Michael Jordan

[Robby]

I found this article from Jordan's rookie year in the Wall Street Jounral and thought I would share it with everyone. Enjoy!

Chicago -- From my regular seat in the first row of the first balcony at Chicago Stadium, I can tell without looking at the basketball court that things are looking up for the Chicago Bulls.

For one thing, the guys sitting down the row no longer spend the games shouting abuse at Jonathan Kovler, who sits in a box seat below us. He's the Bulls' V.P. and chief operating officer, and the guys seemed to hold him personally responsible for the team's lowly state. For another, someone is sitting behind me. Last season, we frontrowers -- protecting our seats in the uncertain hope of better days -- had the balcony pretty much to ourselves when we chose to appear.

What's up, of course, is Michael Jordan, the Bulls' and professional basketball's newest sensation. He dribbles, passes, shoots, steals and, best of all, dunks with a "joie de vivre" that stirs even the terminally lethargic. We Bulls fans have discovered that we can high-five with the best of 'em. You've heard of the Jackson Five? We do the Jordan Five.

The cause of all this gaiety turns out to be a nice young man who says he's having as much fun as we are, a welcome contrast to the workaday pose affected by most big-time jocks. "It's been great so far," says Jordan, who is 21 years old and would have been a senior at the University of North Carolina if he hadn't set aside his studies in cultural geography to join the pros. "I get to play ball without worrying about school, and I get paid for it. You can't beat that."

Ah, the pay. He already has scored big there, no small matter at a time when bank deposits vie with home runs, touchdowns, etc., as a measure of an athlete's celebrity. His contract with the Bulls calls for him to receive more than $6 million over the next seven years. He gets $600,000 more for signing basketballs for Wilson for three years. He'll endorse a line of shoes and apparel under an "Air Jordan" brand for Nike, for which he'll get $2.5 million for five years and additional benefits that will stretch past the time he dodders into retirement at age 35 or so.

The folks at ProServ Inc., the Washington firm that oversees his commercial interests, are angling for further ties in the soft-drink and fast-food field. "Besides being a great player, he's engaging, likes to talk to people, and looks good wearing a suit. You can do a lot with that," says Joe Steranka, a ProServ spokesman.

Putting all those bets on a fledgling pro was a gamble, but not a long shot. The swift, 6-foot-6-inch guard came to the Bulls after twice being named college player of the year at North Carolina and leading the U.S. team to a gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics.

He quickly put to rest any worries about whether he could hack it in the NBA. Among his early-season feats was a 45-point performance against San Antonio. He began this week ranking seventh in league scoring with 25.1 points a game, and fourth in steals. Going into last night's contest with Cleveland, the Bulls had won 15 of 29 games, just 12 fewer than the 27 they won in all 82 outings last season.

He's even got a trademark: the way he goes to the basket with tongue out and arms and legs flailing. He has suggested (facetiously, I think) that the unusual arrangement of his limbs in flight might help him stay aloft longer than would a more classical style.

And yes, bottom-line fans, he puts fannies in the seats. The Bulls' home attendance to date is averaging about 13,000 a game against 6,300 for all of last year, and he drew sellouts or near-sellouts to nine of his team's 15 road appearances. He's a big factor in a league-wide attendance boost of about 10%.

"He's the kind of player other players like to watch," says Fred Carter, a Bulls assistant coach and eight-year NBA backcourt performer. "He's got all the normal skills plus some that aren't on the charts. He doesn't know all the nuances of team play yet, especially on defense, but his instincts are awesome. I'll bet he surprises himself sometimes."

"Yeah, I do," Jordan concurs. "Sometimes, when I go up for a shot, I've got no plan except to find the hoop. Maybe," he laughs, "it's better that I don't think too much."

He says that in some ways pro ball is easier for him than the college brand. The pros' ban on zone defenses means he gets more one-on-one chances, and the NBA's longer schedule gives him more of the game action he relishes.

Being a pro also has given him the opportunity to meet his own basketball idols -- New York's Bernard King, Detroit's Isaiah Thomas and, naturally, Philly's Julius Erving, the player with whom he's most often compared.

"King showed me moves around the basket I couldn't believe. He's about my size, but he doesn't give away anything to the big guys underneath," Jordan says. "Thomas, well, he's a magician with the ball."

Dr. J imparted some sage advice. "He told me to be myself and not worry about comparisons," Jordan says.

This is not to say that life in the NBA has been a dream for Jordan. He has been asked to play the point, or ball-handling, guard spot more often than he's accustomed to because Quintin Dailey, the Bulls' best shooter, plays the same shooting-guard position he does. Opponents have taken to defensing him in relays, and he has absorbed his share of the pounding that the league distributes to one and all.

Last Thursday, for instance, the Houston Rockets sent Mitchell Wiggins, Robert Reid and Lewis Lloyd to guard him in turns, and held him to 18 points in a 104-96 win over the Bulls. A finger in the eye he received from Reid, coupled with an already-sore back and ankle, prompted him to say after the game that he felt more like a boxer than a basketball player.

But, youth being what it is, two nights later he scored 34 points as the Bulls beat Atlanta in overtime, and last Saturday he put in 32 when they upset mighty Boston.

What apparently vexes him most are the persistent attempts to hang a nickname on him. The Bulls tried "Mr. Jordan" after an old-movie title, but he says "my father is Mr. Jordan." He also rejects "The Intern," a takeoff on Dr. J, and Nike's "Air Jordan" label ("that's my shoes, not me"). "I never had a nickname before, and I don't need one now," he states. "Michael Jackson doesn't have one, does he?"

[Stevan]

Thanks Robby, that was a great read

[BiBi]

thanks good read

[Bill Russell]

That was a great read, I felt like I was foreseeing the future,

Hope the same happens with LeBron

[Vins15]

definatly a great article...and a great read too...

[Andrew]

Thanks for posting that article Robby. I certainly enjoyed reading it, not only because Michael Jordan is my favourite player, but also because of the similarities to the press LeBron James is receiving these days. We don't usually think about MJ when he was a rookie, so it's refreshing to read articles such as this one.

If you come across any more articles such as this one, please post them.