.

The name they sign on checks—or the occasional napkin just to mess with someone—can be inspiring; but for most, it doesn’t carry pressure.

“I’m not trying to chase anything he did,” Mike J says. “We’re two totally different people.”

“I’ve never felt any kind of pressure because of the name,” data scientist Jordan says. “When I played IM basketball in college, my team always liked to brag that they had MJ on their team, though.”

“I don’t feel pressure to live up to my name,” cybersecurity Jordan adds. “I mean, it’s Michael Jordan. I doubt I’ll ever reach a point where 97 percent of the world knows my name, my net worth is over $1 billion and I own an NBA team.”

If only he had a dollar for every time somebody made a Michael Jordan joke…

—

Follow Alex Squadron on Twitter @Alex_squadron.

Photos via Getty.

The post No, Not That Michael Jordan: Life With the Same Name as the GOAT appeared first on SLAM.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF JORDANS VOL. 5

“I have no interest in going with Nike. I don’t even know what Nike is. No way I’m going.”

Those are the words that David Falk remembers Michael Jordan uttering to him when he approached MJ about hopping on a flight to Beaverton, OR, to meet with the sportswear brand to discuss an endorsement opportunity in the summer of 1984.    

Falk, a 33-year-old sports agent at the time who had served as a junior agent for the legendary tennis star Arthur Ashe and had also repped No. 1 draft picks like John Lucas, Mark Aguirre and James Worthy at the ProServ sports agency, had arranged the meeting.

“He didn’t know anything about Nike. He wanted to go with adidas. He had a friend named Gary Stokan, who had played at NC State and was [now] the local adidas rep in the southeast. He supplied Michael with adidas,” recalls Falk. “He couldn’t wear them in the games because they were a Converse school—Carolina. But he loved adidas.”

ProServ actually had a really good relationship with adidas. The sports agency had become known for representing some of the biggest stars in tennis who also happened to be adidas endorsees, including Ashe and Stan Smith (who has one of the most famous signature sneakers of all time with adidas). The agency’s relationship with the German company, though, went deeper than just representing athletes who had deals with the Three Stripes.

“Ironically, we had represented the owner of adidas—named after Adi Dassler, who is the founder of the company. His son Horst Dassler had run the company for 15 years. Probably the most powerful man in the world of sports, and we actually represented him. I didn’t, but there was a gentleman in our firm that represented him,” recalls Falk, who aside from the aforementioned names, has also represented Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Allen Iverson, Moses Malone and Dominique Wilkins, among many other NBA superstars. “They were just not in a position to execute a deal of that level—they told us that. The head of international marketing for adidas said to me, Hey, we really appreciate Michael’s interest. There is no way we could make this deal.”      

As a result, an official meeting between adidas and Jordan never ended up happening, says Falk.    

The agent had grown close with a few Nike executives over the years. At the time, adidas had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar while Converse had the likes of Dr. J, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and Aguirre. Although Nike was relatively new to the sportswear business, Falk had a few of his clients sign with the Swoosh in the years leading up to Jordan, including Moses Malone and Phil Ford. Falk had specifically developed a good relationship with Rob Strasser, who was the head of marketing for Nike at the time.

“So, I told Nike, Look, I think [MJ] can put you on the map in basketball single-handedly. He’s really exciting. Nobody knew he’d be as good as he is. But we all knew he’d be a very exciting player,” says Falk. “I told them, If you want to sign him, I want him treated like a tennis player. I want his own line of shoes and clothes. And they were open to that.

“We wanted to treat him like a tennis player. Tennis players and golfers typically use their own line of products. That’s the way it works in golf. That went against the grain of what everybody was thinking in 1984 in the NBA. Everybody thought that was a bad idea. Rod Thorn, who was the GM of the Bulls, said to me, ‘David, we love Michael, but if you try to treat him like a tennis player, you’re going to separate him out from the rest of the players.’ I said, ‘Exactly, because he is different than the rest of the players!’”

And so, while Falk had been able to talk Nike into considering giving Jordan his own line as a rookie, his new client didn’t seem to have any interest in a cross-country flight to the West Coast to meet with the brand. Frustrated, Falk went to Jordan’s parents to explain the situation and eventually got a Don’t worry, he’ll be on the plane, from the them. Jordan, forcibly, boarded a plane to Oregon.

At the meeting, Falk recalls Nike having prepared a music video-type presentation, featuring songs like “Jump” by The Point Sisters and “Jump” by Van Halen. But that was only after Nike execs struggled to get the video to play for what seemed like forever.

“The problem was that Strasser, who was about 6-3 and 350 pounds, could not get the machine to start. So, he’s sitting there and he’s trying to get the machine to start and it won’t start. And Michael is sitting there watching, not very happy. And Strasser is sweating like you wouldn’t believe. Like in the movies. He was sweating like a river,” recalls Falk. “There was only one African-American executive from Nike that was supposed to come to the meeting—it was Howard White, who ultimately became Michael’s service representative and who I had known for years; he was the point guard at Maryland before John Lucas. Howard shows up, like, 40 minutes late, and the machine isn’t working. You could have not scripted a worse start for an important meeting.”  

“They finally got the video going. Michael never cracked a smile. Then we moved it to the boardroom and Strasser made a presentation about a line of shoes and clothes that would be Michael’s line. And he still didn’t crack a smile. And I know that when this is over, he’s going to curse me out for making him fly six hours to Oregon to sign with a company he didn’t want to be with.”

Falk and the Jordan family went to dinner afterward before their flight back to North Carolina. During casual conversation at the restaurant, Falk tried to get MJ to give his thoughts on the meeting. It was then when the super agent saw that the Tar Heel star had what it took to become the business mogul he has transitioned into today.

“He looks at me and goes, I don’t want to go anywhere else. This is it. I almost fainted. And I realized at that time, which was my first business meeting with Michael Jordan other than meeting to present our services, this man is really smart—for a 21-year-old young athlete, he kept all his emotions in check. He’s at the table playing a big stage game of poker, not letting on what he has. It blew me away. I was stunned.”

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Throughout the years that followed, Falk looked at his role as that of a teacher instead of an agent. He set out the mission of teaching MJ the business—teaching him how the game was played off the court. Not only was MJ receptive to the knowledge, he sought it out himself. Falk has countless stories of the times Jordan would come up to his office or hit his line inquiring about the strategy behind certain deals. And eventually Falk wasn’t the only one that MJ approached with those questions.  

“He soaked it all in. That experience of managing his own brand as long as he played from 1984 to 1999—he met tons of corporate executives at very high levels, including Warren Buffett. I think that was all part of his ongoing business education. He took it very seriously,” says Falk. “On the investment side, he would sit down with the people in our office who managed his money and they’d give him a book that was an inch thick. He had studied that book and he would ask questions. Like, The return on this is supposed to be eight percent [but] looks like it’s only seven percent? It blew me away how prepared he was. But he took it all seriously because he’s a very intelligent person. He was very involved.”

The next three marketing deals after the Nike partnership were Chevrolet, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. Although MJ was known for his ultra-assertiveness on the hardwood, in the boardroom his approach was a bit different, according to Falk. He was more of a poker player, showing no emotion. In many occasions, he didn’t really say much during meetings, says Falk. He’d listen. He was very analytical. He simply had a good sense of what he was looking for in partnerships.

Despite MJ’s status and Falk’s extensive network and relationships, landing marketing deals for NBA stars on a national scale back then wasn’t as prevalent and easy as it is today. There were still racial prejudices and stigmas that the League dealt with.  

“[Back then,] no one had a brand in basketball. No one had any endorsements in basketball, basically. Magic Johnson—who had played five years in the NBA and was the Rookie of the Year, the [Finals] MVP as a rookie and an NBA champion—the only deal he had outside of Spalding and Converse shoes was a one-year deal with 7UP. One year and then it went away. Dr. J didn’t have deals. Bird didn’t have deals. Jabbar didn’t. Nobody had national deals because at the time, the feeling on Madison Avenue was that the NBA had two big problems—one, it was too black, and two, they thought it was too drug-infested. They estimated that 75 percent of the players were taking some sort of illegal drug. So it was not the darling of Madison Avenue that it is today.”

Just as influential as Falk and Jordan became in opening doors for NBA players through unprecedented off-court marketing opportunities, they also made waves by implementing clauses (or opt outs) in basketball contracts. They chose not to partake in the union’s group licensing program—betting on themselves that they could garner much more money doing their own marketing deals. They also added a unique clause in MJ’s first professional contract that allowed him to participate in competitive pick-up games during the offseason—which at the time wasn’t permitted.  

“We did some very controversial things early in his career. We opted him out of the NBA Player Association group licensing program. Only two players in history have ever done that—Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing—and then they changed the rule. We changed the contracts—created the Jordan ‘Love of the Game’ clause—that a player didn’t have to get permission to play basketball [during the] offseason. How do you stay in shape if you’re not playing? He had his own line of shoes and clothes. Almost everything we did, people said, You can’t do that; what you’re trying to do, it will never work. That’s what they told us with the shoes. You’re going to create a line of shoes for a rookie? It will never work! That’s what they told us,” recalls Falk. “And the first year Jordan sold $126 million worth of product. It outsold every other shoe company in basketball—as a rookie.”

It was then when Falk realized that they had built something historic by choosing to go with Nike through the golf player approach that ultimately allowed MJ to have his own line as a rookie. That’s something that rings truer today than could have ever been imagined back then.  

“Jordan sells $3 billion worth of product a year. He sells more product that if you took every player in the League that has their own shoes, and you added up all the sales together and multiplied it by three, they don’t sell $3 billion,” says Falk. “If I could do it again, and I knew exactly what was going to happen, I would have signed him with Nike for a dollar a year and a 50-50 royalty [split]. But I wasn’t smart enough to know that we were going to sell—when Nike told me their projections for Jordan sales were $3 million, between three and four, and they sold $126 million the first year, you realize that the guarantee is irrelevant.”

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Franklyn Calle is a senior producer at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @FrankieC7.

Photos via Getty.

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“I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” Jordan said in a statement on Sunday. “I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough.”

Jordan’s statement comes amid nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis last week.

“We must listen to each other, show compassion and empathy and never turn our backs on senseless brutality,” Jordan wrote. “We need to continue peaceful expressions against injustice and demand accountability.”

The police offer, Derek Chauvin, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Friday. Three other officers were also fired but have not been charged.

RELATED: THE FINAL CHAPTER: Michael Jordan’s Stint with the Wizards

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While guesting on SHOWTIME’s “All That Smoke” podcast, Richard Hamilton recalled the time when second-year guard Laron Profit effectively trash talked his way off the Wizards during a pickup game.

Jordan, who served as the Wizards’ president of basketball operations during the 2000-01 season, sent Profit to the Magic before announcing his NBA comeback.

“We used to talk trash to MJ all the time, but it was only certain things that I would say. And [Profit] would sometimes say a little bit of extra stuff that… I wouldn’t go there.

“I remember one time, we were playing in practice, and Prof might’ve hit a shot on MJ, and he was running down court. ‘Yeah, you can’t guard me with them old-ass knees.'” […]

“MJ was heated. He was heated to the point that when I went to my exit meeting, [Jordan] was like, ‘Your man, he outta here.'”

RELATED: THE FINAL CHAPTER: Michael Jordan’s Stint with the Wizards

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He was done. The lasting image of “The Last Shot” was the perfect exclamation point to Michael Jordan’s legacy. The greatest player to ever pick up a basketball had ended his NBA career on the highest possible note any player could.

Thing about Mike, though. He had this itch.

A year after his second retirement from the League, Jordan popped up as a minority owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. As a front office exec, Michael was tasked with putting together a roster, managing the cap, making draft picks and whatever other paper-pushing the guys in suits do up there in the owner’s box. But every morning, he’d make his way down to the locker room or the trainer’s tables with his coffee. He’d chat with vets like Popeye Jones and Hubert Davis, shoot the shit. He was itching.

In September 2001, two weeks after the 9/11 attacks shook the nation’s capital, Jordan announced his intention to return to the hardwood after three seasons away. He divested his ownership stake in the team and showed up at Wizards media day as a 38-year-old player.

“It’s an itch that still needs to be scratched here and I want to make sure this scratch doesn’t bother me for the rest of my life,” he told the assembled reporters at the MCI Center. “What if I’m tired of playing in the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club and I want to step up to the elite competition?

“I’m just going to play the game of basketball that I love. I’m not about the money. I don’t care if I get paid a dime,” Mike continued. “I’m going to play the game because I love it.” (And yes, Jordan’s track record as a Wizards executive is well-documented. Just a few months prior, he’d famously selected Kwame Brown straight out of high school with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 Draft, a decision that can only really be described as a huge misfire. But let’s separate Jordan the player from Jordan the GM, at least for a few hundred words, shall we?)

Doug Collins, who’d previously coached Michael in Chicago, was installed as the Wizards’ head coach and Washington held training camp in Jordan’s hometown that October, at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Outside of Mike and budding star Richard Hamilton, the Wizards came into the ’01-02 season with a funky mélange of promising young talent and steady, if plodding, veterans. For everyone on the roster, those first few practices with Jordan were surreal. “He would get the ball and we would all just stand around and watch,” recalls Jones. “Whether I was on his team or not.”

Off the court, traveling with Michael Jordan also took some getting used to, as his god-like status precipitated a rockstar lifestyle on the road for an otherwise humdrum Wizards team. Then-rookie center Etan Thomas remembers fans who would fight through crowds just for a high-five from Jordan, then look at their hand like it was made of solid gold. “It was like traveling with Michael Jackson or something,” says Thomas. “I saw people look at him and just start crying, craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Jordan’s personal trainer, Tim Grover, traveled with the Wizards on the road, too. Every morning at 7 a.m., they’d find a health club near the team hotel to go work out, like clockwork. Every morning. Every city. Every practice. He was no longer doing it with the iconic black-and-red Bulls gear on his back, but as Davis puts it: “He was Michael.”

Davis and Jordan both played at UNC (where Davis is now an assistant coach) and had competed in heated Bulls-Knicks playoff battles during the ’90s. But seeing the daily work ethic, preparation and competitiveness up close was something different. Davis remembers his jumper catching fire one day in practice when the two were paired up on the same team.

“I was practicing really well, I was hitting everything. So Michael switched jerseys and went to the other team and he guarded me. For the rest of the practice, not only did I not score, I didn’t even get a shot off,” Davis says. “I just was like, What is wrong with you? We’re on the same team! You’re that competitive that you want to compete against me? I’m a role player. You’re the best that’s ever played. He said, This is no different than playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals—competing is competing. Some people turn it off and turn it on. For him, he never turned it off.”

Jones, now an assistant with the Indiana Pacers, recalls a practice later on during the 2001-02 season when MJ was scoring so easily—looking like Prime Chicago Bulls MJ—that Collins stopped the scrimmage and instructed him not to shoot anymore.

“We started scrimmaging again,” Jones explains, “and Michael had the same aggression he usually had scoring the ball, but he looked like John Stockton or Magic Johnson. I was astonished that he had that kind of vision. He was still attacking, but he wouldn’t shoot—he was kicking it out for threes or dropping it off to the bigs in the paint for dunks and layups. I remember after practice saying to him, I had no idea you could pass that way. He just looked at me and said, Oh, I can pass. I see everything. I just want to score.”

And score he did. If you thought it would take Mike a few games to shake the rust off, you must be forgetting who we’re talking about here.

“I think it was one of our first preseason games, we were playing down in Miami,” Jones says. “We’re in the tunnel getting ready to come out, and he says, ‘I’m gonna show you boys how to get 20 points in a quarter and then I’m gonna go sit down.’ At the end of the first quarter, he had 18 points.”

When the regular season started, Jordan delivered six 30-plus point performances before the calendar flipped to December. Then he hung 51 on Charlotte and 45 on New Jersey in back-to-back games in December. Then 40 and 41 against Cleveland and Phoenix in back-to-back outings in January.

Pause for a second. Remember, this man is almost 40 years old. Out here dropping 40-and-50-burgers in back-to-back games in the National Basketball Association. Absolutely unstoppable. Dudes don’t do this. Ever. It cannot be done.

Bobby Simmons, a rookie second-rounder on the Wizards that season, says Jordan was like “a magician.”

Jordan was legitimately in the MVP conversation for a fleeting few weeks as the All-Star break approached. Hell, he had the Wizards hovering above .500 after winning just 19 games the year before. But a knee injury that required surgery effectively ended his season early. Playing in 60 games, Jordan averaged 22.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game, playing 35 minutes a night. MJ led the Wizards in scoring and made the Eastern Conference All-Star team. At that point in the season, Kobe Bryant was the only other player in the League averaging 25, 5 and 5.

“The year that I played with him with the Wizards, he dominated every practice and he dominated in every game,” says Davis. “It didn’t matter if we were playing Philadelphia with Allen Iverson, or the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe and Shaq. Every game that I played with the Wizards with Michael—there wasn’t a game when he wasn’t the best player on the floor. We just didn’t have a very good team.”

The Wizards flipped Davis, Simmons and Hamilton for Pistons All-Star Jerry Stackhouse during the summer of 2002, and added swingman Larry Hughes in free agency. Jordan scored 40 or more points three times in that second Wizards season, becoming the first 40-year-old in League history to score 40+ in a game. He played in all 82 games, averaging 20 ppg and 6 rpg, but the Wizards failed to make the playoffs again, and it became clear that Mike’s knees wouldn’t hold up much longer.

Vince Carter gifted Jordan his starting spot in the 2003 All-Star Game, which morphed into a full-on celebration of MJ’s legendary career (shouts to Mariah Carey’s classic halftime show performance). Fittingly, he even hit an iconic clutch fadeaway jumper late in the game, too.

At his first press conference as a player in Washington, Mike had said he wanted to lock horns with the next generation of elite NBA players: “You say the young dogs are going to chase me around? Well, I’m not going to bark too far away from them either. I’m not running from nobody. If anything, it’ll be a great challenge for me. I’m not saying I can take Kobe Bryant, or I can take Tracy McGrady. You guys are the ones saying they can take me. All good and fine. I’m pretty sure they’re sitting back and welcome the challenge. Guess what, I’m sitting back and welcome the challenge, too.”

Set aside all the other bullshit, the revisionist history, the unraveling of whatever half-hearted Wizards rebuild was in progress, and that’s what Mike’s Wizards comeback was all about, at its core. Did he prove he was up to the challenge? Shaq said, “He still has it.” Paul Pierce said, “Jordan at this age is better than about 90 percent of the players today.”

The unfolding of Jordan’s second un-retirement doesn’t hold iconic status like his “I’m back” fax in 1995, or come with the hardware of his first dramatic return to the court. Without question, those two seasons in Washington will forever serve as curious punctuation to the most legendary career in NBA history. Mike’s longtime agent David Falk says that at the time, he didn’t want MJ to come back: “I just didn’t think it was a good dessert to a great meal.” It was a sentiment shared by many friends and fans. But the more years that pass, the easier it is to forget just how much of a killer Michael Jordan still was on the court, even at 40 years old.

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GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM PRESENTS JORDAN HERE

Abe Schwadron is a social editor at FanDuel and former Senior Editor at SLAM.

Photos via Getty.

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There may never be another season quite like Michael Jordan’s ’97-98 masterpiece. Set aside the fact that Mike won the MVP trifecta (All-Star, regular season, Finals), led the League in scoring and willed the Bulls to a sixth championship.

No, the true miracle of MJ’s ’97-98 season is that—at age 35—he played 103 total games while averaging over 39 minutes a night. That’s 4,053 minutes for those of you counting. In the 22 seasons that followed, no player age 35 and above has played more minutes in the regular season and playoffs combined. And quite frankly, no player probably ever will again.

As injuries forced key players (Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley) to miss significant portions of the regular season, Jordan’s burden grew astronomically. More than ever before, MJ would rely on his game-day routine to keep his body and mind strong throughout the grueling NBA season.

During an era where teams were scheduled to play four games in five nights, Mike was still able to handle huge minutes without taking a night off. And this was without the aid of the majority of modern recovery modalities, including compression leg massagers, hyperbaric chambers and cryotherapy chambers.

How exactly did he do it? Like many things about the GOAT, Jordan’s durability defies explanation. But that’s discounting the enormous amounts of prep Mike would consistently put in.

We spoke to former teammates, coaches, trainers and media members who were with Mike on a regular basis during the ’97-98 campaign to get an idea of what His Airness would do on a typical game day in Chicago. His innovative yet simple routine was perfectly tailored to help him play at an MVP level every night. Take notes.

BREAKFAST CLUB

Tim Grover would arrive at MJ’s mansion in Highland Park, IL, at least 15 minutes before their scheduled morning workout. Jordan would decide when they would begin—either at 5, 6 or 7 a.m. on a game day.

“Sometimes I would show up, and he’d be halfway done with his workout,” Grover recalls. “I’d be looking at him, like, Did I get the time wrong?” 

Even if the team had arrived in Chicago at 2 or 3 a.m. the night before, Mike would be ready to go when Grover arrived. He had already completed his warm-up routine, which included several ahead-of-their-time techniques, such as using a piece of PVC piping to roll out the bottom of his feet.

Grover and Jordan began to train with weights on game days in 1989, revolutionizing the way many players trained during the season. Designed to maintain strength in areas that get worn out during the course of the season, the workouts were done early to allow enough recovery time before the game.

Forming the Breakfast Club, Pippen and Ron Harper would join MJ at his house for the workout, which would last 45-60 minutes. During the season, they would follow the same routine and lift the same weights for the same amount of repetitions. Workouts on game days weren’t as intense as non-game days or during the offseason. But they were still intense.

“Obviously, there was a lot of trash talking, even during the workouts. That started very early,” Grover says. “It was very competitive about who lifted what and what was going on and those different things. But there were also times of silence, too, where there was nothing to be said.”

After the main portion of the workout was finished, Grover would work with Jordan individually on some injury-prevention exercises. These exercises focused on the overlooked-yet-vital areas such as his wrists, fingers, ankles and toes. Once finished, MJ would either wait for Scottie and Harp to get their individual work in with Grover, or he would go upstairs and watch SportsCenter.

A big breakfast from Michael’s personal chef was next—with just one caveat. “You only got breakfast if you finished the workout. You couldn’t just show up for breakfast,” Grover remembers.

SHOOTAROUND

MJ would make the quick, 10-minute drive from his home to the Berto Center, the Bulls’ training facility, for shootaround, which began at either 10 or 11 a.m. The Bulls almost always held a shootaround on game days during the ’97-98 season, and it lasted precisely one hour. Jordan made sure that every minute counted as the team prepared for their upcoming opponent.

If a Bulls player was caught slipping, he would feel MJ’s considerable wrath. Over the years, Jordan had earned a reputation for chewing out teammates who didn’t live up to his lofty standards. It was MJ’s method of toughening up his teammates and getting them to level up. Some could take it. Others could not. “That’s how he understands who’s weak and who’s not,” says Scott Burrell, Jordan’s former teammate.

While shootarounds weren’t intense like a Bulls practice might have been, MJ had a knack for making every situation competitive. Mike would make sure every player was locked in, knew their role and where they would get their spots. Everything boiled down to shutting down the upcoming opponent and operating the Bulls’ vaunted Triangle Offense. 

“Each shot he took in shootaround was a game-like situation where he talked trash and was laser-focused. Everybody had to be laser-focused,” says Dickey Simpkins, Jordan’s teammate that season. “That was the one thing about MJ’s leadership: You weren’t going to not be focused or not know your role or not know what we’re doing from a game plan situation.”

At the conclusion of shootaround, Michael would meet a massive scrum of media to talk about the game ahead. The intimate setting at the Berto Center provided reporters with great access to the most famous athlete in the world. MJ made sure to always be available to the media at this time, and he truly enjoyed the give and take with reporters.

Intermittent bouts of patellar or quadricep tendonitis hampered Jordan throughout the ’97-98 season, particularly when the team would go through a brutal portion of the schedule. On occasion, MJ might head to the training room for treatment after addressing the media.

“It was never terribly problematic for him, but it would flare here or there,” says Chip Schaefer, who was the Bulls’ head trainer. “Maybe if he had to play four games in five nights or something, he would get treatments for that.”

THE AFTERNOON

During the early afternoon, players would typically relax at home, take a nap and have a pre-game meal before heading to the arena. But Michael Jordan was a rare breed.

“Sometimes, he would even go out and play golf on game days. He’d sneak in a round of golf or nine holes. He was amazing,” says longtime Bulls equipment manager John Ligmanowski. “I’ve never seen anybody like him. A lot of energy. I don’t know how much he slept.”

Playing golf was more of an exception on game days, however, as Chicago often endured brutal winter weather through March. Typically, MJ would take a nap and have a pre-game meal of steak and potatoes before heading to the United Center. In contrast to his energetic demeanor, Jordan would most often listen to soft and calming music by artists like Anita Baker.

He would make sure that he was impeccably dressed for the upcoming game. MJ’s game-day fit always included a spectacular suit, nice tie, designer shoes and handkerchief in his pocket. He was going to work, and he dressed the part.

MJ would drive by himself to the arena in one of his custom sports cars. Earlier in his career, MJ had a driver to take him to the arena. Now in his 13th season with the Bulls, Mike knew all the best routes by heart and insisted on driving himself. “It was his alone time,” says Grover.

While heading down the Kennedy Expressway, Jordan would pass a 32-foot high mural of Dennis Rodman’s face painted on the side of a building. Rodman’s hair on the mural would change as often as his hair dye did, causing massive delays on the drive to the United Center.

“Every time Michael would [tease] Dennis. He’s like, Would you just leave your hair the same color? We’re all sick of stopping,” recalls former Bulls TV color analyst Tom Dore, with a laugh. “Dennis was even mad. He was tired of it.”

PREGAME

Michael would pull up to the arena at least two hours before tipoff. But most times, he wouldn’t touch a ball until the Bulls went out for layup lines 20 minutes before the game. “He had this line that he always said: ‘I’ve practiced so hard to make the game easy,’” Grover recalls.

And Jordan certainly made it look effortless. After parking his car in the loading dock, Mike would walk with his security detail to the Bulls locker room.

“He had such a smooth walk that he could have worn shorts with suspenders, he was still going to look smooth because his walk was so smooth and his game was so nice,” says Burrell. “He had the whole package. He had the wardrobe, he had the walk and the game, and just the demeanor that, I’m going to kick someone’s ass tonight.”

With his suit and tie still on, Mike would post up in the training room or adjoining doctor’s area. That was his oasis amid the chaos surrounding the game. He would relax, talk with his teammates and security guards, occasionally get treatment, take care of his tickets and, generally, just take his time. 

If Michael felt like he needed some extra work, he would hit the court typically before most players would come out. But that would be an exception. Jordan didn’t do much physical prep during pregame. 

Before many games, Michael would volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He was passionate about creating life-changing moments for people with critical illnesses. “He really showed his true grace in those moments,” Schaefer says. “As great as he was an athlete, I think a lot of times, I was most impressed with how he dealt with those situations. He really had a gift for that.” 

Continuing his pre-game routine, MJ would drink a hot coffee before putting on his uniform. He would wear his blue shorts from the University of North Carolina underneath his red-and-white threads. He insisted on being the last person on the team that Schaefer taped. He’d pull a sleeve over his left elbow and left calf.

He wore a new pair of Air Jordan sneakers for each game, and according to Grover, he always laced the shoes himself. Unlike many players who double-up their socks, MJ liked to wear just a single pair during games.

After throwing on his No. 23 jersey and chewing a stick of gum, MJ and his teammates would huddle in the tunnel for their iconic “What time is it? Game time!” chant before hitting the court for layup lines.

Locked in and laser focused on leading the Bulls to victory, MJ would take all of his typical game shots—fadeaways off the block, elbow shots, threes, dribble pull-ups—to warm up. He’d get a good stretch and was ready to put a beating on his opponent.

POSTGAME

There was no better feeling for Michael Jordan than when ice was taped to his knees during the fourth quarter. With the game already decided, MJ would sit at the end of the Bulls’ bench in front of the media and bask in the impending victory.

“He would laugh and think it was so funny that he was blocking our view,” says Bulls beat writer KC Johnson. “I remember writing many times: Him icing his knees while the game was still going on was the modern day version of the Red Auerbach victory cigar.” 

Replacing fluids and icing his knees were MJ’s only recovery modalities on game day, and he would have finished before the final buzzer on many nights.

After the game, Jordan would sign his sneakers and give them away—maybe to a ball boy, a fan or even a player on the other team who had asked for his shoes. Then he would head back to the locker room to shower and change into his suit. Like many Bulls players, Jordan would put on his shoes before his slacks.

“When he would get dressed after the game, the last thing he would put on were his slacks because if you put your slacks on last, you won’t wrinkle your pants by sitting on them,” Ligmanowski remembers of the loose-fitting pants of the day.

After he was dressed to the nines, Jordan would address the media for a final time. If the team wasn’t traveling to another city that night, MJ would occasionally eat at one of his restaurants or another Chicago food establishment before doing the routine once again.

Much like the man himself, Michael Jordan’s game-day routine was straightforward and laser focused. 

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GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM PRESENTS JORDAN HERE

Ryne Nelson is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @slaman10.

Photos via Getty.

The post Inside Michael Jordan’s Game-Day Routine During ‘The Last Dance’ appeared first on SLAM.

Shortly after Michael Jordan was named the 1992 MVP, a controversial billboard went up in the city of Chicago.

It was solid white with two words printed in bold: “TRADE JORDAN.”

With the Bulls chasing a second straight championship, who would dare propose such a sacrilegious idea? In a pre-social media age, the billboard went viral. More than 150 countries picked up the news. It was on the front page of several big newspapers. A universe that centered around Jordan was thrown into complete chaos. Some speculated that it was Nike’s doing. Some jokingly suggested it was Bill Laimbeer, center for the “Bad Boys” Pistons, who funded its construction.

For a week, it remained a mystery. Passionate MJ fans grew increasingly enraged as the days passed. Finally, a second billboard went up in the original’s place.

“TRADE JORDAN,” it still read, but below there was another line: “We’ve been doing it for years….”

Adjacent to the text was a picture of Jordan’s trading card: Red uniform, ball flexed behind his head, flying through the air toward the rim.

That’s how the world discovered that the billboards were actually part of a marketing campaign from Upper Deck—one that Jordan, a new partner, was entirely in on. For the brand, it was a major success, attracting huge attention and establishing their ties to the Bulls superstar. The company was mainly thankful that no fervent Chicagoan had burned that first ad to the ground.

Founded in 1988, Upper Deck’s mission was to create products and collectibles that “capture the excitement of sports.” By 1991, they were supplying cards for all four major leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL). Jordan became a spokesman during the early stages of his pro career.

“He is core to everything we do as a company,” Jason Masherah, current president of Upper Deck, says. “We are heavily identified with each other.”

The exclusive, ongoing partnership makes Upper Deck the sole producer of authenticated collectibles related to MJ, from cards to figurines to coins to other memorabilia (autographed jerseys, sneakers, basketballs, art and more, ranging in price from roughly $3,000 to $50,000). Over the past three decades, Upper Deck has created novel pieces such as “The Wings Breaking Through,” an iconic photo of MJ that includes a full-size Spalding ball emerging out of its Plexiglas casing, and “The Show,” the largest autographed MJ item ever.

“With all the innovative products that we’ve created throughout the years, Michael’s been at the forefront,” says Gabe Garcia, the Head of Upper Deck Authentics.

According to Tim Doull, the Head of Talent Acquisitions at Upper Deck, Mike has always approached his off-court business with the same relentlessness that he brought to basketball. Throughout the long relationship, Jordan has been reliable and diligent at countless private signings. In the 1990s, he even knocked one out right before the Bulls held a title celebration in Chicago’s Grant Park.

“His work ethic with his signings is the same that he had on the court,” Doull says.

Masherah adds that MJ, like other high-profile athletes Upper Deck has collaborated with, expresses genuine care for the product.

“We have exclusive deals with the biggest athletes in the world, and what’s really interesting is the common thread when you look at Wayne Gretzky’s autograph, Michael Jordan’s autograph, Tiger Woods’ autograph, these guys take a lot of pride in them,” he explains. “They are beautiful works of art in and of themselves. You look at Michael’s autograph—it’s very distinctive, it’s very nice, it’s something that you would want to own. You can say the same about Tiger, you can say the same about Gretzky. Just like they take a lot of pride in playing their respective sports and playing at a high level, they also take a lot of pride in their autographs, which not everybody does. It’s cool to see this connecting thread with the greatest athletes of all time.”

Despite the fact that Mike retired in 2003, he remains the most popular Upper Deck athlete. “Michael hasn’t played in the League in over 15 years and he is still the No. 1 source for memorabilia and collectibles,” says Garcia.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM PRESENTS JORDAN HERE

“It’s interesting, because typically with athletes, you see ebbs and flows,” Masherah says. “They have a great moment in their career, you sell a lot more product. When they retire, you sell more product. When they go to the Hall of Fame, you sell more product. I think what’s different about MJ is, he’s just steady. He continues to be our top-selling athlete. There’s just a difference in general with MJ because he’s this global brand. It’s just a different animal.”

That fame naturally encourages forgeries. With the exception of a few autographs here and there, Jordan doesn’t really sign outside of his Upper Deck deal, which means that most of the products you encounter on the internet are fake. Because the value of a signed Michael Jordan piece is so high, professional forgers have worked tirelessly to master their craft. Upper Deck spends considerable time scouring the market for fakes and ensuring they get taken down.

“For me, it’s the tendencies, knowing he signs a certain way,” Doull says. “You see stuff that just jumps out in the forgery. Maybe he doesn’t cross this or just little details like that. But you would only know that if you studied the Upper Deck pieces or if you had it firsthand, which thankfully Upper Deck does.”

“You have these third party authenticators out there and at the end of the day, they’re just opinions,” says Masherah. “They don’t know for sure whether those things were actually signed by Michael or not; and I would say 95 percent of the time, they weren’t.

“The one message that I try to get across to everybody I talk to is that you really need to be careful if you’re buying something that has Michael’s autograph on it. I see people getting ripped off all the time on this stuff and it kills me to see people spending hard earned-money on fake autographs. People really need to do their due diligence on it.”

Internally, the company has developed a five-step authentication process that remains the gold standard for the industry. It includes necessary requirements such as an eyewitness of the autograph session and the attachment of a hologram to the piece. These measures are particularly important when it comes to Jordan—because in the world of collectibles, just as in the worlds of basketball and sneakers, No. 23 still rules. Even those who never got to see him play crave a token of his journey. It defies much explanation, really; but hey, that’s Michael Jordan.

“Michael is unlike anything else from an athlete standpoint and a brand standpoint,” says Masherah. “Michael is an enigma.”

Upper Deck has seen nearly 30 years of MJ hysteria unfold before them. The same fascination that once had fans across the globe fuming over two words printed on a simple billboard hasn’t subsided.

Not one bit.

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM PRESENTS JORDAN HERE

Click here to shop the Upper Deck x MJ collection.

Alex Squadron is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @asquad510.

Photos via Upper Deck.

The post TRADE JORDAN: Inside MJ’s Longtime Partnership with Upper Deck appeared first on SLAM.

During the summer of 1995, some of the best pickup basketball games ever played were organized under an inflatable dome in the VIP parking lot of Warner Bros. studio. They called it the Jordan Dome. 

While filming Space Jam, it was mandatory that Michael Jordan have the ability to work out in preparation for the upcoming season. He had just returned to the NBA after a brief stint in Minor League Baseball and the Bulls had been knocked out of the 1995 playoffs in the second round by the Magic.

Bob Daly, the head of Warner Bros., approved construction of a state-of-the-art facility nearby to the Space Jam set. From the outside, it looked like some sort of alien laboratory—a giant white bubble propped up in the middle of nowhere. The interior was designed by Tim Grover, Mike’s trainer. There was a regulation-sized basketball court (it was actually the floor from Long Beach State University), weight equipment, a putting green, an entertainment center furnished with big screen TVs, couches and an immense speaker system (the soundtrack of the summer was D’Angelo’s “Brown Sugar,” one of Mike’s favorites, and they blasted it), locker rooms with showers and a card table. The Jordan Dome had everything MJ needed. 

His final requirement? Serious competition.

THE GAMES

As shooting for the movie began, Mike quickly developed a routine.

Nate Bellamy (Technical Advisor for Space Jam; coordinated basketball scenes, casted talent and organized the pickup games): When it came to the Dome, Mike designated me as the guy to work along with Tim Grover. Tim had a key, security had a key and then I had a key. We were the only people who had keys to the actual Dome. When lunchtime came, we’d go up to the Dome and Mike would get his workout in—really, kind of foregoing lunch. He and Tim would hit heavy weights and they had various stations they would go through. After the weights, they’d do some stretching, loosen up, and then Mike would do his shooting drills. Every day would be a different kind of shooting drill. 

Nigel Miguel (Technical Advisor for Space Jam; also coordinated basketball scenes, casted talent and organized the pickup games): In his deal, Mike said I have to have my time to work out. The one thing that I will say is that this guy was religious and relentless about that…  He talked a lot about coming back [to basketball], what he had to do to regain that. That season, they got bumped by Orlando and he felt that he was just a little bit off. He actually felt that they could’ve won that year he came back if he would’ve had a little more time with the team.

After “lunch,” Mike would return to the set of Space Jam. Filming would continue until around 6-7 pm. As things wound down, Jordan would tell Bellamy to head to the Dome, link with Grover and start getting organized. He often had specific instructions about the games as well. 

Miguel: Nate and I would put the teams together a lot of times. Nate was more involved with that than I was because I was actually MJ’s stand-in, so sometimes I would go directly with him to the Jordan Dome while Nate went earlier to set stuff up. MJ would tell us that he wanted the teams set up a certain way because he wanted to work on certain things that day or whatever. He was very strategic. He’d say, I’m trying to work on going to my move this way, I’m trying to work on passing, I want to post-up. Those types of things. And he never stacked his team.

When the Jordan Dome first opened, invitations went out to local pros, other NBA players affiliated with Space Jam, additional clients of Jordan’s agent, David Falk, and the reigning NCAA champion UCLA Bruins.

Tracy Murray (Former NBA Forward): We’re doing our normal runs up at UCLA and then I start getting calls from my agent [Arn Tellem], saying: You might want to go up to Warner Bros. because they have a court that they made for Michael Jordan and he’s looking to work out while he’s filming Space Jam. I’m like, Man, this is the best player in the world, so I can’t do anything but get better by going up there and working out with Mike. 

Kris Johnson (Guard/Forward for UCLA, 1994-98): I remember going into the athletic department one day. Somebody was like, Michael Jordan called, he’s filming a movie on the set of Warner Bros. and he wants you guys to go play pickup. Now mind you, we had just won the national championship, so we were off the chain. We had been to the White House. We were on cloud nine. Now all of a sudden, Mike calls? Are you fucking kidding me? It was this really special call to get. He invited the whole team.

Before word fully spread about the games, the college kids got their chance to run with Mike. Even Bellamy and Miguel played early on. MJ would get to the Dome around 7 pm and pickup would start immediately. It went on for at least two hours each evening.

The structure of the games: 5-on-5 full-court. First to 7 points, straight up, all 1s. Call your own fouls. According to Bellamy, that last guideline was, for the most part, “respected without any major flare ups.”

Reggie Miller (NBA Hall of Famer): What stood out the most to me was how Jordan could film all day and some evenings and still come out and play two to three hours of games. Most of our pickup games began around 7 pm and lasted until 10. His call time on set the next mornings would be around 5-6 am.

Miguel: They’d play for, like, two hours and then the full court would stop, but guys were still in there to work out and do individual stuff. Mike would go lift weights so he’d still be around. And there was a section where you could socialize and play cards, so sometimes after he finished his workout, he’d go over there and play cards. It was set up for him not to have to leave if he didn’t want to. Warner Bros. really catered to him in that regard.

As with anything attached to Michael Jordan, the hype built rapidly. More and more NBA players started making their way to the Dome and the UCLA guys were gradually cast aside. Well, all but one.

Bellamy: Kris Johnson, who played on that 1995 team and was Marques Johnson’s son—Mike had an affinity for him. Mike made it clear that Kris was always going to be on his team. Part of that came from Mike admiring Marques Johnson when he was coming up. Marques was one of Mike’s favorite players.

Murray: Mike’s first pick every day was Kris Johnson from UCLA because Kris came in there and was a workaholic and Mike respected people that played hard. Kris worked his tail off and you saw that kid’s game go from one level to the next.

Johnson: I just remember everybody being salty. I didn’t play that year at UCLA. I just sat on the bench. There were a lot of times where I was the only college guy [at the Dome]. I was a 19-year-old sophomore on the floor with NBA All-Stars. So you got to understand when I was out there, it was like, Who is this? I don’t care that it’s Marques’ kid. But Mike showed me love. And here’s the thing, I balled my ass off to the point where we weren’t losing. They were doubling Mike and I’m just stepping in, spotting up in the corner, knocking down jumper after jumper.

Murray: You were getting almost an NBA All-Star Game every day. The games were to 7 so you didn’t have much time to get going. You had to hit the floor and really go right away or else it was a long wait. You had at least 100 players on the sidelines on days where everybody was in town. You’d look up and you’d have one team with Rod Strickland, Michael Jordan, Glen Rice, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning. And then on the other team you’d have Tim Hardaway, Reggie Miller, Grant Hill, Charles Oakley and Pat Ewing. That one court was packed every day. You were getting everybody’s best shot because if you sat down, you might as well go lift weights because you’re going to be sitting down for a while.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM PRESENTS JORDAN HERE

Tim Hardaway (5x NBA All-Star): I was there for about a week. We played every day. You had Chris Mullin, Rod Strickland out there. Gary Payton, of course. Reggie, Pat, Charles [Barkley]. Charles needed it because you know, he’s always getting heavy during the course of the summer. He really needed to be in shape and ready to go. He loved it. Charles would be going at people. We had to go double team him because basically when he got it down low, nobody could stop him. If you didn’t want to lose, you had to go down there and double team.

Basketball stars weren’t the only ones flocking to the Jordan Dome. There was even a celebrity row.

Miguel: The who’s-who of Hollywood and the entertainment world that would drop by the Jordan Dome, just to stick their head in or to say that they were there or part of it, was amazing. All of the top brass from Warner Bros. came. You could actually get a deal done at the Jordan Dome if you were a big time celebrity. Halle Berry came by, Kevin Costner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah.

The weights that Mike used to work out with, after he finished using them, Clint Eastwood bought them. They ended up being a part of his regiment. He used them because they said he was pretty serious about his workouts prior to that, but the novelty of that being Michael Jordan’s gear kind of added something to it. He definitely used them.

Murray: Everybody that had a Warner Bros. show or a movie going on came in to watch the games. The Wayans brothers were there damn near every day. Queen Latifah came over a lot. The co-stars from the movie were in there. You had comedians, A-list celebrities. People that would show up at the front row of Laker games and stuff like that.

And those who did stop by were treated to a show every night.

Murray: It wasn’t like the All-Star Game today where dudes are letting each other dunk. Nah, if you went in there to dunk, you were going to get knocked on your ass. It was like an NBA playoff game of the 1990s. There was one particular day when Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan—and you know they had a rivalry—those two went at it. It was to the point where all of us on both teams, we just wanted to stand and watch the matchup. They were talking major trash, calling each other out. It got to the point where if you had the ball it was like, Man, you take it, I want to see what your reply is.

Miller: Mike and I used to do battle and get after one another. I always wanted to be on the opposite team as MJ. My whole purpose of going to these games was to try and find a vice I could use if and when we faced each other during the regular season and/or playoffs. Safe to say I never found one because he didn’t have any deficiencies.

Muggsy Bogues (Former NBA Guard): I was hurt and I couldn’t go take part in it. I had just had surgery on my knee. But you heard about all of the games and the trash talking that went on. They had some unforgettable trash-talking pickup games.

Hardaway: If you were there, you were there to play. You weren’t there to just BS around. There was shit talking up in your face, good defense. It was very, very, very competitive. You didn’t want to lose. It was all about bragging rights… You came with your best. You were there to bust people’s ass and show them, this is the way it’s going to be all season long when I play against you. You wanted to put something in people’s minds. Like, every time I play against you, this is the way it’s going to be.

Miguel: You felt it in the air when those guys walked in. You wanted to show what you could do. The fact that it’s on the Warner Bros. lot—you’re in Hollywood. You have people there that usually wouldn’t be there for a pickup game, so everybody wants to show up. And it’s bragging rights to a certain extent. The feel of MJ coming back and people testing him out. It was like lightning in a bottle.

Bellamy: One day, when Cedric Ceballos first came up, he saw Kris Johnson on Mike’s team. Cedric had been told it was NBA players only. He saw Johnson on the floor and he’s like, What is he doing out there? He was questioning why Kris was playing and all of that. So Mike said to him, When you get on this court, I’m gonna dunk on you. Cedric gets on the court. He picks up Mike. Mike is jabbing him, he makes a move and they split. Cedric went one way and Mike went the other way and they both met up at the rim and Mike scissor-dunked on him. BOOM! I swear to God.

Johnson: That dunk was a part of a series of plays, a flurry that Mike gave to Cedric. Imagine Mike’s in the mid-post, right? Cedric is on him with an arm-bar. Mike’s got the ball near his right shoulder, he has his head turned and he’s talking to Cedric as he’s leaning back. He faces up and he continues to talk and that’s when he went to a jab series and was like, Take off my number, you’re disrespecting my number! He’s jabbing, palming the ball and talking shit to Cedric Ceballos, telling him he’s disrespecting his number because Cedric Ceballos wore No. 23.

Bellamy: When Mike steps on that court, he becomes a whole different person. I remember one time he was warming up and shooting around. He was on the court with other NBA players, some of them NBA All-Stars, and he’s shooting around saying, “I’m a pro. I’m a P-R-O.” He’s saying that so they can hear him. And the way that he’s saying it, it’s almost like he’s saying, “I’m a pro, and you’re not.” He’d say, “I’m a pro,” and then he’d spell it out. [laughs]

Joe Pytka (Director of Space Jam): I only played up there three or four times. The only memory I have really is that Michael was a beast. One poor guy who was about 6-9 was trying to post Michael up. Every time he came down, he did the same move and Michael blocked his shot every time. After three or four times, Michael just chewed him out. He said, You’ve been doing the same move for the last 15 minutes and it ain’t working for you. Figure something else out. The guy was humiliated. He just killed the guy.

The most memorable experience I had up there was, Michael was coming down on a break and I was going to take a charge right in the middle of the key. Mike was coming right at me and he never went left or right, he went right through me and dunked over me. I’m gonna tell you something and you’re not going to believe this, I didn’t feel anything. I don’t know if he went over me, I’m 6-5 and weigh about 230. It was magic. It was like a ghost went through me and dunked. I don’t know whether he jumped completely over me. I wasn’t crouching down, I was standing straight up to take the charge. He just dunked it and it was like a ghost. I’ll never forget that.

Bellamy: I’ll never forget when Charles Oakley came. His first day playing at the Dome, he played in the first game against Mike’s team. And Oakley is the only player who came to the Dome and won every game that particular night. If you know anything about Charles Oakley, he only has one speed when he plays. Every game was like a playoff game.

Johnson: One of the highlights for me was Mike going against Grant Hill. We were playing five on five, but it was basically them two. They scored all the buckets. We gave it to them and got out of the way. No one was doubling or any of that. They’re saying, Don’t double! Don’t send no double, stay over there! This is when Grant was sick. Right in his prime, Grant was just incredible. That, for me, was a great matchup.

Miller: Juwan Howard and Dennis Rodman were the two players who really stood out to me, besides Jordan being Jordan. Those two guys always brought it.

THE IMPACT

On the very last day of games at the Dome, a new face entered.

Miguel: When we first started filming the movie, I don’t know if you remember but the [NBA] strike was on. Magic [Johnson] had wanted to come and work out, but because he was a part of ownership at that time, he couldn’t be associated with the workouts until the strike got settled. He came up, like, the last day, right before filming ended. They wouldn’t allow him to come before and it was driving him crazy. It’s Magic, plus you’re in L.A., Hollywood. This is his city. Needless to say, that day when the moratorium was lifted or whatever, Magic was there.

From those pickup runs, Mike was able to get his timing and endurance back, develop his skills, take notes on his opponents and learn valuable information about future teammates.

Hardaway: Everybody just wanted to play and see if Michael was serious [about his comeback]. He was definitely serious. He was definitely serious about coming back and being Michael Jordan again and winning another three-peat. That was his goal and he did it. I think it was more for him to gauge and see if he was still the best or if anybody could really compete against him.

Bellamy: When Mike’s team would lose a game, he would sit out and wait for his turn. He was always watching certain players and picking up on their tendencies. One of the players that he watched really closely, and he was there every night, was Reggie Miller. I remember one time he told me, Reggie doesn’t like to go left. And he kept that in his memory bank. If you watch from 1996 on, any time they played against Indiana, watch how he played Reggie. He always shaded Reggie to his left.

The Dome was really instrumental in convincing Mike that he could play with Dennis Rodman, too. I think if the Dome didn’t happen, I don’t know if that deal would’ve went through the same way it went through. Mike had an opportunity to see how Dennis was every day coming up in the Dome and playing. And what he realized was, and what most people realize when you’re around Dennis, he’s a quiet type of guy. Even though he kind of re-invented himself with all the hair color and all that, but basically, he’s a quiet guy. He comes and he plays hard. He doesn’t cause any controversy. Mike realized he could play with him.

Rodman was traded to the Bulls just prior to the 1995-96 season and the team went on to go 72-10 and win their fourth championship. Jordan was the regular season MVP and Finals MVP that year. But it wasn’t just MJ who benefitted from the experiences over the previous summer.

Murray: You couldn’t help but get better playing in that type of atmosphere—working out with Mike all summer, playing against the best players in the League. I even took my game to the next level and felt comfortable out on the floor during the season against those guys because I got to earn a little bit of respect in the summertime.

Johnson: The thing about those Jordan runs was that it gave me incredible confidence. I went into my sophomore year and ended up averaging damn near 13 points per game after averaging [around] 1 point per game as a freshman. I shot 56% from the field that year.

Miller: Those were some of the best competitive runs I’ve ever been associated with. The Jordan Dome served a great purpose for a lot of us to get better, which we did, and to try and size up with the GOAT.

Of course, no one was truly on Jordan’s level.

Bellamy: I really had a firsthand look at Mike’s dedication and love for the game and what that actually meant. He never took any shortcuts. No matter that he was starring in this movie, the No. 1 priority for him was his basketball. He was not going to let anything get in the way of him sharpening up his skills and getting himself ready for the upcoming season. That’s when I realized what separated him from most of his peers. Let me tell you something, working on a movie, doing 12 hours a day, that’s not easy to get acclimated to, especially when you’re not an actor. For Mike to be able to do that and still be focused on getting his work in during lunch and then come and play two hours of ball each night against the best players in the world, it was different. 

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM PRESENTS JORDAN HERE

Alex Squadron is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @asquad510.

Photos by Bruce W. Talamon/Warner Brothers Pictures.

The post An Oral History of Michael Jordan’s Legendary ‘Space Jam’ Pickup Runs appeared first on SLAM.

While guesting on SHOWTIME’s “All That Smoke,” Nash described how Jordan had “a seriousness, a competitiveness and fire” that could crush an opponent (starting at 16:39):

“Playing against him, the one thing that I think that he was unlike any other player I’ve played against is that there was a real fear playing against him. I’ve never seen the League be kind of fearful of a player or have that much reverence for a player.

“No matter who has come since then… That was a different feeling when you’re playing Mike. There was such a seriousness, a competitiveness and fire in him. And there was a fear of how that was going to manifest itself potentially on any given night.”

RELATED: Shaq Says Michael Jordan Would Average 45 Points In Today’s NBA

The post Steve Nash: ‘There Was A Real Fear’ Of Playing Against Michael Jordan appeared first on SLAM.

While appearing on ESPN’s Get Up on Friday, O’Neal said the League would be complaining about MJ being “too good.” Shaq added that he would be “too dominant” for today’s NBA to handle (starting at 0:14):

What would Michael Jordan be if he played in the game today?

Shaq: “He would average 45 [points], and the League would be complaining about two players. They’d be like, Mike is too good. And the kid down in Orlando is too dominant. What are we going to do?”

Who is the greatest player ever?

Shaq: “I’m going to have to say Michael Jordan because Michael paved the way for all the great guys that we have now. And 6-0 in the Finals without a legitimate big man. Went through a lot. Took a year off. Came back and won three in a row. He’s definitely the greatest player.”

RELATED: Shaquille O’Neal: Lakers Would ‘Easily’ Beat Michael Jordan’s Bulls

The post Shaq Says Michael Jordan Would Average 45 Points In Today’s NBA appeared first on SLAM.

MJ, of course, hung in the air over a helpless Ehlo and knocked in an iconic buzzer-beater to eliminate Cleveland from the 1989 NBA playoffs.

Harper, who eventually won championships alongside Jordan in Chicago, “had never really talked about defense or guarding people,” says Ehlo.

Per Cleveland.com:

One thing Ehlo doesn’t remember: Ron Harper’s version, which he relayed in Episode 3 of “The Last Dance” — a hit ESPN documentary that chronicles the Chicago Bulls’ quest for a sixth NBA championship in 1998.

“I never said I was a Jordan stopper like Gerald Wilkins or anything,” Ehlo said during an extensive call with cleveland.com this week. “But back then Harp and me were on the court at the same time and he was our big offensive threat. So, when I came in it was a no-brainer that I would guard Jordan so Harp could rest on defense and play on offense.

“Harp had never really talked about defense or guarding people. He wasn’t a bad defender, I will give him that much, but I think those years with the Bulls where he got those championships, he was definitely third or fourth fiddle, so all of a sudden he becomes this lockdown defender, apparently. I don’t really remember him during our time wanting to play defense that much. He kind of shocked me with those comments, saying he wanted to guard Michael.”

On Sunday night, Harper openly questioned coach Lenny Wilkens’ polarizing decision to use Ehlo as the primary defender on the final play — a clip that has since gone viral.

“We’re up by one and I said, ‘Coach I got MJ,’” Harper explained. “Coach tells me, ‘I’m going to put Ehlo on MJ.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK, whatever. F**k this bullshit.’”

Related Agent: Michael Jordan Would Average ‘Between 50 and 60’ Today

The post Craig Ehlo: ‘I Never Said I Was a Jordan Stopper’ appeared first on SLAM.

MJ has the highest regular season (30.1 PPG) and playoff (33.4 PPG) scoring averages of all time, and no current player is “remotely” in his league, says Falk.

The renowned agent adds that he believes Scottie Pippen “has a certain level of jealousy” towards his former Chicago Bulls teammate.

Per NBC Sports Washington:

“With virtually zero defense, no hand-checking, I think if Jordan played today; if he was in his prime in today’s rules, I think he’d average between 50 and 60 a game. I think he’d shoot 75% from the floor. If you couldn’t hand-check him, he would be completely unstoppable,” Falk said. “Now that I watch [the documentary], I realize that, unless you’re legally blind, you can’t possibly think that there’s another player who ever played the game that’s remotely in the league that he’s in. Nobody.”

Falk continued.

“I hope personally, and I’m sure it won’t, that the doc ends all talk about like is Jordan competitive with LeBron [James]? He’s in a different league. If you don’t see that with your eyes, maybe the doctor’s office can help because you should have an eye test,” he said.

Falk has apparently seen the remaining episodes of “The Last Dance” and says some things he and others have known for a long time will come to light.

“Pippen has a certain level of jealousy towards Michael. He has said recently many times he thinks LeBron’s a better player. Now, if you’re Scottie Pippen, and Michael Jordan made your career, completely made your career; even if you think that, keep it to yourself,” Falk said. “Scottie’s problem, as the documentary points out in so many different places after the episodes you’ve seen, is that he wasn’t a great competitor. There were times for silly reasons. The migraine; you think that Michael Jordan [would do that] unless he had his leg amputated?”

Related Jeff Van Gundy: Michael Jordan ‘Would Average North of 40 Points’ Today

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“Isiah’s name never came up during that conversation,” says Thorn, pushing back against the long-held popular assumption that MJ and other NBA superstars didn’t want Zeke on the squad that dominated en route to Gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Thorn acknowledges, however, that Thomas and the Detroit Pistons hadn’t exactly built up a lot of goodwill around the League.

Per ESPN:

“There was never anything in my conversation with (Jordan) that had to do with Isiah Thomas, period,” Thorn said Wednesday. “He said, ‘I’ll do it.’ … Isiah’s name never came up during that conversation. And he never backtracked and said he didn’t want to do it from that time on, to those of us in the NBA office.

“Now, if that in fact happened, then it happened with somebody else; because when I talked to him, he ended up saying he would definitely do it.”

Thorn was asked why Thomas was not on the roster, assuming Jordan had no input.

“That’s a good question, because Isiah was a great player, a fantastic player,” Thorn said. “There was some controversy with the Pistons regarding not shaking hands with the Bulls — there was some bad blood, obviously, there. … But when we ended up going with the first 10 guys, he did not end up making the team.”

Related Isiah Thomas ‘Definitely Surprised’ Michael Jordan Called Him an A-Hole

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Thomas says Jordan has always been pleasant in his presence, and that he long ago left their fierce competition where it belonged: on the basketball court.

Zeke adds that MJ is the fourth greatest player he ever faced.

Per CBS Sports:

“I was definitely surprised,” he says. “Because we’ve been in each other’s presence before, and I’ve never gotten that type of reaction from him. We were even at dinner a couple times and he was always pleasant. Always good to my kids. Always good to my son. He even gave my son a pair of gym shoes.

“The competition that we all had on the floor, I truly just thought it was on the floor.”

For Thomas, Jordan’s greatness too often overshadows the ’80s own version of historically great basketball, and its historically great players.

“When you put Jordan and his basketball team in the ’80s, they weren’t a very successful team,” he says. “They just weren’t. When you talk about Jordan and his team dominating, they dominated the ’90s. But when you put him with those Lakers teams and those Pistons teams and those Celtics teams, they all beat him. They just did.

“What separated Jordan from all of us was he was the first one to three-peat. But he didn’t three-peat against Magic [Johnson], Larry Bird and [Julius Erving].”

Related Isiah Thomas: ‘I’ve Paid a Heavy Price’ for Not Shaking Bulls’ Hands

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“It’s unfortunate that it happened,” laments Thomas, adding that he remains hurt for supposedly not being selected to The Dream Team due to a “lapse in emotion.”

It bears noting that MJ trashed the Pistons as “undeserving champions” prior to the infamous walk-off.

“The Pistons are undeserving champions,” Jordan said on the day between Games 3 and 4 in Detroit in 1991. “The Bad Boys are bad for basketball.”

Per ESPN:

“We were coming down, Michael Jordan was coming up,” Thomas said. “And in coming up, you have certain emotions; and in coming down as champions, you have certain emotions. … Looking back, over the years, had we had the opportunity to do it all over again, I think all of us would make a different decision.”

With 7.9 seconds remaining in the Bulls’ 21-point rout to end the series, the Pistons — at [Bill] Laimbeer’s behest, according to Thomas — walked off the court without shaking the Bulls players’ hands or congratulating them.

“I’ve paid a heavy price for that decision,” Thomas said. “And in paying that price — I understand this is the sports world and everything else, but at the same time, looking back over it in terms of how we felt at that particular time, our emotional state and how we exited the floor — we actually gave the world the opportunity to look at us in a way that we never really tried to position ourselves in or project ourselves in that way. So it’s unfortunate that it happened.”

The Hall of Fame guard also was asked about his omission from the roster of the 1992 Dream Team at the Barcelona Olympics, and whether he believed his refusal to shake Jordan’s hand was a factor.

“I thought I should’ve made that Dream Team,” Thomas said. “However, I wasn’t a part of it. That hurt me, and looking back, if I’m not a part of the Dream Team because a lapse in emotion in terms of not shaking someone’s hand — if that’s the reason why I didn’t make the Dream Team, then I am more disappointed today than I was back then when I wasn’t selected.”

Related Bill Laimbeer: Michael Jordan’s Bulls ‘Just Whiners’

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There’s zero regret on Laimbeer’s part for leading the decision to not shake hands with MJ and company after being swept in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.

Laimbeer adds that Detroit was only vanquished after they “got old.”

Per ESPN:

“Why would I regret it now today? I don’t care what the media says about me. I never did,” Laimbeer said. “If I did, I’d be a basket case, especially back then.

“I was about winning basketball games and winning championships and did whatever I had to do to get the most out of my ability and our team — and we did. At the end of the day, we’re called world champions.”

[Isiah] Thomas took a much more conciliatory tone in his interview Monday morning, saying he is “personally hurt” by his portrayal in [“The Last Dance”] docuseries and apologizing to the city of Detroit.

“They whined and cried for a year and a half about how bad we were for the game, but more importantly, they said we were bad people,” Laimbeer said. “We weren’t bad people. We were just basketball players winning, and that really stuck with me because they didn’t know who we were or what we were about as individuals and our family life.

“But all that whining they did, I didn’t want to shake their hand. They were just whiners. They won the series. Give him credit: We got old, they got past us. But OK, move on.”

Related Michael Jordan: Pistons Hatred ‘Carries Even to This Day’

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“They made it personal,” Jordan said of the Pistons’ physically dominating his Bulls during Episode 3 of “The Last Dance” documentary that aired Sunday night.

Chicago finally got rid of their nemesis in a four-game sweep of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, en route to its first NBA title, and several of the Pistons infamously walked off the court without shaking hands.

Per ESPN:

“Oh, I hated them,” Jordan said. “And that hate carries even to this day.”

Jordan and the Bulls lost to the Pistons in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1988, in six games in the conference finals in 1989 (after holding a 2-1 lead) and in seven games in the conference finals in 1990.

“We knew Michael Jordan is the greatest player, and we tried to use it as a rallying cry to come together,” Pistons star Isiah Thomas said in Episode 3. “We had to do everything from a physicality standpoint to stop him.”

The Pistons tormented Chicago’s high-scoring shooting guard, employing a bruising style of defense that came to be known as “The Jordan Rules.”

“They made it personal,” Jordan said. “They physically beat the s**t out of us.”

Related Steve Kerr: Being Punched By Michael Jordan ‘Helped Our Relationship’

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“I feel like I kind of passed the test,” says Kerr, adding that he earned MJ’s trust after refusing to back down during their tussle.

Kerr notes that teammates coming to blows was not uncommon during his playing days.

Per USA Today:

“I would say it definitely helped our relationship, and that probably sounds really weird,” Kerr said on “The NBA on TNT” Wednesday night. “I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody at home. … For me in that case, Michael was definitely testing me, and I responded. I feel like I kind of passed the test and he trusted me more afterwards.”

In [Phil] Jackson’s book, “Eleven Rings,” Jordan is quoted explaining how the fight with Kerr helped him trust teammates: “It made me look at myself, and say, ‘You know what? You’re really being an idiot about this whole process.'”

Kerr explained Wednesday how the fight was less severe than it might sound in today’s game.

“It has to be understood in the context of intense competition,” Kerr said. “One thing that was more prevalent back then than now was the intensity of practices vs. now. I think we’re smarter now with preserving our players. We don’t have as many practice days. It’s more about rest and recovery. They were a huge part of the Bulls and Michael setting a standard for our play. There were practice fights on every (NBA) team that I played on. It wasn’t really a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.”

Related Steve Kerr: ‘Nobody Resented’ Scottie Pippen for Delaying 1997 Surgery

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Malone, who was an assistant coach during James’ first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, says LeBron is “arguably the greatest of all time as well.”

Unprompted, Malone offered his opinion on the two basketball legends to a group of reporters.

Per USA Today:

“It’s always an ongoing argument about who is the GOAT. Michael obviously is up there and is the greatest of all time,” Malone said Tuesday in a Zoom call with reporters. “There are not many Michael Jordans out there. I coached LeBron James for five years and have a great relationship with him. LeBron did not have the same mindset or killer mentality that Michael Jordan is supposed to have had. But LeBron James is arguably the greatest of all time as well.”

Malone sided with the player he grew up watching (Jordan) instead of the player he coached as an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers (James).

“Michael Jordan was not just a great player. He would reach into your chest and pull your heart out if he had to win a game,” Malone said. “You don’t see that really often. He had that killer mindset and brought it every single night. That’s why all of these many years later, he’s the greatest of all time.”

Malone often watched Jordan play when his dad [Brendan Malone] coached Knicks and Pistons teams that often employed the so-called “Jordan Rules.”

“They were just trying to beat up on Michael Jordan. Every time he drove to the basket, he would wind up on his ass,” Malone said of the Pistons and Knicks. “Through Phil Jackson and through Michael Jordan — the face of the NBA — the league really started changing and said, ‘We really have to protect our players. We want this to be something that our fans want to come and watch and, more importantly, to watch on their TVs.’ “

Related Bill Laimbeer: LeBron James the ‘Best Player That’s Ever Played the Game’

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Pippen was deeply angry and resentful of Chicago’s front-office at being criminally underpaid for so long, and “nobody resented him for having that surgery,” says Kerr.

The Hall of Fame forward eventually rejoined the squad, and helped lead the Bulls to their second three-peat of the decade.

Per ESPN:

“Scottie was wrong in that scenario,” Jordan said in Episode 2 of the documentary series “The Last Dance,” which debuted Sunday night. “He could’ve got his surgery done as soon as the season was over and be ready for the season. What Scottie was trying to do was trying to force management to change his contract. And [owner Jerry Reinsdorf] was never going to do that.”

Asked whether there was resentment from other Bulls players over Pippen’s decision, Kerr said, “No, not at all.”

“Everyone respected Scottie so much,” Kerr said. “We felt his frustration. He probably should have been the second-highest-paid guy in the NBA or definitely top-five. So we all felt for him, nobody resented him for having that surgery. Later, we all understood, let’s give him his space, and he’s going to be there for the second stretch of the season for us.”

Pippen, the clear No. 2 on the Bulls, ended that 1997-98 season as only the sixth-highest-paid player on the team, playing out an $18 million extension he had signed after Chicago won its first championship in 1991.

“I decided to have surgery late because I was like, ‘You know what, I’m not going to f**k my summer up,'” Pippen said in the documentary.

Related Scottie Pippen: ‘I’m No Longer Employed By the Bulls’

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“Don’t ever talk to me in my house,” Jordan yelled at the fallen defender, his basketball fire still very much burning.

Mike spent five months with the Birmingham Barons prior to the returning to the Chicago Bulls, and leading them to their second three-peat.

Per The Athletic:

Asked how he thought Jordan the baseball player was different from Jordan the hoop god, Francona summed it up like this: “You know, I think maybe the easiest way I can do this is (to say) when you put a basketball in his hand, it’s amazing how much stronger he looked. That’s probably the easiest way I can say it. He was really open, though,” Francona went on. “When he became a baseball player, he said, ‘I’m the worst player on the team … I know it. I’m the most inexperienced, and I have the most to learn.’ And so … he made it easy to want to help him. Again, he knew what he didn’t know. And because of that, it was easy to want to help him.

“Michael made it easy to be patient,” Francona said at another point. “And you needed to be patient with him because he hadn’t played since high school. You know how it is in rookie ball and A-ball. You learn a lot of the things and you get those mistakes out of the way. And you get to Double A, and you’re starting to become kind of a polished player. He didn’t have that. But to his credit, he respected the game of baseball. That was probably the most important thing to me, was that he respected the game of baseball. And because of that, it made it really easy to be patient with him.”

Jordan was never great at baseball. He struck out nearly 30 more times than anyone on that Birmingham team. He slugged just .266. He did steal 30 bases but, in his struggles to learn how to be a base-stealer, also got thrown out 18 times.

“He wanted to play every day,” Francona said. “He didn’t want a day off. The stories of his competitiveness are legendary, but they’re true. This guy likes to compete, and he wants to find a way to beat you one way or another — whether it’s golf, baseball, basketball, ping-pong. It doesn’t matter. He wants to beat you. And he wants to beat you into oblivion.”

Related Jeff Van Gundy: Michael Jordan ‘Would Average North of 40 Points’ Today

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JVG, the former MJ nemesis, says Jordan dominated the NBA during a much more physical era, and would be “living at the free throw line” now.

Van Gundy’s first win as head coach of the New York Knicks came against Mike and the 72-win Chicago Bulls.

Per Sports Illustrated:

ESPN is showing two versions of the Bulls documentary–an unedited version on ESPN, replete with a vernacular that is common during games but shielded from the viewers, and another on ESPN2 with some of the more adult language edited out. In order to receive the full Michael Jordan experience, don’t you need to watch the unedited version?

Jeff Van Gundy: “I think the essence of Jordan is the same with or without the inflammatory vocabulary that may be in there. Every family is going to have to make that decision for themselves, and you would like to see kids be able to understand what a great competitor and player he was. I think either way is fine. I didn’t know they were doing that, that’s terrific.”

This documentary is a time capsule for the NBA. What do you think viewers will be most surprised to learn about the league as a whole? And having already had a front-row seat to the Bulls’ dominance, what are you looking forward to seeing most in the documentary?

Van Gundy: “I lived it. And fans, if they watch closely, they’ll see how little room Jordan had on the floor. The three-point shot was in less use and there was less three-point shooting. If you look at how tight the spacing was in the triangle, and how much physical contact was allowed, people will be amazed. Everyone thinks they know how good Jordan was, but until you go back and actually study him, you’ll never understand what a great, great player he was. He shot over 50% a lot of times through the physical contact he had to play through—if that happened in today’s game, you’d be absolutely living at the free throw line.

“That’s why I have no doubt, if you dropped him in at his prime, in today’s game, he would average north of 40 points a game. He would be either living at the line or his variety of shots would just be too hard to handle. If fans watch the game footage closely, the amount of contact that was allowed then versus now, you’re going to be even more astounded at Jordan’s efficiency from a scoring perspective.”

Related Michael Jordan: ‘People Got Bored With My Skills’

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Or so believed His Airness.

Jordan said he had grown tired of “the drama, the jealousy, the infighting” in the League, which he triumphantly rejoined in 1995 and went on to dominate over the next three seasons.

Per ESPN:

“Can you believe this s—?” Jordan said to me. “That’s the part of the NBA I don’t miss at all. The drama, the jealousy, the infighting.”

It was May 15, 1994, and two days earlier the Chicago Bulls had eked out an Eastern Conference semifinals playoff win over the New York Knicks. Coach Phil Jackson drew up the final play for Toni Kukoc, opting to utilize Scottie Pippen as the decoy. An incredulous Pippen, who had assumed the mantle as the Bulls’ main attraction post-Jordan retirement, spewed some expletives at Jackson and refused to take the floor. Kukoc nailed a 22-footer at the buzzer, but everyone was still fixated on Pippen.

“Phil knew how much that would piss Scottie off,” Jordan responded. “I wonder why he did it?”

Why did he turn his back on the NBA? He was the most dominant player and the most dominant personality, winning title after title. His answer astonished me.

“People got bored with my skills,” he answered, “and what I accomplished was no longer viewed as excellence.”

Related Michael Jordan: Final Bulls Season a ‘Trying Year’

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“The Bulls had no great centers,” says Johnson, who led Los Angeles to five championships in the 1980s.

Magic adds that Kobe Bryant and Jordan would “cancel each other out,” but that Scottie Pippen “couldn’t do what Shaq could do.”

Per AM 570 LA Sports and Essentially Sports:

Magic’s response: “The Bulls had no great centers, what Shaq would have done to those guys it would have been unfair. Shaq was right it would have been unfair. The Lakers role players were better also.”

Magic was very clear and he said, “Well I think that Shaq would’ve been the difference because we all know that Kobe and Michael would’ve cancelled each other out. So if Jordan got 40, Kobe was going to get 40. Because one thing about Kobe, he was not going to give into anybody. I don’t care who it was. And, he patterned his game after Michael.”

Magic added to why he supports Shaq’s statement is because of the role players in Lakers of the 00s: “One guy Scottie Pippen. But see Scottie couldn’t do what Shaq could do.”

Johnson also said, “It would have been fun to see them.”

Related Shaquille O’Neal: Lakers Would ‘Easily’ Beat Michael Jordan’s Bulls

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This special collector’s issue covers Michael Jordan’s incredible life and career, including old cover stories from the mid 1990s, new exclusive interviews, epic anecdotes about playing with and competing against His Airness and a close-up look at the success of his brand. It also features an oral history of the Space Jam pickup runs, a breakdown of MJ’s appearance on Saturday Night Live, full sections dedicated to fits and jerseys and countless legendary photos from a remarkable basketball journey.

Order your issue now and learn about the history of the greatest to ever do it. 

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With Bulls management determined to break up a legendary squad, head coach Phil Jackson galvanized his players by calling it “The Last Dance,” resulting in their second three-peat.

Though understandably heartbroken to see their historic run come to an end, MJ ensured they finished things off “the right way.”

Per The AP:

“We were all trying to enjoy that year knowing it was coming to an end,” Jordan told Good Morning America on Thursday. Jordan appeared on the show via video conference from his home in Florida to promote the “The Last Dance,” a 10-part documentary series focused on the final year of the 90′s Bulls dynasty that won six NBA titles in eight years.

“The beginning of the season, it started when (general manager) Jerry Krause told (coach) Phil Jackson that he could go 82-0 and he would never get a chance to come back,” Jordan said. “Knowing that I had married myself to him, and if he wasn’t going to be the coach, then obviously I wasn’t going to play. So Phil started off the season saying this was the last dance — and we played it that way.”

Jordan said Thursday that after Jackson told the team it was to be the final season together, the Bulls focused on completing the task of a second three-peat.

“Mentally it tugged at you that this had to come to an end, but it also centered our focus to making sure we ended it right,” Jordan said. “As sad as it sounded at the beginning of the year, we tried to rejoice and enjoy the year and finish it off the right way.”

Related Michael Jordan: ‘Winning Has a Price’

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“The factor is me, and my free-throw shooting,” says O’Neal.

The Diesel adds that he would have “killed” any big man Chicago threw at him.

Per Bleacher Report (via ESPN):

“‘Cause I would’ve killed Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, [Bill] Cartwright,” O’Neal said.

“The factor is me, and my free-throw shooting.”

Shaq then questioned which team Phil Jackson would be coaching, as he guided both teams. [ESPN’s Ariel] Helwani answered that Jackson would be with the Bulls since he coached in Chicago first.

“So he would’ve tried the Hack-a-Shaq thing,” Shaq responded. “I still would average like 28, 29, but the key would’ve been free throws. With me, it’s always 50-50. If I would’ve been on, we win. If I would’ve been off, we lose.”

Related Michael Jordan: ‘Winning Has a Price’

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In addition to his physical gifts, Laimbeer says what separates James from the pack, is a preternatural ability to “involve his teammates to win.”

Laimbeer adds that Michael Jordan—a longtime and hated rival during Chicago and Detroit’s playoff wars of the ’80s and ’90s—was a “one man band” for several years prior to adopting a more team-oriented game en route to six NBA titles.

Per USA Today:

“I’m very vocal on this. I think LeBron is the best player who has ever played the game,” Laimbeer said. “He’s 6-foot-8, 285 pounds, runs like the wind, jumps out of the gym. … At the end of the day, I firmly believe he’s the best basketball player in the history of the game.”

Laimbeer, who coaches the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, said Tuesday in an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” he doesn’t even see a debate.

“More importantly, when (LeBron) came in the league from Day 1, he knew how to involve his teammates to win,” Laimbeer said. “That’s something Jordan had to learn for a long time.

“Now if you go by championships, obviously Michael Jordan has more championships. But I think LeBron in any generation would be doing what he’s doing right now all these years.”

Related Bill Laimbeer: LeBron James is Better Than Michael Jordan

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“I challenged people when they didn’t want to be challenged,” says Jordan, adding that being considered a “tyrant” in order to win was a price he was more than willing to pay.

MJ opened up during multiple interviews—along with 105 other people that bore witness to his legendary NBA career—over the years as the 10-part series painstakingly came together.

Per The Athletic:

“Look, winning has a price,” says Jordan. “And leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn’t want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn’t want to be challenged. And I earned that right because my teammates who came after me didn’t endure all the things that I endured. Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game. And I wasn’t going to take any less. Now if that means I had to go in there and get in your ass a little bit, then I did that. You ask all my teammates. The one thing about Michael Jordan was he never asked me to do something that he didn’t fucking do. When people see this they are going say, ‘Well he wasn’t really a nice guy. He may have been a tyrant.’ Well, that’s you. Because you never won anything. I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win to be a part of that as well. Look, I don’t have to do this. I am only doing it because it is who I am. That’s how I played the game. That was my mentality. If you don’t want to play that way, don’t play that way.”

Jordan then does something extraordinary, and I’m glad the filmmakers left it in. He asks for a break. He has become so emotional, near tears, that he has to get away for a moment.

“The moment when he asked for a break came early in the first interview,” [director Jason] Hehir recalled. “To get something that raw, candid, honest and genuine out of him that early in the interview process was kind of a turning point for all of us in the crew. We all thought: ‘Wow this could be something a little bit different than just basketball. It looks like he came to participate and understands what we’re trying to do here.’ It was one of those answers where you just let the person go, almost like a therapy session. He did stop himself and say ‘break.’ And we did. I got up and left the room for a little bit. We’d been going for about 45 minutes and I knew we had at least two more hours to go. What you don’t want to do is gas out your interview subject less than an hour into it.

“But it was so telling to me that this is what’s at this guy’s core. No matter what we discussed, it funnels back to that deep-seated drive to be the best at all costs. We were talking about his intensity as a teammate, his intensity as a competitor. We had just finished talking about the roots of his competitiveness, competing against his brother Larry for his Dad’s attention. One of the things that I was interested in exploring when we first started studying his entire story was this notion from his perspective. By all my experiences, he was a nice guy. He was very respectful to me. He was very respectful to the crew. He couldn’t have been more generous with his time and candor. I was really interested in whether or not it hurt him that the perception of him was this stone-cold killer and not as Mr. Nice Guy. The question produced probably a nine-minute answer. Was it worth to you to have that reputation for intensity and ferocity? Is it worth the tradeoff of not being considered nice guy quote unquote?”

Related Michael Jordan 10-Part Documentary Moved Up to April 19

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Stackhouse felt he was the “better player” at that point in their respective careers—it turned out to be MJ’s final NBA season—after being traded from Detroit to D.C.

The Wizards finished with a 37-45 record and missed the playoffs.

Per Sports Illustrated (via “The Woj Pod“):

“Honestly, I wish I never played in Washington and for a number of reasons,” Stackhouse said. “I felt we were on our way in Detroit before I got traded there. It was really challenging to be able to be in a situation with an idol who at this particular point, I felt like I was a better player.

“Things were still being run through Michael Jordan,” he continued. “[Head coach] Doug Collins, I love Doug, but I think that was an opportunity for him to make up for some ill moments that they may have had back in Chicago. So, pretty much everything that Michael wanted to do [we did]. We got off to a pretty good start and he didn’t like the way the offense was running because it was running a little bit more through me. He wanted to get a little more isolations for him on the post, of course, so we had more isolations for him on the post. And it just kind of spiraled in a way that I didn’t enjoy that season at all. The kind of picture I had in my mind of Michael Jordan and the reverence I had for him, I lost a little bit of it during the course of that year.”

The duo averaged 41.5 points per game—21.5 points per game from Stackhouse, 20 from Jordan.

“It was good to have the experience of playing alongside one of your idols, to be able to get the camaraderie,” he told ESPN in 2013. “Nobody has more fun away from the game than Michael Jordan. He has fun. Whether it’s on the plane playing cards or going out to dinner or having fun. I don’t think people realize that about him because they see all the seriousness on the court, but he’s as funny and fun-loving guy as you’re going to see away from the game.”

Related Jerry Stackhouse Says Michael Jordan Never Sang Trash Talk to Him

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The highly-anticipated 10-part documentary is a close examination of Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls’ quest for a sixth championship in 1998.

The series will air Sunday nights on ESPN over five weeks, and be made available outside of the U.S. on Netflix.

Per the press release:

ESPN statement: “As society navigates this time without live sports, viewers are still looking to the sports world to escape and enjoy a collective experience. We’ve heard the calls from fans asking us to move up the release date for this series, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve been able to accelerate the production schedule to do just that. This project celebrates one of the greatest players and dynasties ever, and we hope it can serve as a unifying entertainment experience to fill the role that sports often play in our lives, telling a story that will captivate everyone, not just sports fans.”

In the fall of 1997, Michael Jordan, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and head coach Phil Jackson agreed to let an NBA Entertainment film crew follow the team all season long. The result would be a remarkable portrait of an iconic player and a celebrated team – a portrait only now being revealed, more than two decades later, in “The Last Dance.”

“Michael Jordan and the ‘90s Bulls +weren’t just sports superstars, they were a global phenomenon,” said director Jason Hehir. “Making ‘The Last Dance’ was an incredible opportunity to explore the extraordinary impact of one man and one team. For nearly three years, we searched far and wide to present the definitive story of an era-defining dynasty and to present these sports heroes as humans. I hope viewers enjoy watching our series as much as we enjoyed the opportunity to make it.”

Related Michael Jordan Beat BJ Armstrong 1-on-1 Wearing Loafers

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As Jordan readied to make his comeback following an 18-month hiatus chasing curveballs as a minor league outfielder, former Bulls teammate BJ Armstrong recalls goading The G.O.A.T. —who was dressed in street clothes and a pair of loafers—into an ill-fated game of one-on-one.

Mike would go on to lead Chicago to its second three-peat, completing a legendary run of six titles in eight years.

Per The Athletic:

“He takes off his coat, and we’re playing. I’m like, ‘You’re serious.’ Now, he has his shoes on. And, you know, cold weather climate, there’s soot, and here he’s playing and he’s got some loafers on. I’ve got my Bulls gear for practice and all I’ve got to do is put my sneakers on. Now, it was a joke, it wasn’t a joke. I’m like, ‘I know him, I can’t give him anything. It was for real. I’ve got to play now.’

“Before I knew it, he’s in a full sweat, in his clothes. We’re playing and no one comes on the court, but everyone is watching. I didn’t want to lose to a guy in his street clothes. I don’t care who it was. You’ve got to at least put on sneakers. Let’s be honest. I’m not losing to a guy in street clothes. I don’t care who you are. It’s fouls. That’s how it happened. He’s playing in his loafers, so the floor is all messed up. He’s scuffing the floor and we’re playing.”

The outcome is easy to guess.

“Oh, he won. He won. At the time, I was pissed. I’m still kind of pissed about (it),” Armstrong recalled, with a laugh. “And then I realized, the light never went off. Everybody was like, ‘How you going to lose to an old guy?’ I said, ‘It never stopped. That’s who he is.’ The light has never gone off, and it will never go off, because the score is always zero-zero.”

Related Michael Jordan Dominated Warriors’ Practice Prior to 1995 Return

The post Michael Jordan Beat BJ Armstrong 1-on-1 Wearing Loafers appeared first on SLAM.

Jordan took part in a few Golden State Warriors practices in the lead-up to his celebrated comeback, and after hearing some ill-advised trash talking, proved he could still dominate.

According to Chris Mullin, Jordan “went out there and basically single-handedly beat the Warriors down by himself.”

Per The SF Chronicle:

Of those interviewed, two are former Golden State Warriors (Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin), one is a former Warriors assistant coach (Rod Higgins), and one is current Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who won three straight NBA titles playing alongside Jordan from 1995-98.

“I might get in trouble for this,” Hardaway says. “But him and Rod Higgins were really good friends. He came and practiced with us a few times in Oakland.”

“I was on my way to practice, and (Jordan) asked, ‘Do you think it’s OK if I practice with you guys?’ I said, ‘I don’t think so, lemme call [then-Warriors coach Don Nelson],” Higgins says. “Nelly’s response was ‘hell yeah.’”

According to Mullin, Jordan didn’t show up in basketball gear.

“I was injured at the time so I do remember Michael coming down to practice and we’re basically the same size, the same sneaker size,” Mullin said. “I think we had Tim Hardaway and Latrell Sprewell at that point in time. They might have been popping off a little bit. Michael said, ‘Mully, let’s go, get me your gear.’ He went to my locker, put my gear on, and went out there and basically single-handedly beat the Warriors down by himself. And that’s when I was like, this guy is coming back.”

Related Michael Jordan: ‘You’re Paid to Play 82 Games’

The post Michael Jordan Dominated Warriors Practice Prior to 1995 Return appeared first on SLAM.

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LIVE FROM MADISON STREET: Zach LaVine Talks Playing in Chicago

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Freezing.

That’s the best way to describe Chicago in February, most years. We’re talking that long-underwear-wearing, seeing-your-breath, can’t-hardly-go-outside type cold that you feel in your bones. But in February of 1988, the last time NBA All-Star Weekend came to the Windy City, there was no hotter ticket.

The main event was Saturday night’s Dunk Contest: Michael Jordan vs. Dominique Wilkins. Jordan and Wilkins had squared off in the 1985 Slam Dunk Contest when MJ was just a rookie, with Nique taking home the hardware. But injuries starved fans of the much-awaited rematch for three years. Spud Webb won in ’86 with MJ sitting out, and Wilkins didn’t participate when Jordan won it in ’87. The drama built and built, as finally the high-flying duo would face off in Chicago. Mind you, these weren’t just the two best dunkers in the NBA at the time, but also the League’s top two leading scorers that season.

Of course, in 1988, there was no texting, no Instagram highlight pages to see NBA highlights instantly (horrifying, right?). For the players, short of checking the box scores in the newspaper every morning, All-Star Weekend was the only real time during a season to check in with your friends from around the League. That made it equal parts competitive basketball and fun-as-hell bonding session. Which is why, starting in Denver at the 1984 All-Star festivities, future Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson rallied the other perennial participants in the game to sit courtside during the Saturday night events, just to kick it and support their (freakishly athletic) peers.

“It’s funny, when we talk about the framers of the Constitution, in terms of Ben Franklin, John Adams, so forth and so on,” says Thomas, reflecting on the evolution of that tradition, “I look at what we did in the sport of basketball, particularly around the All-Star Game—Magic and I were kind of framers of that weekend, in terms of how people participate, look at it and play in the game.”

Best believe Zeke, Magic and the rest of the All-Stars were on the hardwood for the Dunk Contest in ’88. NBA Senior Photographer Nat Butler also had a courtside seat that night, from which he captured iconic flicks of MJ soaring toward the hoop, tongue hanging out, rocking the Air Jordan IIIs. “Anytime MJ did anything in that building, the old Chicago Stadium was just so loud and noisy,” Butler recalls. “And that night it was fans—it was not All-Star corporate suits and stuff. It was Chicago Bulls fans. Basketball fans.”

The atmosphere was set. Everyone was in position. And then the show began. Nique and MJ made quick work of the rest of the field to advance to the finals. Wilkins then promptly earned back-to-back perfect 50s for a tomahawk slam off the backboard and a ridiculous windmill from the baseline. It was like Nique really hated the rim and was giving that thing a beating with every monster slam. Mike’s first two dunks in the finals were equally jaw-dropping—a 50 for a double-pump between his legs from the left side, and a 47 for an air-walking jam from the right side that really made it look like he could fly.

“Had we not had the benefit of replay to watch it over, your eyes couldn’t catch in real time what they really had done in the air,” says Thomas, thinking back to the epic dunk display. “Your eye really couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.”

When Wilkins got a 45 for his third and final dunk, MJ suddenly had an opening to win it. But he’d need something special, something to cement his victory that night and his place in history as a two-time dunk champion, plus bragging rights over Nique. “I found the guy who started it all. Dr. J was sitting over there,” Jordan would say afterward. “He was looking at me and he pointed, like, Go back and do the free-throw line.”

Jordan actually missed his first attempt. But on the second try, he gave himself a running start the length of the entire 94 feet of the court, took off from the foul line, cocked the ball back midway through the air, and dunked it FTW. The Chicago crowd went apeshit.

“Michael was always very wise to the importance of certain moments,” as Butler puts it.

The enduring legacy of the greatest Slam Dunk Contest in history makes it easy to forget that another all-time NBA great delivered a signature ASW moment of his own on the same floor about an hour earlier. In fact, Butler remembers Larry Bird’s 3-Point Shootout performance as the more electric event that night.

“Obviously most people think of Jordan winning the Dunk Contest, and I’m a huge MJ guy, but for me, Bird winning the 3-Point Contest was crazy exciting,” he says. “Bird was talking shit like he always does beforehand, and the simple fact he never took off his warm-up jacket was so cool to me. And then walking off with the Joe Namath finger in the air, not saying a word, just the finger in the air. To me, that was such a Larry Bird moment.”

You see, Bird had won the 3-Point Contest—or the Long Distance Shootout, as it was still referred to in those days—in 1986 and 1987, the first two years the NBA ever held the competition. He owned this event. “Larry walks in and says, ‘I hope all you guys in here are thinking about second place, because I’m winning this,’” Lakers guard Michael Cooper famously told ESPN.

When All-Star arrived in Chicago, Bird defeated a field that included Danny Ainge, Dale Ellis, Craig Hodges, Mark Price, Detlef Schrempf and Byron Scott without even taking his warm-up off. No, really—dude did the whole contest with his shooting shirt on, like it was light work. (It was.)

He drained the last three shots from his last rack in the finals against Ellis, and on the last shot, he was already walking away holding one finger in the air, not even looking at the hoop anymore, when it splashed through the net. Cash.

“He didn’t take off his top yet. I’d hate to see when he takes off his top,” Jordan told the cameras watching backstage. With a third straight victory in dramatic fashion, it meant there was—at that time in history—still no one to ever win the 3-Point Contest whose name wasn’t Larry Bird.

“It’s a little bit harder than it looks,” Bird told the late Craig Sager on the TV broadcast afterward. No one believed him.

Sunday’s All-Star Game was icing on the cake. Jordan scored 40 points, including 16 in the final six minutes, to lead the East to a 138-133 victory. The West didn’t even get to within 8 until a couple cheap buckets in what was a meaningless final minute. But the way Jordan’s East teammate Doc Rivers remembers it, Mike was pissed it was even that close.

“The thing I remember the most about [Jordan] is the halftime speech at the All-Star Game,” Rivers, a Chicago native, told the Chicago Tribune in 2013. “Barkley was laughing; a couple of guys were joking around. He basically informed us that we were going to win the game. And whoever didn’t feel that way shouldn’t play in the second half.”

Thomas, always the competitor, finished with 15 assists—8 of them to Jordan. On the other side, Johnson had 19 dimes for the West squad. “Magic and I always took it upon ourselves to make sure that we had the hometown crowd involved,” says Thomas, who himself grew up on the West Side of Chicago before leading the Detroit Pistons to a pair of NBA titles. “If you look at any of the All-Star Games, we always tried to make sure the hometown person, whoever he was, we always tried to make sure that those players shined. It was very easy to play to Jordan, because he was the best player and he was the crowd favorite.”

Michael added 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 blocks and 3 assists in just under 30 minutes of court time, earning unanimous MVP honors in his home arena. “In a league of stars, in a game of stars, you were the star of stars,” the late David Stern told MJ during the post-game trophy presentation.

It capped off an All-Star Weekend consisting of the greatest Slam Dunk Contest ever, an iconic 3-Point Contest, and a Sunday game that featured the greatest to ever do it dropping 40 to win MVP.

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 226

Abe Schwadron is a social editor at FanDuel and former Senior Editor at SLAM.

Photos via Getty.

The post ALL OF THE LIGHTS: Remembering 1988 All-Star Weekend in Chicago appeared first on SLAM.

And he told all of this to Michael Jordan in Paris last week, who advised him to focus solely on winning a title.

“I think we should do everything,” says Lasry of his dominant 41-6 Milwaukee squad.

Per ESPN:

“Everybody wants to be recognized for being unique and different. I mean, all these players,” said Lasry. “When I was in Paris, I was talking to Michael about this, and I said, ‘Well, what do you think? I think we’ve got a real shot at doing what you guys have done [win 70 games]. This is a really unique team.’

“And he goes, ‘Look, my advice to you is don’t focus on beating our record, focus on winning a championship.’ And I said, ‘Wow, that’s great. Thank you for that. Just so you know, we’re going to focus on beating your record and winning a championship.’ I think we should do everything, but that’s me.”

Lasry made it no secret that he is looking for this Bucks team to become the third in NBA history to win 70 or more games, joining Jordan’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10) and the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (73-9).

“I was hoping we’d get to 80. … I know everybody’s happy at 70, but I was going for 80,” Lasry said, laughing. “When we ended up losing a couple more games, I was like, ‘Damn.’ But we’ll see. I’m the wrong person to talk to because I actually think we’re really good, we have all these capabilities, and what’s actually unique about our team is how much it’s a team. If you sort of think about it, everybody looks out for each other, and everybody sacrifices for the other player. You don’t see that with a lot of NBA teams.”

Related Bucks Owner: Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘Wants to Be Here’

The post Bucks Owner Focused on 70 Wins and a Championship appeared first on SLAM.

“I think it’s awesome,” says The Black Mamba, who pumped in 33,643 points over the course of a 20-year Hall of Fame career.

Bryant fondly recalls the “love and respect” he got from Michael Jordan when he passed MJ, adding that he admires the work LeBron has put in over the years.

Per The Athletic:

“It’s great,” Bryant said. “I think it’s great for him. I mean, the amount of work he’s put in over his career, consistency, I think it’s awesome.”

Jordan texted Bryant to congratulate him. That message remains Bryant’s favorite memory from that night, and the sentiment behind it is something he will pay forward to James.

“That was the most important thing,” Bryant said last week.

“That was cool. Because it’s such a brotherhood, such an amount of respect between us as players, and you know the amount of work and consistency you have to put in over time so it’s nothing but love and respect.”

Related ‘I Do See it’: LeBron James Eyes NBA’s All-Time Scoring Record

The post Kobe Bryant: ‘Awesome’ LeBron James Will Surpass Him on Scoring List appeared first on SLAM.

O’Neal, to no one’s surprise, picked himself and Bryant as the superior superstar duo.

Jimmy Fallon: “In your prime, do you think you can beat LeBron and AD? You and Kobe.”

O’Neal: “Do I think or do I know? I like having this conversation because of course, it can never be answered, but yes. The answer is yes. Hell yes. Hell yes. Of course. Because there’s only one contributing factor — who is going to guard me?”

Speaking of endless debates, Magic Johnson says James could overtake Michael Jordan as the NBA’s greatest player ever by winning “two or three” more titles.

Per Business Insider:

“For him to really catch Michael, it’s that next two or three championships,” Johnson said. “If he could get a couple more championships, then he’ll be probably the greatest that’s ever played.”

At the 29th Annual Achilles Gala in New York City, Johnson described James as “a special player” and said the four-time NBA MVP is “playing as well as I’ve ever seen him play” in his 17th year in the league.

“For me on my books right now, I would say Michael [Jordan] was the freakiest player in the game,” Johnson said. “He was the greatest to play on the floor because I couldn’t jump as high… But Michael going 6-0 in the NBA finals, oh man. That’s awesome.

“I went to the finals nine times in 12 years, but we only won five,” he added. “But I’ll take those five, trust me. As long as it was two more than Larry [Bird], that’s all I care about.”

Related Kobe Bryant: ‘It Was Important That I Win Championships’ Without Shaquille O’Neal

The post Shaq Says He and Kobe Would Beat LeBron and Anthony Davis appeared first on SLAM.

And despite having just broken one of Michael Jordan‘s records, Doncic doesn’t want to be compared to MJ.

“There are a lot of stats going on,” Doncic told reporters Sunday.

“I think it’s a little bit too much [about] stats.”You can’t compare anybody to Michael Jordan. He’s one of a kind. Those are just stats.”

The 20-year-old superstar is focused on controlling his emotions on the court when refs don’t give him calls.

Per The Dallas Morning News:

“My thing is, I’m passionate for the game,” Doncic said. “I want to win, and sometimes I get out of control just because I want to win the whole time. I’m competitive. You can ask my family. Even if it’s not basketball, it’s anything, I’m so competitive, so yeah I’ve got to work on that, for sure.”

Doncic ranks third in the NBA in personal fouls drawn per game (7.2), behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (8.7) and James Harden (9.0) and third in free throw attempts per game (9.3) behind Antetokounmpo (10.8) and Harden (14.6).

“No, I don’t feel like that,” Doncic said when asked whether he doesn’t receive enough respect from NBA referees. “Sometimes, they’re humans, you know. They make mistakes. I make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes, so just sometimes they don’t see it and they don’t call it.

“Like I said, I just got to calm down and go to [the] next play.”

Related ‘It Bothers Me’: Trae Young Doesn’t Like Comparisons to Luka Doncic

The post Luka Doncic: ‘You Can’t Compare Anybody to Michael Jordan’ appeared first on SLAM.

Former Hornets head coach Steve Clifford has taken a similar approach with his Orlando Magic crew.

With Kawhi Leonard sitting out the second game of a back-to-back Wednesday night (on national TV, no less), the fraught load management issue is once again at the forefront.

Per The NY Daily News:

“Our guys aren’t used to sitting on the second game of a back-to-back.… We’re not sitting guys just to sit,” Clifford said. “For me, my background frankly, it all goes back to expectations. Being with Michael in Charlotte, Michael used to tell them every year, you’re paid to play 82 games.”

Jordan was a famously durable player who played 82 games in nine different seasons and averaged over 38 minutes for his career. Clifford used Kemba Walker as an example of the Hornets’ philosophy, noting that the point guard played 82 games last season with a high usage rate.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and playing 82 games used to be a badge of courage for a lot of guys,” Clifford said. “There were always a lot of guys who didn’t want to play. They stood out more.”

[Knicks head coach David] Fizdale jumpstarted this discussion this week when criticized for playing RJ Barrett 41 minutes in a blowout loss to the Kings. The Knicks coach called load management “crap” while pointing out that Barrett is just 19 years old. Clifford called the criticism of Fizdale “baffling.”

“When you’re 18, 19, 20 years old, it’s…” Clifford said, pausing, “please.”

Related Doc Rivers: ‘There’s No Body Type More Like Michael Jordan’s Than Kawhi’

The post Michael Jordan: ‘You’re Paid to Play 82 Games’ appeared first on SLAM.

LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Leonard has a “body type” more like Jordan than anyone else in the NBA.

Kawhi says he grew up studying MJ’s game and incorporating bits of it into his own.

Per ESPN:

“I said there’s no body type more like Michael Jordan’s than Kawhi, and I actually said because of his hands and his length,” Rivers said before the game. “And I did say part of his game, his in-between game, and that took a whole life [of its own].”

Leonard said he heard Rivers’ comparison as he was leading the Raptors into June and their first NBA title.

“Just to be able to get recognized for my talents and where I came a long way to where I am now and just showing my hard work is paying off,” Leonard said of Rivers’ praise.

“Yeah, for sure, he’s a guy I studied,” Leonard said of Jordan. “… He’s obviously one of the guys that everyone looks up to just from a competitive standpoint, how he approached every game. You just try to nitpick what you can take from him and bring it into yourself.”

Related Doc Rivers: Kawhi Leonard the ‘Most Like Jordan That We’ve Seen’

The post Doc Rivers: ‘There’s No Body Type More Like Michael Jordan’s Than Kawhi’ appeared first on SLAM.

MJ, apparently tongue-in-cheek, told a TV interviewer that Curry is “still a great player.”

Curry, 31, says he’s confident he’s in “good shape” to reach the HOF once he hangs up his sneakers.

Per Complex (via Sole Collector):

I think I’m good, but then I’m never complacent,” Curry told Full Size Run’s Matt Welty during an exclusive interview for Sole Collector. “I know I have more to prove to myself. When you hear a guy like that who’s the greatest of all time, it’s kind of funny. Since we’ve been on this stage, we’ve heard a lot of retired guys chiming in on this generation of basketball player and evaluating talent and saying their generation was better and all that. It’s a great conversation for the fans to get in on. I know I’m in good shape for that, but I still have a lot to prove to myself.”

Jordan made the Hall of Fame comments after being asked if he’d switch up the list he made of people he’d want on his ideal pickup game team. The legendary Bulls player said he would pick Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, and James Worthy all the way back in 2013. Jordan said he’d stick with his original list and wouldn’t pick any newer players. “When I’m going in the trenches, I played against and with all these guys. I’m going with who I know,” Jordan explained.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr (and Jordan’s former teammate) also responded to it. “I think Michael has his own version of the Hall of Fame,” Kerr said. “It’s in his own head… whatever that is, then that’s what it is.”

Related Michael Jordan: Stephen Curry ‘Not a Hall of Famer Yet’

The post Stephen Curry Responds to Michael Jordan: ‘I Think I’m Good’ for the Hall of Fame appeared first on SLAM.

MJ gives Curry his props as a “great player,” but curiously says the two-time MVP has yet to earn his HOF credentials.

Magic Johnson weighed in on the controversial comments, claiming Jordan would be fined by the NBA for tampering if he said Steph was HOF-bound.

Per ESPN:

“He’s still a great player,” Jordan told NBC’s “Today” on Monday after saying that the Golden State Warriors star wouldn’t be included on his dream five-man pick-up team.

“Not a Hall of Famer yet, though. He’s not.”

Related ‘He Can Shoot Better’: Kevin Durant Gives Stephen Curry Edge Over Russell Westbrook

The post Michael Jordan: Stephen Curry ‘Not a Hall of Famer Yet’ appeared first on SLAM.

Jordan, 56, says the philanthropic gift is for a community “that’s supported me over the years, when I was playing the game of basketball to now where I’m a part of this community.”

The clinics are expected to serve 35,000 patients in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods over the next five years.

Per The Charlotte Observer:

“I’ve gone off and made my life in Illinois and other places,” Jordan said, referring to his NBA Hall of Fame years with the Chicago Bulls. “But I know where it all begins.”

“And I don’t need my mother to constantly remind me about that,” Jordan said as the crowd laughed. “I can only give in gratitude for what I can never repay.”

Over the years, Jordan and the Hornets also have contributed nearly $750,000 to Novant Health Community Care Cruiser, which provides immunizations to under-served youth, according the team’s site. Other donations have gone to literacy efforts in low-income Charlotte neighborhoods.

“It’s not the financials but (it’s) from the heart — a passion from what this city, this state has given back to me,” Jordan said Thursday. “I can never repay what you have given to me. But this is a start.”

Related Michael Jordan Sells Equity Stake In Hornets

The post Michael Jordan Opens First of 2 Medical Clinics in Charlotte appeared first on SLAM.

“While I will continue to run the Charlotte Hornets, make all decisions related to the team and organization, and remain the team’s NBA Governor, Gabe and Dan’s investment in the franchise is invaluable, as we continue to modernize, add new technology, and strive to compete with the best in the NBA,” Jordan said in the press release.

“Both Gabe and Dan are industry standard-setters and proven leaders, with a belief in philanthropy and a passion for the game of basketball. They share my commitment to Charlotte and the Carolinas, and I look forward to working with and learning from them.”

The move is subject to league approval, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer relays. It’s unclear how much Plotkin and Sundheim will pay to become part-owners. It’s also unclear exactly what the ownership percentage will be. Prior to the agreement, Jordan owned 80% of the team.

The post Michael Jordan Sells Equity Stake In Hornets appeared first on SLAM.

Rodman, 58, believes the three Hall of Famers’ dynastic run in Chicago only came to an end in 1998 because the front office refused to meet Jordan’s contractual demands.

The Worm adds that only Draymond Green “sort of” reminds him of his own game and passion in today’s NBA.

Per Bleacher Report:

What’s your relationship with Michael Jordan like these days?

Rodman: “Me and Mike and Scottie have so much love for each other now because we’re not haters with each other. We embrace the fact that we had a chance to play with each other. We’re friends. We’re not calling each other every day and hanging out, but when we see each other, we share the love. Like, ‘Hey, appreciate you, man. I’ve got your back.’ Stuff like that. That’s how we love each other now. We embrace it because we put the NBA back on the map in the ’90s. Me and Mike and Scottie revolutionized the game. The way everyone plays now, that’s how we played then. And now all of a sudden everyone’s talking about Big Threes. Now? Really? We were the Big Three. We were the main three. We consistently won, we consistently won championships. And the only reason we didn’t repeat four in a row is because Mike said, ‘I want X millions of dollars.’ And they didn’t want to pay him, so he left, I left, Scottie left and Phil Jackson left. We were all waiting on Michael. That’s how the run ended.”

Who are the guys in today’s game that remind you the most of yourself as a player?

Rodman: “Players have to have the heart to go out there and do whatever they have to do to win. That’s who I look at. You’ve got the Steph Currys, the LeBron James, players like that. But I want to see the player that says, ‘OK, I want to be the player that stands out to do my job and earn the money for the role that they’re paying me for.’ That’s what I’m looking for. I don’t see that player out there. Draymond Green is something sort of like that. But besides him, I don’t see other players who have that passion, who have that love, that drive, they need basketball. No money, no fame. They have three hours of their life, ‘I’m going out to do my job, to win for people. I’ll get the gratification at the end of the day when I have a ring on my finger.’ That’s the kind of player I’m looking for.”

Related Dennis Rodman Says Phil Jackson Made Him Apologize to Scottie Pippen

The post Dennis Rodman Says He, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen ‘Were the Big Three’ appeared first on SLAM.

“We thought about how can we make this one of the lightest gameshoes ever?” Kuerbis says of the midsole. They’re calling it the tunnel, that excavated part of the 34. “‘Let’s see what we don’t need.’ We do that a lot in the upper where we make pretty minimal uppers but we’ve never [done this.] It’s pretty amazing that you can actually see through the shoe and see the Zoom.”

Because in addition to removing the midsole, Kuerbis and Klein also came up with the Jordan Eclipse Plate. It gives the 34 a bridge from midfoot to forefoot and it helps make the sneaker bouncy. 

“This to me is one of the most responsive shoes I’ve had,” Blake Griffin tells SLAM about the new joints. “In terms of everything you need. Lightweight, grip, you feel like you get a bounce to it. I’ve been in a big man shoe for a while,” he says, referencing his years of wearing the Jordan Super.Fly. “This is a shoe that can crossover and hit both playing styles.”

Griffin, along with newcomers Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum, will be some of the hoopers to headline the 34. Though Williamson and Tatum weren’t able to give feedback to Kuerbis, Griffin was. 

“I first saw this in March of 2019,” Griffin tells SLAM. “We talked about concepts earlier than that but I don’t think I saw a pair on a screen until Spring of 2019. I first held it in June. It’s crazy to see the shoe transform over time and how no detail is too small. When I first came to the Brand, I would weartest a shoe and I’d tell them my things and I’d be like, ‘Yeah, this is small.’ And they encourage you to tell every single detail.”

All the details help Klein on his never-ending journey to discovering new footwear technology. Klein, just in the past year, has worked on the 34, the Nike Adapt BB and the Freak 1. 

“Now what we’re doing is re-thinking that whole notion of what our next Flight Plate is,” Klein says. “To offer a little bit more lightweight, much more responsiveness and that freedom of motion.”

Enter the Eclipse Plate. 

“We took the thinking on Flight Plate and turned it to the side,” Kuerbis adds. “Now, whereas in the past we had the Flight Speed Plate over the airbag, we are taking it and turning it to the side, which allows you to do something completely different and unlock the Zoom, which we’ve never really done before.”

“The Eclipse Plate is more than just something that looks cool,” Tatum says. “It definitely gives you that extra cushioning for explosiveness.”

“These bags are meant to be inside a shoe and kind of caged up,” Klein says. But not on the 34. 

“Unlocking the Zoom is really about just letting it breathe and not contain it,” Kuerbis says. 

The forefoot Zoom can be seen underfoot, right at the top of the tunnel. The cavities that the tunnel creates is what allows the unlocked Zoom to expand. 

“I love the sleekness of the shoe,” New York Liberty guard Kia Nurse says. “I love the new design element that we have with the Eclipse Plate. That’s something that hasn’t been done before. That’s what you expect from an Air Jordan.”

The rest of the 34 is rounded out by a herringbone traction pattern, a decoupled heel unit, a netted upper and a brand new woven located underneath that netting. 

“Behind [the netting] is the magic,” Klein says. “A single layer material that is a performance woven that we’ve engineered to hold the strength.” 

There’s a callback to the Air Jordan IV that can be seen on the tongue, too. The famous FLIGHT typeface so closely associated with the IV is now on the 34. Kuerbis and Klein also went back and looked at the Air Jordan XI and the Air Jordan XX8. The full-length plate that ran through the XI helped them out in cooking up the 34. And the XX8 also had “a little bit of a gap around that bag, allowing it to deflect and move so we said we want to learn from that,” Klein says. 

“I want a shoe that is comfortable, durable, explosive and stylish,” Williamson says. “The 34 delivers on all of this.”

“All very minimal,” Klein says. “Every thought was about taking out what you don’t need.”

—

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The post Inside the Design of the Air Jordan 34 appeared first on SLAM.

Morey says the math supports his argument, and is fully aware that this will likely make you upset.

Morey adds that Houston’s acquisition of Russell Westbrook likely improves its NBA title chances.

Per The Athletic:

Morey offered a counterargument to his own take before reaffirming his stance.

“Now the counterargument is reasonable,” Morey said. “They say if you put Michael Jordan on a team now, he would do more than James Harden. That’s possible.

“But if you’re just saying like NBA history … if you give this guy a ball, how much does his team score after you give him the ball before the other team gets the ball, it’s James Harden. And I know that makes people mad, but it’s literally a fact.”

Related Rockets GM: James Harden Maybe the ‘Best Offensive Player of All Time’

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Hornets owner Michael Jordan thanked the three-time NBA All-Star “for eight incredible seasons.”

Walker, 29, is determined to elevate himself “into that Boston winning tradition.”

Per The Players’ Tribune:

“I’m a winner. I’ve always been a winner. It’s who I am — or at least who I strive to be — anytime I step foot on the court. And when I think about my future with this team, and how I’m now going to be playing for the Celtics….. I mean, that’s why I feel like it’s a match made in heaven. I want to win here, badly — and I’m excited to prove myself as that type of player in this league. I want to elevate myself into that Boston winning tradition. I want to get this team back on top.

“Charlotte….. you are my people forever. You’re family, straight up. I love you.

“And Boston….. I’ll see you all in September. I’m ready. I’m truly ready.

“Let’s do this.”

Related Kemba Walker: ‘When You Think of the Celtics, You Think of Championships’

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Or so believes Dwight Howard.

Evidently, the big fella was able to look past his less-than-fruitful partnership with Bryant in Los Angeles, and gave him the ultimate props.

Per Lakers Nation (via The No Chill Podcast):

With Dwyane Wade calling them the two best shooting guards of all time ahead of himself, Dwight Howard compared the two players.

“Like I told you earlier, I think he’s better than Jordan and I only say that because I feel like everything Jordan did, he did it better.”

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Head coach Steve Kerr spoke of KD’s playoff run in Jordanesque terms, and said Durant realized he had to carry Golden State after dropping Game 2 in Round 1 against the LA Clippers.

Draymond Green added that his teammate is basically unstoppable.

Per ESPN:

“There’s this guy named Michael something,” Kerr said as the assembled media chuckled. “Can’t remember his last name. No, but Kevin’s run this past week has just been off the charts. I’ve said it a few times this week: He’s the most skilled basketball player on Earth. He’s one of the most skilled basketball players to ever play the game. There’s never been anybody like him. Six-[foot]-11, handles the ball, shoots 3s, passes, defends. He’s just an unbelievable talent. And I think after we lost Game 2 to the Clippers, I think he just felt like he had to turn it up and lift us up another level. That’s exactly what he’s done.”

Durant, who is averaging 40.2 points in his past five games, including 50 points in Friday’s Game 6 series clincher against the LA Clippers, is dominating at a level that is leaving his teammates and coaches a bit in awe.

“He’s playing great right now,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “He’s being extremely aggressive, and when he’s being aggressive as he’s being, I don’t think there’s anyone in the NBA, maybe the world, that can stop him. So when he’s being aggressive like that, that’s always a positive for us. It’s a challenge for the opposing team.”

For his part, Durant is taking his recent play in stride. He was confident throughout the season in his ability to take over games when his team needed him to do so. His recent play hasn’t come as a surprise to him.

“I try not to compare,” Durant said. “Each stop along the journey has been — I’ve just been tailor-made for the moment, I guess. I learned a lot so far as a player up until this point, so I think I’m starting to put everything together on both sides of the ball. I’m not looking at points or shots that I get up, just how focused I am for each possession.”

Related Post Up: Kevin Durant Drops 35 Points as Warriors Take 1

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Antetokounmpo, citing famously anti-social legends such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Michael Jordan, says he doesn’t want anything possibly holding him back on the floor.

The Greek Freak is hell-bent on maintaining his competitive edge, friendships be damned.

Per ESPN:

“I don’t know, was Kobe ever close with his [opponents],” Antetokounmpo said.

“Was Kevin Garnett ever close with the guys he played against? Was Jordan?

“I think it’s just being competitive. If I know I’m going to play against them and I’m going to see them in the playoffs or see them for many more years to come, I try to stay away and not build a lot of relationships, because I know that when I get on the court I’m going to go 100 percent. Maybe if I have a good relationship with somebody he might expect me to go 50 percent or take it easy on him. I don’t want anything holding me back out there and play.”

Related Kobe Bryant: Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘Just Scratching the Surface’

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Bryant says it’s something he simply doesn’t care about.

Kobe has of course heard all about how he stacks up against Michael Jordan and LeBron James, but feels no need to measure his own Hall of Fame career against anyone else’s.

Per ESPN:

“It’s hard for people to believe, but I really don’t care,” Bryant said. “I’ve moved on. You have a career, you do the best you can for the 20 years I was fortunate to play and then you shelf it. You’re done. You move on to the next thing. Now I’m focused on these next 20 years.

“Those debates are entertaining, I’m sure it’s fun for people to engage on those, but for me personally, it doesn’t matter.

“The best way to explain it is I typically do not engage in things that I cannot definitively win.”

Related Shaquille O’Neal: Kobe Bryant Disrespected in G.O.A.T. Debate

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“He was everything,” James said of Jordan.

LeBron finished with 31 points Wednesday night, placing him fourth on the all-time list with 32,311 career points, but it wasn’t enough for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 115-99 loss to the visiting Denver Nuggets.

Per The LA Times:

“It was very emotional, very emotional,” James said. “Lot of things that was going on inside me at that point in time. I wanted to look up at the scoreboard to see what was going on up there, but at the same time I didn’t want to show what was going on behind the towel.”

With 31 points on Wednesday night, James has scored 32,311 points in his career. Only three players have scored more points than James — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant — and all of them spent at least part of their careers with the Lakers.

“A lot of stuff that I’ve done in my career, this ranks right up there at the top,” James said. “The championship, just for a kid from Akron, Ohio, that needed inspiration, needed some type of positive influence, MJ was that guy. I watched him from afar. Wanted to be like MJ. Shoot fadeaways like MJ. Wanted to stick my tongue out on a dunk like MJ. Wear my sneakers like MJ. I wanted kids to look up to me at some point like MJ. Just it’s crazy, to be honest. It’s beyond crazy.”

For 12 minutes he reminisced and shared what he felt. To stay calm, he never let go of the tape cutter, never stopped clicking it.

“He was everything,” James said of Jordan. “Name it, he was everything.”

Related LeBron James: ‘Unless I’m Hurt, I’m Not Sitting Games’

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