Michael Jordan: The one and only

When Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar visited USA with their All Stars teams to play a three match T20 series between ex Legends of the game, a young American cricketer called Sachin “the Michael Jordan of cricket”

Why Michael Jordan? Why not anyone else?

When US President Barrack Obama on 23rd November awarded the USA’s highest civilian award to 21 honourees (including Tom hanks, Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Bill and Melinda Gates and Kareem Abdul Jabbar), one name was prominently there – Michael Jordan.

President Obama said “There is a reason you call somebody “the Michael Jordan of”, the Michael Jordan of neurosurgery, or the Michael Jordan of rabbis or the Michael Jordan of outrigger canoeing. Everyone knows what you are talking about”

This ladies and gentlemen was the President of USA talking about Michael Jordan.

In his first month in NBA, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading “A star is born”.

The unprecedented decision was taken by his teammates not to pass to him, but he still went on to win the rookie of the year award.

Jordan showed his prowess in getting points for his team by scoring a record 63 points in a play-off game versus the Boston Celtics team of 1985-86 considered one of the best of all time.

He was not only a shooter who got much needed valuable points for his team. He was also a fantastic defensive player.

Steals, assists, scoring, Jordan had it all.

I will focus on just a few of the points for which I feel that he is the real Champion of Champions, and one of the most famous sportsmen of all time- across sports.

Jordan rules
Someone who hasnt heard of this will think it means that Jordan as a great player rules the sport. Well yes he does, but here Jordan rules means a defensive strategy designed by an all time great basketball player himself, Isaiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons, to contain Jordan’s scoring for the Chicago Bulls.

It meant being very physical and playing tough so as to physically ensure that he could not play his natural game.

The ploy worked before Jordan and his team equally spectacularly neutralised it with “triangle offense” and the Bulls charged to victory in successive years.

The rivalry between the Bulls and the Pistons is one of the most mesmerising stories of sports.

I doubt whether any specific team strategy was ever devised to counter one individual of the opposing team- and named after him. Bodyline and Don Bradman come to mind of course.

The Michael Jordan rule
This is different from Jordan rules which was a strategy of one team against one individual. A new NBA rule introduced from the 1987 season prohibits teams from putting more than two men on the side of the court away from the ball below the top of the foul circle.

A violation of this rule would result in the loss of possession. Almost as soon as the new rule was announced, it became known as the ‘Michael Jordan Rule’ because of Jordan’s masterly one-on-one play.

Isn’t it amazing, a rule introduced to inhibit one player against all teams, all opposition. Well, he still found a way around it to be a Champ.

Air Jordan and air
Michael Jordan had a unique leaping ability and he demonstrated this by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests.

This unique ability earned him the nicknames Air Jordan and His Airness.

Quick to cash in, Nike introduced ‘Air Jordan” sneakers in 1985. Incredibly, 31 years later, they are bestsellers even today.

Brand Jordan is a major contributor in making Michael Jordan the second richest African American in the world after Oprah.

Ability to do the impossible
Let’s quote Magic Johnson on this. “It was another example of him doing the impossible, the unbelievable,” Magic Johnson said. “He changed hands, floated about five more yards and said, ‘Well, I don’t know, I might need to float a little further.’ Then he puts it in off glass.”

Incredibly, this was when 7.44 seconds was left. Jordan took a pass at the foul line from Cliff Levingston, dribbled down the middle of the painted lane and rose to dunk the ball with his right hand.

This sounds simple. But then he saw his ex-college teammate Sam Perkins who probably would have blocked the dunk. So, incredibly, Jordan switched the ball mid air from one hand to another and still got the points.

Incredible, simply incredible. But Jordan shrugs it off as just instinct. That’s greatness, isn’t it?

Jordan as a player was magnetic. He used to draw fans from everywhere. People had been known to cancel their weddings. Funerals and prayer meetings for the dead were rescheduled so as not to interfere with a more important event – a Jordan game.

In one word, it was obsession.

Great that such a champion was felicitated by none other than the President of the United States with such a memorable quote. His brilliance is something which will go down in history as a rare treasure.