There’s little doubt that Michael Jordan is the figure primarily responsible for the globalization of the game of basketball. The Bulls legend remains one of the most recognizable faces in the sport nearly 20 years after his final retirement.
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When he first burst onto the scene, Jordan wowed American viewers with his hang time and his impressive scoring arsenal. Once the Bulls began winning championships, there was no stopping his era of dominance and popularity.
MJ was probably the most famous person on the planet during the 1990s. His excellence, combined with his aura off the court, contributed to people across the globe fawning over him.
Many expected Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to be the primary attention drawers at the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. But it was Michael Jordan who underlined the image of the Dream Team at the landmark event.
By the time of his second retirement in 1998, Jordan had ascended into cult status. Many studies named him as perhaps the most influential sportsperson of all time, with good reason.
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Michael Jordan used to sign his name as ‘Mychal Jordan’ as he liked Mychal Thompson
Hailing from the Bahamas, Mychal Thompson had a standout college career at the University of Minnesota. His exploits at that level led to him being selected as the no. 1 pick in the 1978 NBA Draft.
Michael Jordan was only 15 years old when Mychal made it to the NBA. He was enamoured by the way the name Mychal was a misspelling of his own name Michael.
According to Ramona Shelbourne, Michael Jordan would even sign his name as ‘Mychal Jordan’ as a kid.
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Andy Thompson used MJ’s adoration for Mychal to convince him to film The Last Dance
Andy Thompson – Mychal’s brother – first met MJ when the Dream Team was getting ready to go to Barcelona. Due to how much MJ admired Mychal, the two hit it off fairly quickly.
This relationship emboldened the filmmaker in Andy to pose a rather uncharacteristic demand of MJ. Thompson enquired Michael if he’d be interested in a documentary for his last season with the Chicago Bulls. After a bit of convincing, Jordan agreed to the proposal.
Nearly 500 hours of footage from Jordan’s final season with the Bulls was recorded and kept at NBA Entertainment studios for nearly 2 decades. Jordan finally gave the green light for ‘The Last Dance’ in 2016, after the Cavs took home their first NBA championship.
