TSN Archives: Michael Jordan retired; Bob Costas weighed in (Jan. 25, 1999)

This self-described collection of “random secondary observations” by NBC’s Bob Costas first ran in Jan. 25, 1999, issue of The Sporting News under the headline “The Jordan perspective”, after Chicago icon Michael Jordan announced Jan. 13, 1999, as the end of an owners lockout neared, that he was retiring (again). MJ had played his last game as a Bull.

Just about everything that can be said or written in appreciation of Michael Jordan has been said and written. So here are a few random secondary observations:

• Jordan is by acclamation the greatest basketball player of all time. No argument here. You also could make a good case for him as the greatest athlete in any team sport. At the same time, I also would suggest that the acclaim Jordan is now receiving, while well-deserved, is disproportionate to his standing alongside other all-time greats. Is he the best NBA player ever? Sure. Is he that much better than Johnson and Bird, Russell and Wilt, Oscar and West? Not really, but the combination of performance, television, modem marketing and Jordan's suitability and willingness to be part of that marketing has highlighted and amplified his greatness in a way that the greatness of others (especially in earlier eras) was not.

• Even the greatest can benefit from some good timing. The best of Jordan's Bulls are among the greatest teams of all time. But here's a fact: None of the six teams the Bulls defeated in the NBA Finals was as good as the Celtics, Lakers or 76ers of the '80s. If Jordan and his team had peaked at a time when his near contemporaries and their teams had peaked, the Bulls would have won championships, but not as many. When at his best, Jordan had no sustained rival the athletic or competitive equal of Bird or Magic.

TSN ARCHIVES: The moment Michael Jordan became the NBA’s best player (June 24, 1991)

• Jordan’s departure marks the end of an incredible run of excellence and good fortune for the NBA. Going back to 1980, 16 of the last 19 NBA Finals have showcased Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Michael Jordan. So as the NBA soared in popularity, its most exciting and dramatic games almost always featured the three best and most appealing stars in the modern history of the league.

The NBA's marketing was terrific. David Stem's leadership was brilliant, but nothing mattered as much as getting the three most compelling players in the league onto center stage year after year. It was essential that the three greatest individual stars were ultimately about taking their teams to the championship. That's where the indelible images of true greatness and triumph are created. Individual exploits aside, more than anything else, it was team victories that served to validate and increase the stardom of Johnson, Bird and Jordan.

TSN ARCHIVES: Walter Payton’s lessons in greatness (Nov. 15, 1999)

The league rode that stardom for almost two decades. Where does it go from here? One thing should be clear. The mere highlight reel, SportsCenter-making moves of many young players, no matter how dazzling, won't fill that void. Because it's not about '90s sizzle, it's about enduring greatness and authenticity.

• It was Jordan's complete authenticity as a player and disarming likability as a person that allowed him to pull off the seemingly impossible. He was the most hyped, the most commercialized, the most lavishly rewarded athlete of all time. Yet, we never seemed to resent him or grow tired of him. He is likely the biggest celebrity In the world.

And although there may not be a more empty value than celebrity for its own sake, Jordan the celebrity was created and redeemed by Jordan the performer. In a style-over-substance world, Jordan had true style and (as an athlete) true substance. As Sandy Grady wrote in USA Today, "Jordan's art was pure."

TSN ARCHIVES: Ernie Banks puts it all together (Sept. 3, 1958)

Because Jordan was the NBA to millions of people, he helped disguise some of the league's problems in the process. To many people, the recent image of the NBA is the high-flying Image of Jordan and the aesthetically pleasing style of the Bulls. But in truth, NBA games in recent years have often been plodding 87-83 affairs without the ball movement and total team involvement that makes basketball so pleasing. The NBA Showtime of the 1980s has not been much in evidence. The average NBA game in 1985 was a more entertaining and fundamentally sound affair than the average NBA game of the late ‘90s.

At the same time, the crassness and mindless grandstanding of some current NBA players was overshadowed by Jordan's class and grace because his image dominated all the other images. Now some of these fraudulent characters will be further exposed.

• The antidote to all this is not to await the arrival of the next Jordan because he isn't coming. And no one can pass the torch to Grant Hill, Kobe Bryant or anyone else just by wishing that it's so.

With the events of the past few months serving as a slap in the face, now is the time for everyone involved in the NBA to return to the spirit of partnership and perspective that served the league so well not so long ago.

TSN ARCHIVES: Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet of hockey (March 19, 1966)

Already there are hopeful signs. The new collective bargaining agreement was not only a triumph for David Stern, but for common sense. Now in an atmosphere of relative stability, the league can get about the business of re-emphasizing what should be its lasting strengths — the teams; the rivalries that can be developed or rekindled; the many talented and appealing players, who may not be Michael Jordan but still have a a lot to offer; and, most important, the game Itself. That game has been plenty Interesting and plenty entertaining for decades.

The NBA will never be the same without Michael Jordan, but even without him, it can still be great.

Sidebar: Test your MQ (Michael Quotient)

Basketball fans became aware of Michael Jordan when he scored the game winning basket against Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Final Four. Two years later, Jordan started his NBA career and became the greatest player in the sport's history, winning 10 scoring titles, five MVPs and six championships. With that in mind, here are 23 questions on His Airness. Check your answers below and rate yourself as follows: 20-23 correct Michael Jordan, 15-19 correct Scottie Pippen, 10-14 correct Steve Kerr, 5-9 correct Randy Brown, 0-4 correct Stacey King.

1. Two members of the Bulls have the distinction of averaging 20 points per game with Jordan on the roster. Name them.
2. Why did Jordan give GM Jerry Krause the nickname “Crumbs”?
3. Name the Bulls general manager who drafted Jordan in 1984.
4. In which state was Jordan born? A. North Carolina; B. New York; C. Illinois; D. South Carolina
5. Who was Jordan's manager when he played minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons? A. Tim Johnson; B. Bruce Bochy; C. Terry Francona; D. Joe Torre
6. “I think it's God disguised as Michael Jordan.” Who said it? A. Charles Barkley; B. Magic Johnson; C. Karl Malone; D. Larry Bird
7. Jordan played his first NBA game against which team? A. Knicks; B. Lakers; C. Bullets; D. Jazz
8. What was Jordan's major while attending the University of North Carolina? A. Mathematics; B. Cultural geography; C. Basketball; D. Communications
9. Jordan is one of two NBA players to score 3,000 points in a season. Name the other.
10. What was Jordan's nickname when he played for the Barons? A. Air Baseball; B. Sweets; C. Kilroy; D. King Jordan
11. Jordan is one of three members of the Bulls to have a number retired. Name the others.
12. One player has the distinction of winning an NBA title with Jordan and Larry Bird. Name him.
13. Why did Jordan miss 64 games during the 1985-86 season?
14. During his NBA career, Jordan had three numbers on his uniform. What were the numbers?
15. Although he scored the game-winning basket against Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Final Four, Jordan wasn’t the MVP of the tournament. Who won the award? A. Sam Perkins; B. Scott Williams; C. James Worthy; D. Brad Daugherty
16. Name the last player other than Jordan to win the scoring title.
17. During the 1990s, Jordan is one of three players to win the NBA Finals MVP. Name the others.
18. In 1997, Jordan recorded the first triple-double in All-Star Game history. But he wasn't the game's MVP. Who was? A. Patrick Ewing; B. Scottie Pippen; C. Penny Hardaway; D. Glen Rice
19. Jordan played for four NBA coaches. Name them.
20. Jordan made 12 3-pointers in the 1992 NBA Finals against which team? A. Jazz; B. SuperSonics; C. Lakers; D. Trail Blazers
21. Why was Jordan suspended during the 1991-92 season?
22. Who was the starting shooting guard for the Bulls in 1983-84, the season before they drafted Jordan? A. Mitchell Wiggins; B. John Paxon; C. Sedale Threatt; D. Quintin Dailey
23. Last season, Jordan led the NBA in scoring but didn't lead the league in field-goal percentage. Name the player who did. —William Ladson

Answers: 1. Orlando Woolridge and Scottie Pippen; 2. Krause often had cookie crumbs on his jacket; 3. Rod Thorn; 4. B; 5. C; 6. D; 7. C; 8. B; 9. Wilt Chamberlain; 10. C; 11. Bob Love and Jerry Sloan; 12. Robert Parish; 13. He broke his left foot; 14. 23, 12 and 45; 15. C; 16. Shaquille O'Neal; 17. Isiah Thomas and Hakeem Olajuwon; 18. D; 19. Kevin Loughery, Stan Albeck, Doug Collins and Phil Jackson; 20. D; 21. He bumped referee Tommie Woods during an overtime loss to the Jazz; 22. D; 23. Shaquille O'Neal.