Worth the effort

Jordan showed NBA fans what it meant to be a pro

PHILADELPHIA -- Forgive Wizards forward Bryon Russell. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate the significance of Michael Jordan’s final game Wednesday night.

It’s just that the veteran NBA player couldn’t understand all the grim faces and grave questions.

"Y’all are acting like the man is on his death bed," Russell said to reporters gathered around his locker an hour before his team’s game against the Sixers.

"He’s just retiring. Everybody should be happy for him."

Sorry, B-Russ, but for many NBA fans it was definitely an ambivalent occasion. Sure, Jordan’s decision to hang up the sneakers for the final time (we think) could be viewed as a happy day for the 40-year–old sporting legend.

But at the same time, the thought of an NBA without Jordan is still kind of sad.

That’s why the City of Brotherly Love, representing NBA fans everywhere, rolled out the green golf cart -- if not the red carpet -- for His Airness.

During a pregame ceremony, Jordan was greeted with a 2 1/2-minute standing ovation. Dr. J and Moses Malone rode in on a deluxe golf cart, a gift from the Sixers. Former Bulls PA announcer Ray Clay, flown in especially for the occasion, belted out his famous "From North Carolina!" during introductions. Teddy Pendergass sang the national anthem. There was a moving video tribute on the overhead board.

In the game's closing minutes, after Jordan had come off the bench to sink a pair of honorary free throws, the Philly crowd serenaded him with another long final ovation.

How fitting that Philadelphia would be Jordan’s final stop. After all, few sports towns are tougher on their own heroes -- let alone those wearing enemy colors. The fact that even they would shower him with cheers -- the way fans have everywhere else on this second Farewell Tour -- speaks to Jordan’s amazing popularity.

Jordan’s 15-year NBA career has been magnificent. Six NBA titles. Five MVPs. Ten scoring titles. Nine first-team all-defense selections. Thirteen All-Star appearances. A 30.1 career scoring average, the best of all time. Over 32,000 points scored.

But Jordan’s greatness has never been about the numbers or individual honors. It’s always been about his competitiveness, his love for basketball and his willingness to work hard to achieve his goals. That’s why NBA fans all over the world adore him.

"Michael’s the best player, but he’s also a guy who’s out there diving on the floor, going after loose balls," said Wizards forward Charles Oakley, who's old enough to remember when Jordan still had to work on improving his jump shot.

"He’s out there every night doing what it takes to win ... Guys like Michael, they make the game better."

When I think of Jordan’s greatness, I recall his famous "Breakfast Club" workouts, in which he and teammates would gather to lift weights at his home before practice. A lot of NBA players would rather be covered in leeches than pump iron. Jordan not only worked out early on in his career, he was doing it during the ’97 and ’98 seasons -- long after he had already won titles and become as rich as Midas.

I also think of how Jordan was smart enough to make sure his Bulls teams hardly ever faced a Game 7 situation. It was as if Jordan refused to ever let it get close enough where a bad game or a blown call in one game could deny him victory. In ’98, he stole the game -- at both ends -- to make sure his Bulls didn’t have to return to the Delta Center for a Game 7.

Some say Jordan’s return to the court hasn’t been good for the Wizards. By trying to win now, they say, Jordan has assembled a group of mismatched parts and has stifled the development of the team’s young players.

Perhaps.

But it’s hard to believe that these younger Wizards players won’t be better off in the long run for having been around Jordan. Learning how to be a pro entails more than just going out and doing the job. One also can learn, sometimes, by watching first-hand how a master performs his craft.

"His competitive nature is just so great," says Wizards assistant coach John Bach, a 40-year coaching lifer who won three titles with Jordan’s Bulls. "He was a fierce competitor in every practice.

"Some young players don’t make progress because they don’t view practice as a way to get better. They see it as part of a routine. They don’t see it as a way to push yourself beyond your limits ... Michael always practiced so hard."

The Wizards got a chance to watch Jordan compete in meaningless scrimmages. They got a chance to see how he takes care of his body. They got a chance to see how the greatest player ever is still willing to hit the deck and bang his jaw at age 40.

Geniuses in their field -- the Beethovens, Michelangelos, and, yes, Jordans -- don’t come around very often. How can it be a detriment to serve an apprenticeship to people like that? That some of those players might not appreciate it -- indeed, Jordan’s Breakfast Club workouts with the Wizards disintegrated this year because of lack of interest -- says more about them than His Airness.

As for the fans, they know what Jordan was all about. One of the more interesting aspects of MJ’s second comeback is how fans around the league have welcomed him. Given the trail of broken hearts he has left behind in NBA cities, it’s truly remarkable.

The Celtics gave him a piece of the parquet floor. Heat president/coach Pat Riley retired Jordan’s No. 23 jersey -- even though he never played for Miami. Fans everywhere -- even in Cleveland and Detroit -- gave him standing ovations.

NBA fans know that Jordan, whether they liked him or not off the court, was the genuine article when he laced up the sneakers. He worked hard. He competed. He honored the game.

As Bill Russell said when he presented Jordan with his ’98 MVP award: "I cannot imagine anyone playing the game any better than you. I've watched you play 100 times, and every night, you play like Michael Jordan. I've never seen you take your shoes and your uniform out there and take the night off. I really enjoy seeing games when things aren't going the way you want them to, and you figure out how to win the game. I feel like I went through the same thing. And I feel like you're a soul mate."

Jordan might not have been the same player during his second comeback. But he competed hard as a Wizard and showed NBA fans once again what it means to be a professional -- if not a champion. All in all, not a bad way to say goodbye.

 

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