A Ghormeh Sabzi Special: Michael Jordan's HOF Induction 2009

[ommy48]

http://www.youtube.com/user/hoopsenc...a?blend=1&ob=4www.hoophall.com.

Michael Jordan - Player, is one of the most recognized figures in the sporting world. Jordan was selected as a unanimous collegiate All-American twice (1983, 1984) at the University of North Carolina where he won an NCAA Championship and received both Naismith and Wooden Award Honors. He went on to a storied NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards and was a 14-time NBA All-Star, a five-time NBA MVP, a six-time NBA Finals MVP, and won multiple All-NBA First Team honors while winning six NBA Championships. Jordan was also named NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988) and was a nine-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. The NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1985, Jordan was also named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team and won two Olympic Gold Medals including one with the original "Dream Team" in 1992 and one as a collegian in 1984.
David Robinson - Player, spent his entire NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, guiding them to two NBA Championships while being named to 10 NBA All-Star Teams, four All-NBA First Team Selections, one NBA League MVP and was selected to the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team. Robinson also won two Olympic Gold Medals, including his participation on the legendary 1992 "Dream Team" and with the 1996 Gold Medal Olympic team. During Robinson's college career at the U.S. Naval Academy, he earned Player of the Year, Naismith and Wooden Honors while leading the nation in rebounding and blocked shots.

Jerry Sloan - Coach, began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach with the Chicago Bulls before beginning his tremendous career with the Utah Jazz. He is the only coach in NBA history to win over 1,000 games with a single team while compiling a winning percentage of over .600. Sloan led the Jazz to two NBA Finals, 18 playoff appearances and is fourth on the NBA list of coaching victories. Sloan was also named as the Sporting News NBA Coach of the Year in 2004.

John Stockton - Player, spent his entire NBA career with the Utah Jazz, accumulating 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals - both NBA records at his retirement. He was named to 10 NBA All-Star teams and was selected as a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team while leading the Jazz to two NBA Finals. He was also named to the All-NBA First Teams in 1994 and 1995. Like Robinson, Stockton won two Olympic Gold Medals (1992, 1996) and was a member of the original "Dream Team."

C. Vivian Stringer - Coach, has won more than 800 games in her career and currently ranks third on the women's all-time career wins list. She is the first coach to lead three different schools to the NCAA Final Four including Cheyney State, the University of Iowa and Rutgers University where she is currently. Coach Stringer is also enshrined at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level worldwide - professional, collegiate, men and women. For more information, please visit our website at www.hoophall.com or call 1.877.4.HOOPLA.

[ommy48]

Jordan’s defining moment? You might be surprised…



Who knew that for Michael Jordan, it wasn’t the shot against Cleveland in 1989 or the shot against Utah in 1998 or the 63 points against Boston in the playoffs or the 69 points against Cleveland or the 55 points in Madison Square Garden or the first or second or third or fourth or fifth or sixth championship that he remembers most about his career with the Bulls that led to Jordan’s Hall of Fame selection, which was made official Monday in Detroit.

It was Game 3 of Jordan’s rookie pro career, a mundane home game against the Milwaukee Bucks with fewer than 10,000 in the stands at the old Chicago Stadium.

Yet, that may be the essence of Jordan and why he would become the man who most acknowledge as the greatest player the game has known.

Though Jordan achieved all the milestones and special moments and accolades, it was always the journey. And when the journey is done right, without shortcuts and without ulterior motives, it is most successful.

So for Jordan, as he looked back Monday during a conference call with reporters following the official announcement of his election to the Basketball Hall of Fame, it was that 116-110 win Oct. 29 in a season when the Bulls would win 38 games and be knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in four games.

The Bulls trailed the then powerful Bucks by 16 points, and that, from Jordan’s quick history of his new basketball home, always meant it was time to be making late dinner plans.

But not for Michael Jordan.


In scoring 37 points to lead the Bulls in scoring for the first time in his young pro career, Jordan led the Bulls back to a 116-110 win.

“It was coming to a program rebounding from rock bottom, trying to work your way to the top from the bottom,” recalled Jordan. “Looking at that game, 16 points down to Milwaukee and having the attitude you believe you can win. And I could impact that the way I played.

“We came back and won and that was the motivation from that point forward that we believed we could turn things positively in the city and we did,” said Jordan. “That game signified a change in Chicago. Those 16-point games were not always going to be a loss. As long as there was time on the clock, we could still win the game. That was the type of attitude I wanted to bring to Chicago.”

In a sense, that is what Jordan stood for, and why he’ll take his place among the lords of the game.

It wasn’t about any particular game or achievement, but about an attitude and a desire, a willingness to lead and a refusal to accept defeat. It had to come at times, but it never had to be accepted. Jordan never would, and so he lifted everything and everyone around him.

The result was success for his colleagues and his team.

It’s also why there aren’t many like Jordan. Most treasure the feats. Jordan exalts the competition and beating the odds, the naysayers and the impossible.

Jordan will be inducted in at ceremonies in Springfield, Mass. Sept 10 through 12 along with one-time Bulls star Jerry Sloan, who was elected for his coaching with the Utah Jazz, John Stockton, one of Sloan’s longtime players and the all-time NBA assists leader, David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs and Rutgers U. women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer. Sloan was the first Bulls player to have his jersey number retired and began his coaching career with the Bulls.

They were selected from a group of 16. There are 24 revolving voters and a candidate needs 18 votes. Jordan, Sloan, Stockton and Robinson all were elected in their first year of eligibility.

Among those not selected were the late Bulls broadcaster Johnny Kerr, Chris Mullin, Don Nelson, Dennis Johnson, Bernard King and Richie Guerin. Jordan is the obvious headliner of the class of 2009, which is the 50th anniversary of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jordan was quick to credit his college coach, Dean Smith, and worried aloud how he’d be able to get enough tickets for those special to him who might want to attend the induction ceremonies.

Asked about a great moment, Jordan joked he could say the shot against the Jazz to close out his Bulls career in 1998, “being that John (Stockton) is next to me.”

But Jordan said it all started for him with the game winning shot in the NCAA tournament when he was a freshman at the University of North Carolina. That was appropriate since the announcement was in Detroit on the eve of the championship game between Michigan State and North Carolina.

“Hitting that shot propelled me from a confidence standpoint of belonging at that level,” said Jordan. “And it just grew. It was one of the biggest shots I ever made.”

The shots just kept on coming, many to shock the basketball world. Now it reaches its appropriate culmination with Jordan’s place among the immortals of the game.

[ommy48]

Sam Smith: Jordan to take official place in basketball immortality

[ommy48]

A ride for Mr. Jordan
No one knew how special
Leave him alone, people demanded.
The competition.

[mkbf2]

man what a induction class! old school stockton, the admiral, sloan and of course jump man

[Ghormeh Sabzi]

thread of decade!!! MJ the greatest!! i wish we could go back to that time again.. i remember quietly i use to turn my tv on and watch the bulls game and soon as i heard my mom or pops walking up the steps turn the tv off and run back to my desk and pretend im doing my homework lol i just loved watching MJ and scotty play

[ommy48]

thread of decade!!! MJ the greatest!! i wish we could go back to that time again.. i remember quietly i use to turn my tv on and watch the bulls game and soon as i heard my mom or pops walking up the steps turn the tv off and run back to my desk and pretend im doing my homework lol i just loved watching MJ and scotty play

man that's crazy cause I used to do the same damn thing, except with me it was all about listening to the garage door while keeping one eye on the tv....I had so many heart attacks doing this that i would be sweating bullets and yet i managed to never get caught watching tv

[ommy48]

man what a induction class! old school stockton, the admiral, sloan and of course jump man

indeed i agree 100%

[EKBATAN]

i didnt read everything but is this event in sept. going to be televised?
i wish to see scottie pippen get inducted, it should've been at the same time with Jordan but im sure his turn would come.

[ommy48]

i didnt read everything but is this event in sept. going to be televised?
i wish to see scottie pippen get inducted, it should've been at the same time with Jordan but im sure his turn would come.

yeah it'll be all over ESPN for sure...and I agree about your second point as well, I think that it is a technical thing though, cause Scottie retired slightly later than MJ, (they have to wait 5 years post-retirement to be eligible).

[Ghormeh Sabzi]

man that's crazy cause I used to do the same damn thing, except with me it was all about listening to the garage door while keeping one eye on the tv....I had so many heart attacks doing this that i would be sweating bullets and yet i managed to never get caught watching tv

same here bro, NEVER got caught

i use to also quietly play some bball in my room... made this hand made basket from like cardboard and i used shoe lace for the net lol and the ball was made out of socks lol but i did get caught couple of times playin bball in my lil hand made half court in my room

[ommy48]

same here bro, NEVER got caught
i use to also quietly play some bball in my room... made this hand made basket from like cardboard and i used shoe lace for the net lol and the ball was made out of socks lol but i did get caught couple of times playin bball in my lil hand made half court in my room

ghetto ball at its finest


The worst part was after game 6 of the 1997 Utah series, when the bulls won the game with the exciting finish (jordan to kerr pass), my parents came home soon afterwards and I had to completely suppress my excitement and feign being completely oblivious to the score of the game when my dad pressed me about watching the game instead of studying while they were gone lol .

[BacheLot]

That is what you call getting JOOKED OUT OF YOUR SOCKS..!!
Russel lost his shoe and half of his socks trying to keep up with his Airness, on that play..!!
simply the greatest athlete of our times..!!

[EKBATAN]

:

:

i used to get sooo pissed at the haters for saying he got away with a push on that play
its like watch the f-ckin replay...russel clearly couldn't keep up with him and he got jooked!
only reason ppl think its a push is cuz most of the replays of that shot are from behind so it LOOKS like he was touching him when in reallity if u watch from the other angles u see russel wasn't even close to him for mj to touch him

[ommy48]

New article by Sam Smith as we get closer to the HOF ceremony:






"This is not going to be the Michael Jordan show," he said repeatedly. "I'm just another rookie and my job is to fit in as a part of the Bulls." (Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images)

By Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.comJordan had been selected an All-Star starter as a rookie and was Rookie of the Year in 1984-85. And don't forget the shoes.
(Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)