Debatable. I loved Jordan, the player, but if he faded into the sunset as a person, I'd not miss him at all.Always was and always will be a complete douchebag.This report doesn't do a good job of explaining why Jordan's speech was obnoxious. I know you tend to give every athlete the benefit of the doubt, but you really should rethink your premise that everyone that criticizes an athlete is hating on him. Why some people expect these players to roll over and be humble on command is ridiculous. I can't recall one that quite compares with Jordan's.Yeah, I happened to catch most of John Stockton's speech and was impressed with how genuinely gracious and down to earth he seems. This speech is still a poorly stated rant at an inappropriate time. Show some respect. For us to think it had anything at all to do with what we as fans think of him personally, is foolish. of the 4 other guys, he also sounded the least educated in his delivery, style, and language. it doesn't change much, his legacy has been seared into memory long ago, long before this decade with the wizards. My bad, yes I did. Too bad he couldn't settle into our collective memories of being a member of the elite class who are considered the greatest ever at their sport, with grace. I just don't think anyone should be surprised when a superstar athlete falls short of grace.Yeah, that was strange. True. Something tells me he was prepared.For those arguing about whether or not he is the greatest ever, in an espn interview earlier the same day he was inducted, he said that such a comment was unfair & potentially disrespectful to guys like Wilt & a couple others b/c Jordan never had the chance to play against him. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt regardless if that person is an athlete or not since no one is perfect and we all make mistakes, we just don't make those mistakes with the world watching to scrutinize our every move. Why do I get the idea Kanye West is running around sporting a Michael Jordan jersey today?Jordan just gave us all a little glimpse of how he really is and how competitive of a person he's A book is where classless bullshit like what he spewed for much of his speech belongs, not on the podium when he's being inducted to the Hall of Fame. Interesting.Of course it's debatable. That's part of what I loved about him. I still like Mike. That said, on a numbers basis and in terms of impact on the game, I still have to give it to Wilt. 100 points in one night. The fact that he chose David Thompson to introduce him says a lot to me. He hasn't made this big an ass of himself since he pretended he could play baseball.And that doesn't take away from him being the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. Michael Jordan's controversial Hall of Fame speech he gave this past Friday has been characterized by some as petty, bitter, and cruel. Isn't that an ad for Air Jordans at the top right of this page as well?

People are always going to have an opinion but there's more that have seen MJ play and they all share the same sentiment about the man. That reminds me of a quote made by Rosalynn Carter, You're first observation wasn't hating but you're second sentence is absurd. One article on Yahoo! Sometimes to be great, you have to make sacrifices. It's just disappointing being a great basketball player doesn't translate into showing some class on what was supposed to be one of the biggest, most memorable (for the right reasons) nights in his professional career.
He's a jerk. After reading this, he lost that respect. But I've known plenty that live their lives based on the success/failure of an athlete/team. Thompson went to NC I lived in Chicago from his rookie year through the second retirement and feel really lucky I got to experience that. Michael Jordan delivers his acceptance speech during his induction. The man who presented him wasn't too shabby. Do fans need some sort of confirmation that the guy they have been cheering for for years is a "good guy"? On one hand, it's remarkably ungracious to give the appearance that you are settling old scores by mentioning so many personal slights that bothered you during your athletic career. In this case, our expectations were too high. Jordan's career brought him six NBA championships, one NCAA championship and a current net worth of $555 million. Just because he played well in a game with a ball doesn't make him a decent person in any way, shape or form. He spoke about how winning all those titles, Scottie Pippen was always there. Maybe Brown found out Jordan was a jerk and said, "Screw him." Some say it's just his "competitiveness," but I think he's someone who refuses to accept the idea basketball goes on without him. If it weren't for the Van Gundys, Leroy Smiths, and the old pistons & magic stars, he wouldn't have been given reason to drive as hard as he did. Is that why after 20-odd years, MJ's shoe line is still bringing in millions of dollars and still one of the more popular sneakers availiable? Not me.

"That's who Michael is," one high-ranking team executive said. would've liked to hear him mention his personal trainer and more thoughtful words on phil jackson and some other teammates but they were only his "supporting cast." Not even the greatest Yankee, as far as I'm concerned. On the other, Jordan enters the Hall of Fame as the greatest basketball player ever, and his speech demonstrates exactly why he achieved that goal. It's his "I'm Michael Jordan and Your Not" attitude that makes him sort of special.