Jordan: Head of the Class

Basketball fans have a heck of a 2009 Hall of Fame class. Rutgers coach Vivian Stringer, Utah Jazz guard John Stockton, his coach Jerry Sloan, San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson and His Airness, Michael Jordan. All of these people are very deserving of this honor. Stringer has coached in the women's game for 38 years, won 825 games and guided her teams to 3 Final Fours. The Admiral David Robinson played 14 years with the Spurs and won 2 NBA titles. John Stockton played his entire career with the Jazz and is the NBA leader in assists and steals. His coach Jerry Sloan, guided the Jazz to 2 NBA Finals and is the only NBA coach to win 1000 games with the same team.

But it was Michael Jordan who grabbed the torch from Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and was the NBA's biggest star in the late 80's and 90's. Jordan is third all time in points, trailing only Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Jordan won 6 NBA titles and 5 MVPs. Add in a college title with North Carolina and a couple of Olympic Gold Medals and you have a Hall of Fame resume. But it was the affect he had on the game which was amazing. I always judge an athlete's popularity by whether or not my Mom has heard of him. My mother is not a sports fan so for her to know someone, he must transcend the game. Jordan did... He was everywhere... Every commercial, movies, billboards, you name it, he was there.

I was fortunate enough to see Jordan play in person many times. When he played the Knicks at the Garden, there was a palpable buzz in the building. He never disappointed. He loved theatre and he always gave it. The 55 point game stands out in my mind as one of his great Garden moments. Who can forget the switching hands shots he made against the Lakers in the 1991 finals. The next day on the playgrounds everyone tried that shot... Man was it hard!! How about when he was on fire from 3 point range against the Blazers? He was so hot, even he couldn't understand it and he shrugged his shoulders to Magic Johnson who was working the game as an analyst for NBC.

If you didn't like Jordan, you respected him... And if you didn't like him, it was probably because he beat your team. He spread around the butt whoopins evenly. He broke the Cavs hearts with "The Shot"... He beat the Knicks and Pacers numerous times... Gave it to the Lakers, Blazers, and Suns... The Sonics couldn't beat him... Neither could the Hawks, Heat, or Hornets... The Jazz lost to him twice in the Finals.... He even bounced my beloved New Jersey Nets once... I could go on and on. He shaped a generation of basketball players with his style, skill and flare. LeBron James wears Jordan's number 23. Everyone wanted to be like Mike. So if for no other reason, Jordan is a Hall of Famer and I count myself lucky to have seen him play. Congrats to his Airness and the rest of the 2009 class.