“He’s like my big brother.”
This is what Kobe Bryant said about Michael Jordan’s relationship with him as a rival, but also as a friend.
The 1992 Dream Team was arguably the greatest Olympic team ever created, as they were the first team to be assembled by NBA players, except for Christian Laettner.
Jordan, Pippen, and the rest of the Dream Team tried to make Jerry Krause look bad by putting his favorite “recruit” Toni Kukoc in a tough spot and forcing him into a bad game.
Michael Jordan was not noted to be controversial, but there was one instance in his career that might have been.
Harvey Gantt was the first African-American to run for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, and Jordan did not publically endorse him, even though he was running against a supposed racist, Jesse Helms.
Jordan was quoted about this saying, “Republicans buy sneakers too.”
Michael, however, said that his statement didn’t need to be corrected since it was said on a bus with his teammates, implying it was in a joking matter.
“I never thought of myself as an activist, I thought of myself as a basketball player,” Jordan stated.
Everybody went to Bulls games to see Michael Jordan. Celebrities. Fans. Kids. The elderly. Everyone.
When he left his hotel room in the morning, Michael Jordan would be crowded by people, almost everywhere he went.
“The Jordan Rules” was a book written by reporter Sam Smith. It was controversial because it pointed out that his teammates did not love Jordan as much as the fans did.
The Bulls’ disapproved of the book, and they thought it was dumb. This book didn’t stop the Bulls.
Michael Jordan took his Bulls to a third straight championship, beating the Charles Barkley led Phoenix Suns.
Michael Jordan said he was out with family and friends during a trip to Atlantic City in the middle of a Bulls – Knicks Eastern Conference Finals.
But a 57,000 dollar check sent to James Bouler, off gambling losses, would prove that claim false.
However, Jordan led the Bulls back from a 2-0 deficit to win that same series, on their road to winning an NBA Championship.
Photo Credit: Andrew Bernstein / NBAE
