Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time and he changed his sport forever. Michael Jordan was a genius in shorts and sneakers. The NBA lagged far behind the NFL and MLB in popularity before Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls. He changed everything when it came to endorsements and the amount of money a hoops superstar could make.
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David Halberstam expertly tells Michael Jordan's story from his days as a young, developed player to his starring days at North Carolina and finally to a championship NBA player. He also discusses Jordan's first retirement when he took a shot at playing minor league baseball. It did not well and he returned to play on 3 more championship Bulls teams.
Jordan's on court exploits are the stuff of legend. He was one of the heroes of Dean Smith's first NCAA championship team and as a freshman. In the NBA, he won 10 scoring championships, 5 MVP awards and played on 6 championship teams. The stats, however, do not do justice to Jordan's soaring and sensational style. He was born to play basketball.
In addition to focusing on Jordan, Halberstam does a series of character sketches of those around Jordan: Phil Jackson, Dean Smith, Roy Williams, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and the villain of the piece, Bulls GM, Jerry Krause.
Best part of story, including ending:
It was interesting to see how Jordan changed his sport and how he interacted with other people.
Best scene in story:
The 1997 finals when an injured Jordan made the game winning shot.
Opinion about the main character:
He's very smart but also almost pathologically competitive.
