This article is a translation of journalist Jackie MacMullan and does not represent the views of translators and platforms.
Michael Jordan and his Jordan brand were a hit, but at the time, his success made the NBA's famous stars like "Magic" Johnson a little angry.
The NBA has been a league of stars for decades. But even among the stars, there is a premium club. "Lord of the Rings" Russell and Dr. J, Larry Bird and "Magician" Johnson, Jordan and Kobe Bryant. There's been a lot of effort to make the NBA the star-studded league it is today, and they're definitely the best of the best. In the course of the author's interview, I learned a lot of secrets.
Here's a story that shows you that when Jordan first entered the NBA league, the established guard players were not very friendly to his early success.
In the Draft on September 12, 1984, the Bulls selected Michael Jordan with the third pick in the first round. Jordan in the rookie season won the best rookie in the regular season with an average of 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, leading the team to the playoffs again and being selected for the best second team. But in his first All-Star Game, he ran into trouble.
Michael Jordan doesn't like to be pointed at, which is why he wore the Air Jordan generation sneakers banned by the league at the 1985 dunk contest. While his performance was brilliant, his NBA All-Star buddies were biased in ratings, and they didn't want Jordan to steal the limelight of Dominique Wilkins, the "essence of human cinema." Jordan's performance upset some NBA veterans.
Jordan felt that they were jealous of the Air Jordan brand he founded, because it brought him huge financial benefits.
Jordan told me, "[Starting your own sneaker brand] is a good idea, it's really a good concept. The next thing you know for sure, it's bigger than any shoe contract. And I think that has a lot to do with the jealousy and hostility of the entire alliance. (Note: The Bulls' coaching staff at the time didn't allow Jordan to wear his own branded shoes.) Stern issued a fine to Jordan at the time, fining $1,000 for the first AJ in the game, $2,000 for the second time, and $5,000 per game. ）
In fact, in 1987, "Magic" Johnson publicly expressed his deep disappointment with Converse, and he planned not to work with Converse anymore because they didn't do a better job of marketing him and maximizing his earning potential. In other words, he was jealous that Converse hadn't created the "magician" brand.
At the 1985 All-Star Game, "Magic" Johnson and "Smiling Assassin" Isaiah Thomas reached an early consensus that they would be in opposition to each other. Nicknamed "The Iceman", George Gervin chose to defend Jordan and stared at him with the intensity of the Finals. In the end, Jordan scored just seven points in his first All-Star Game.
Jordan's longtime agent, David Falk, said: "What happened on the pitch was obvious. They're all isolating Jordan, and they're isolating Jordan because of jealousy. They said, 'Who is this new person who has done nothing?' You know, he has something that we don't have. ’”
Jordan was surprised and frustrated at first, and angry after figuring out why. It hurt him inside and made him wary of these All-Star brothers who seemed to follow some kind of norm he didn't know.
Jordan said to me, "When I first entered the league, my agent David Falk gave me how to be a basketball businessman. I disagree with meeting them, greeting them, and bragging about them as a specific mode of interaction. I would agree anyway. ”
David Falk also recalls him and Jordan returning to Jordan's apartment in Chicago after the All-Star Game: The "rookie" knew he wouldn't be staying at home for a few days, and he turned off the heating to save money, and the water pipe froze.
However, the "freeze" that occurred on the All-Star Court (Note: referring to Jordan's poor performance at the All-Star game, here is the water pipe that took care of the frozen above. This made Jordan even more uneasy. Moreover, he became more and more irritable.
David Falk said: "We were in his apartment, in thick winter coats, and he was lying on the couch, angry, thinking about that All-Star Game over and over in his mind. I finally told him, 'Let me give you some advice that my wife Rhonda often gives me.' Don't get angry, take revenge. ’”
Although, the magician and Isaiah Thomas have always denied the existence of any incident that deliberately embarrassed Jordan. But, as Jordan has demonstrated in the past, he seized on the incident and used it to motivate himself to train like crazy. He wants revenge.
Two days after the All-Star Game, he had Isaiah Thomas and his Pistons team witness his 49-point slash. And, in the years that followed, he didn't greet him with a smile like a magician, opting for a perfunctory handshake rather than a hug or high-five. The truth is that he doesn't trust the magician and refuses to make friends with him.
Jordan said, "I understand it's jealousy. You know, there was a saying at the time that "Magic" Johnson was supposed to be that Jordan before Michael Jordan. Johnson has an approachable smile, he has market appeal, he has a championship. ”
For idol players in the same era, it is a ritual to try to deal with the healthy relationship between each other. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell were able to sleep in good times of friendship and together made great contributions to social welfare. But after Bill Russell criticized Chamberlain for not playing with an injury in Game 7 of the Finals in 1969, the two had been out of touch for 20 years.
The magician and the "big bird" Bird respect each other, but after years of direct confrontation in the championship competition, the two can only maintain a shallow relationship.
However, Jordan has always intended to be a lone hero.
Those who know him best say Jordan's killer instincts are innate. Rick Fox (who joined the league in 1991 and played for Celtics and Lakers for 13 seasons) is an alumnus of Jordan's time in North Carolina and attends Jordan's training camp every summer. Jordan made it clear that his kindness to Fox would stop the moment they stepped onto the NBA's court.
"Jordan I know is the guy who taught me how to be a killer on the pitch. First of all, I want to be like him because I have witnessed his greatness with my own eyes. I tell you, for two whole summers, I was able to drive his car and live in his house, and I was right next to him. "Later, when I became a pro, my thoughts became, 'I can't be a friend of this guy.' He won't be my mentor anymore. I had to find a way to compete with this monster. I can't respect it anymore because it's going to eat me up. ”
Although Jordan was not recognized by his contemporaries at that time, his performance on the court was really unambiguous.
Doug Collins became Bulls head coach in 1986, and his first game with Jordan was in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, a team led by later Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. (Note: The Bulls narrowly beat the Knicks 108-103 in their first game of the season) The whole process was intense, and Collins later admitted he was so nervous.
Collins said: "With two minutes left in the game, we were tied. And I'm a little confused, my clothes are soaking wet. I chewed the gum into my mouth and there was only the slag left. When I sat down to say something to the team, I saw a large hand holding a glass of water and handing it over. When I looked up, I realized it was Jordan. He said to me, 'Take this cup, drink the water, clean that shit off your mouth.' ’”
Collins added: "I remember Jordan took the team's last 10 points, he scored 50 points, and then really we won. And what I thought at that time was, what is the use of my coach? ”
At that time, the story that belonged to Jordan had just begun. For the next dozen years, he was always able to win the game, which was jaw-dropping. Because of his presence, the league will change from then on.
By Jackie MacMullan
Compiler: Former lord of the city