Larry Bird has a daughter he refused to acknowledge and there are stories of him being a very cold person.
Magic Johnson slept with half the Los Angeles area.
Isiah Thomas ... needs no introduction to being an ass.
LeBron James tattooed "Chosen One" on his body before winning a damn thing. And then embarrassed Cleveland with his TV special.
Shaq could be a royal a-hole (lol) and had a huge jealous streak.
Kobe was an aloof walking hero complex.
The thing I do respect about MJ is his GAME did all his talking. He didn't talk himself up nor would he ever get a tattoo claiming he was the greatest or whatever.
Whatever hype he had from commercials -- he lived up to the hype and often times exceeded it. He wasn't a show off or a front runner.
Sure he wasn't a teddy bear either, yes he talked trash on the court, yes he was hard on his teammates ... but I don't think he'd have six championships and be considered the GOAT if he didn't have that.
I was in a bar after a Bobcats game in Charlotte the night he got engaged to his finace. He was close with the owner of a fairly popular bar and they brought everyone at the bar a Cuban Partagas cigar.
I was in a bar after a Bobcats game in Charlotte the night he got engaged to his finace. He was close with the owner of a fairly popular bar and they brought everyone at the bar a Cuban Partagas cigar.
I have to say that though Jordan was an a-hole, 6 rings in 8 years don't lie. If he was an awful teammate, the Bulls wouldn't have been able to get over the hump. Jordan might not be a saint, but who is, really?
All I know is that his teammates may have hated his personality, but I'm 100% sure they loved winning with him. And truly, what else matters on the basketball court more than winning? I can't name a single thing...
Unless of course we're talking about players who love money over rings.
Some people confuse goofing around talking trash to teammates, and opponents as signs of being a horrible human being.
As far as punching Kerr, that happened during a heated situation, so I also wouldn't take that as a sign that a person is definitely a horrible human being. (Yet if those same people threw a punch at someone, they wouldn't consider themselves a bad person, they would just say they got really mad at the moment.)
So I would have to look at parts that show he's not a dick, like calling Kerr and apologizing to him. Or crying when Red Kerr died. That shows actual human emotions.
So from that I can at least say he's not a criminal type of guy.
If theres one person that I am ok with being a d!ck, it is Jordan. It made him who he is. Lots of highlights and a legend. Dont hate, appreciate, you could even learn something from his ruthless douchery in life.
That whole Kukoc thing was crazy. They were running the risk of losing Pippen by not giving him a payrise because they needed to keep capspace so they could sign Kukoc. Krause was chasing Kukoc so hard that he was pissing off the players he did have. Same with John Paxson. Jordan stood up for him too when they messed around with him due to the whole Kukoc thing, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metroid
Some people confuse goofing around talking trash to teammates, and opponents as signs of being a horrible human being.
As far as punching Kerr, that happened during a heated situation, so I also wouldn't take that as a sign that a person is definitely a horrible human being. (Yet if those same people threw a punch at someone, they wouldn't consider themselves a bad person, they would just say they got really mad at the moment.)
So I would have to look at parts that show he's not a dick, like calling Kerr and apologizing to him. Or crying when Red Kerr died. That shows actual human emotions.
So from that I can at least say he's not a criminal type of guy.
I remember Kerr talking about that and how he said if he didn't retaliate against Jordan (which he attempted to do), Jordan would have treated him like a bitch for the rest of the time he was on the team. At least he did get an apology, unlike Will Purdue.
I read the Jordan at 50 piece in ESPN the Mag and he seems to understand that he has an out of control ego and can be a giant asshole. Its just part of who he is but it isn't the only part.
Like I said, I have no problem with however any player chooses to act off the court. And I know most superstars have egos and are genuine assholes (although, I don't think Bird and Magic are).
I was trying to convince someone (my brother) of this and he wouldn't take any of those quotes or stories of Jordan as evidence he was a dick to at least his teammates.
This all came up, btw, because my brother had an issue with Lebron "celebrating" in the last two Heat wins after crucial moments. He thinks Lebron's a dick, but he loves Jordan -- thinks of him like some kind of saint. So, I was just pointing out the inconsistency.
lol @ stickwright threatening to break michael's legs. he couldn't hack his way out of a wet paper bag. i remember him pushing barkley in a game and he ended up knocking HIMSELF back lol.
Re: Evidence for Jordan as a d*ck?
