Going Beyond Michael Jordan, "Basketball Player"

Today's guest column on Cavalier Attitude is courtesy of Vishal P. As the basketball world convened this weekend to honor the career of arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, the author takes a look at Michael Jordan, the person instead of Michael Jordan, the basketball player and the issues that surrounded Jordan's personal life. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} If you close your eyes, his story echoes of a modern-day Shakespearean tragedy: the king so driven by his personal conquests that is he is left bereft of his closest confidants, as his enemies kill his father and his wife leaves him to his astonishing spoils.  His wild and sweeping successes as a monarch lead to equally complete failure in his personal life, as the reverence from his kingdom cannot save him from a disastrous personal life that leaves him alone in the vast expanses of his egoistic cathedral. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} As the basketball world takes pause this weekend to once again genuflect at the altar of Michael Jordan at his induction at the Basketball Hall of Fame, it is worth noting the sacrifices he made, willingly or unwillingly, to become the icon that he is today. His deification in the eyes of the media, aspiring stars, and the commercial world have clouded the total and utter destruction of his personal world in his life since his days of ruling the hardwood.  The NBA turned a blind eye to His Airness's airiness in his personal life during his playing career, as his destructive gambling habit led to the death of his father in the hands of mobsters and a suspicious 18 month "retirement," and his utter lack of respect for his marriage finally led to his wife deciding to leave with her dignity, rather than enduring further shame in her husband's self-centered shrine. It has left Jordan deprived of his family, and surrounded by thugs (Charles Oakley), swindlers (bookies), and cheats (David Stern), hardly the sort of acquaintances one would maintain a hope of growing old with.  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} His life since his iconic shot to beat the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals has poignantly highlighted his shortcomings in his basketball career. Seldom able to look beyond himself, Jordan built the Wizards around his own aging frame rather than assembling a team that could compete in the long term. When he was satisfied with the profuse yet undeserving exaltations of the media and the loathing from his teammates (a hat passed around the locker room for a retirement gift for Jordan yielded a grand total of $0), he retired and left the Wizards a ruinous wake that would take the team many years to recover from.  Jordan was summarily hired as the president of the fledgling Charlotte Bobcats franchise, despite the fact that he has never evaluated anyone's talent other than his own. His subsequently built homage to his beloved North Carolina Tar Heels predictably played like a college team, and the franchise begins its sixth year already on the verge of contraction. His only saving grace is his continued success as the point man for Nike's Jordan Brand, which continues to help pay his gambling debts well past his playing days. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Jordan will no doubt enjoy the bright lights of the media on his emblematic image once again as he is enshrined into a Hall of Fame that may as well build an extended wing for his own glory. For a day, at least, he will remind the world of the price he paid in his singular, unabated path to basketball immortality. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} When Fortune means to men most good,She looks upon them with a threatening eye -King John, by William Shakespeare