Michael Jordan has stamped his place among the names of the greats as the greatest team sport athlete ever. His rise really was something to cherish.
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The Chicago Bulls were a nondescript franchise for practically their entire existence in the NBA. During a time when basketball wasn’t followed that much, they were in 5th place in following in the USA’s 3rd most populated city.
The Chicago Bears, White Sox, Cubs, and even the Blackhawks had more of a following than the Bulls. It wasn’t until the team drafted Michael Jordan before the 1984 Atlanta Olympics that this changed.
As soon as Michael arrived in town, the Bulls took a great facelift. They went from lottery fodder to a regular playoff team as Jordan took over the leadership reins. It wasn’t long until success found the franchise, and in a big way.
By the time MJ retired (for a 2nd time), he had won the team 6 championships alongside Scottie Pippen. The franchise was perhaps the most recognizable American sports team across the world. And Michael was the most famous sportsperson in the world.
Ahmad Rashad recounts how he learnt about Michael Jordan from John McEnroe
Ahmad Rashad – a seasoned NFL player during his prime – ventured into a career of sportscasting following his retirement. He would become Jordan’s most trusted member of the press in the years to come.
But he wasn’t always aware of the potential that Michael Jordan had as the game’s greatest ambassador. That was, until he met tennis great John McEnroe and began chatting about basketball. In an interview for Basketball: A Love Story, Rashad revealed how Johnny Mac told him about Jordan:
“The first time I ever heard of Michael Jordan, I was with John McEnroe. We’re laughing and talking and he goes, ‘Hey have you seen this guy from North Carolina?’ Two or three days later, we watch him, and I’m thinking, ‘This guy is unbelievable.'”
When you start talking about his career, how great it was – it was never not great. Michael Jordan was the most relentless basketball player I’ve ever seen.
He’d give you 30 points, and he’d guard your best guy and shut him down the entire game. And he never took a night off! He played 82 games eight times during his career, 80 games the other. Who does that?
Also Read – “Michael Jordan, enjoy your salad”: When Kobe Bryant shut down the GOAT for trashtalking at the dinner table
MJ remains perhaps the most popular sportsperson of all time even today
By the time the sun had set on Jordan’s career for the final time in 2003, the man was almost more of a myth than anything else. After all, he’d conveyed basketball into becoming a global sport from a local one.
The TV ratings from their time serve to demonstrate just how big a draw Jordan was. Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals remains the most-watched NBA game of all time, with a Nielsen rating of 22.3 and nearly 36 million average viewers.
Jordan also makes hundreds of millions of dollars every year through the royalties he earns from his sportswear. Jordan Brand generated over $5 billion in revenue last year, helping MJ pocket a neat sum of $256 million.
He remains in the top-10 among the most sold jerseys even 20 years after his retirement. That should tell you all about the level of adulation he’s received.
