When it comes to Michael Jordan, Chicago and North Carolina are the two places most closely tied to his legacy. North Carolina shaped his early years; he went to college there and prepared himself for greater challenges in his basketball career. After NC, Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls and made history while playing for the franchise.
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His ownership stint with the Hornets might even add Charlotte to the list of places MJ is associated with, but Brooklyn? That rarely, if ever, comes up despite being the birthplace of the NBA legend.
As per Spike Lee, it’s intentional. MJ doesn’t like to claim Brooklyn as his own. During a recent appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, the Academy Award winner talked about some of the most famous people who were born at Cumberland Hospital. Lee revealed that Mike Tyson and MJ were born there.
However, Jordan has no interest in labeling himself as someone from the borough. He mimicked MJ to demonstrate what the Bulls legend sounds like while talking about Brooklyn, “Spike, stop talking that goddamn mother****in Brooklyn sh*t…Spike, stop talking about goddamn Brooklyn.”
Lee, on the other hand, despite being born in Atlanta, Georgia, represents New York all the time. Although it’s unclear why MJ doesn’t like to be associated with Brooklyn, the people there love to claim him as one of their own. In 2013, ESPN’s Ian Begley detailed his conversation with Eric Strongs, who lived at the Auburn Family Center, previously known as Cumberland Hospital.
Taking pride in Jordan’s journey from Cumberland Hospital to global dominance in basketball, Strongs said, “Jordan did what he had to do to get out of here. A lot of people can’t say that.” He stated that if there were a picture or a plaque or MJ around the area, it’d give hope to people trying to make it out.
He said, “I think it would be good for the kids. Maybe if they see pictures of him and know that he was born here, they’ll say, ‘If he can make it out, why can’t we?’” Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything but a “No Loitering” sign board at the location.
Despite his cold attitude toward Brooklyn, MJ enjoyed playing at Madison Square Garden the most. “It’s the Mecca of basketball. You always want to perform at your highest level when you play in the Garden,” he famously said about the arena. It’s surprising how on one hand he doesn’t even talk about Brooklyn, his birthplace, but considers MSG as his second favorite stadium to perform in.
