MJ - To Air is not Human

    There are two kinds of people my friend..."Those that are talented but are less driven to be more successful due to that talent, and those that is not so talented, but has the work ethic make themselves very successful."  Rightfully said, however there are the rare exceptions that occur in which one has both the talent and the drive to be even better.  That, my friend, pretty much sums up Mr. Jordan (or MJ or $).  Watching him over the years since his rookie season in '84 was a sight to behold.  There's a lot to be said about his career so I'll keep this short....From beginning to end, his career was and is an oddessey and a template of success for those who dare to follow.  He was money, big money in a game where there exists only a few.  He might argueably be  the biggest $ player to lace 'em up.

I first remembered him as this new guy on the '84 olympic team who was schooling the pros.  There is a nice clip of him taking off from about 12 ft to the hoop.  The defender didn't even bother to jump.  That next year I managed to tape the '85 Slam Dunk contest where he squared up with Nique.  MJ was wearing those old red and black sweats...very L.L.Cool J like.  But dude, the guy had a lot of flair.  It was his dunks that were the hardest to copy on those dunk ball rims.  During the regular season he was simply lighting it up. Even at this point in his career (1987-88),  he almost had the complete game.  Very rarely do you find a player who is the top scorer of the season as well as the defensive player too.  Unfortunately, the Bulls were still a so-so team.  His meetings with the Pistons illustrated that.  People forget that those 3 years (1988-90) were his toughest in the league, but I think he acquired his greatest skill...the mental aspect and toughness of the game.  This pretty much put him over in a very elite class with players such as Bird and Magic.  The years of 1991-93 were the great years in which $$$ started to enjoy his fruits of labor.   What can you say?

Slam dunk contest 1985
Up and under

    The years after that first championship were a blur.  It was his game his time to carry the torch of greatness.  Then...he retired.  A number of reasons for this...but came back a different player.  No longer did MJ have to take it down the middle.  I remember him posting up more, utilizing his assets more efficiently and getting the best out of his surrounding cast.  Physically he looked close to his heyday, but his mental toughness was his greatest strength.  After the loss to Orlando in '95, he and the Bulls got their 4th, 5th and 6th title for the 90's.  $$  achieved what his former predecessors could not...and they're are countless of highlights that go with that.  And...then he retired again on top with no more mountains to climb being the best this game has ever produced.  Period.

MJ from the foul line in '88