Some people thought LeBron James might have been trying to get people’s attention away from his impending free agency when he said he planned to stop wearing No. 23 out of respect for Michael Jordan. Maybe he was trying to move some product, as well.
But he’s been stepping into an increasingly difficult place with his position.
When he said the entire league should retire 23 (as baseball has done with Jackie Robinson’s 42), it brought his personal plan to a different level. That he will change to No. 6 is, in a word, unconscionable.
But he’s been stepping into an increasingly difficult place with his position.
When he said the entire league should retire 23 (as baseball has done with Jackie Robinson’s 42), it brought his personal plan to a different level. That he will change to No. 6 is, in a word, unconscionable.
Exalting Jordan above all others is misguided but at least debatable. To then think it is perfectly fine to wear Bill Russell’s number is nothing less than a slap at the greatest winner in the history of team sports.
This is a Sunday notes column and we have a little extra space, so let’s repeat that: the greatest winner in the history of team sports.
Look, we like LeBron. He’s a good-hearted kid and an incredible player who will get even better. We’ve abused him over the years - in person and in print - for his love of the New York Yankees, but beyond that he’s an intelligent man who has worked hard to maximize his gifts.
But the belief here is that he rode this train completely off the tracks with his most recent comments on the number change.
“I just feel like MJ has more of an impact off the court than anyone else in NBA history,” James said.
“His numbers speak for themselves on the court, but what he was able to do off the court inspired people to play basketball. I think Magic (Johnson) and (Larry) Bird and Wilt (Chamberlain) and those guys were unbelievable, but none of those guys did what MJ did off the court to inspire people to be great and fly and jump.”
“Then,” James added, “I’m biased because I watched MJ when I was growing up.”
Let’s put aside for the moment that James has immersed himself in the history of the game and has seen video of Russell’s games. Focus on the fact that, in terms of impact away from the court, Russell teamed with NFL legend Jim Brown and others in the 1960s to effect positive change in minority communities. Jordan, when asked to support former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, an African-American running against Jesse Helms for the U.S. Senate, offered the immortal reply, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”
If James still wants to honor Jordan in this way, that last line is quite a hurdle over which to “fly and jump.”
This is a Sunday notes column and we have a little extra space, so let’s repeat that: the greatest winner in the history of team sports.
Look, we like LeBron. He’s a good-hearted kid and an incredible player who will get even better. We’ve abused him over the years - in person and in print - for his love of the New York Yankees, but beyond that he’s an intelligent man who has worked hard to maximize his gifts.
But the belief here is that he rode this train completely off the tracks with his most recent comments on the number change.
“I just feel like MJ has more of an impact off the court than anyone else in NBA history,” James said.
“His numbers speak for themselves on the court, but what he was able to do off the court inspired people to play basketball. I think Magic (Johnson) and (Larry) Bird and Wilt (Chamberlain) and those guys were unbelievable, but none of those guys did what MJ did off the court to inspire people to be great and fly and jump.”
“Then,” James added, “I’m biased because I watched MJ when I was growing up.”
Let’s put aside for the moment that James has immersed himself in the history of the game and has seen video of Russell’s games. Focus on the fact that, in terms of impact away from the court, Russell teamed with NFL legend Jim Brown and others in the 1960s to effect positive change in minority communities. Jordan, when asked to support former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, an African-American running against Jesse Helms for the U.S. Senate, offered the immortal reply, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”
If James still wants to honor Jordan in this way, that last line is quite a hurdle over which to “fly and jump.”
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