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As a young NBA fan, two images run through your head as you bounce that basketball in the backyard. The first is hoisting the NBA trophy over head, getting ready to plan the parade throughout the city. The second image etched into all aspiring stars is making that Hall of Fame speech in Springfield, Mass. The latest group of superstars to be enshrined into basketball lore were recently announced. The class included the “Admiral” David Robinson, Utah Jazz great John Stockton, Michael Jordan, long time Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and extremely successful women’s college basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer. Most likely that is the first time you haven’t seen “your airness” singled out of this spectacular group. It doesn’t look right all grouped together, nor should they be inducted all together.
It’s nothing against the other outstanding basketball personnel who are being inducted; in fact this method is to simply give them the credit they deserve. If they share this memorable day with the likes of MJ, they will be overshadowed and remembered as the class of 2009 starring Michael Jordan, featuring everyone else. Michael Jordan made basketball the way it is today and is one of the few athletes ever to be the exception of the expression “no one is bigger than the game.” Well, Jordan was. Jordan was bigger than the game of basketball, and he is going to be bigger on this significant day just for that reason.
It makes sense for all parties because of the acknowledgment the others deserve. John Stockton was one of the greatest point guards of all time, and the all-time leader in both steals and assists. David Robinson was one of the greatest centers of all-time. A two-time NBA champion, 1995 MVP, one of the 50 greatest players of all-time, member of the Dream Team – the list goes on. Jerry Sloan is the longest-tenured coach in the NBA and the only to reach 1,000 victories with one team and had a stellar NBA career as a player. C. Vivian Stringer is a three-time National Coach of the year, as well as being only the third women’s coach to win 800 games.
Obviously, everyone in this class deserves to be there, but some were left off the ballot. It’s safe to say that at any of Jordan’s three retirements, he was a Hall of Famer. Do we really need to vote on him? Isn’t it a given that he was going to make it into the Hall of Fame? That pointless vote could have been used to put someone else deserving in the hall, such as Chris Mullin. Mullin won two Olympic gold medals for America as part of the Dream Team, was a five-time all-star and made the NBA first team once, second team twice and third team once.
It’s not a disgrace to the game to honor a person who meant more to the game than anyone could have fathomed in a slightly different way than everyone else. We should all embrace one last moment sitting in awe of Air Jordan.
Bangor Daily News