In the coming days or weeks, Michael Jordan will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Those of you who know me may be wondering why I would care why an alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is joining the illustrious brotherhood of roundball. Truth is, I don't care at all. What has captured my attention in this instance is MJ's choice to speak at his induction. The choice that MJ made is a curious one that belies the man's apparent mental deficiencies. In other words, I have never considered Mr. Jordan to be the sharpest knife in the drawer and his collegiate academic record stands in clear evidence of this claim.
Despite establishing his legacy and making his fortune in the National Basketball Association, Jordan did not select a former NBA teammate or coach to make his formal introduction to the Hall,but instead chose another player who was equally famous as an ACC alumnus.
Michael Jordan played his collegiate basketball at the major university in Orange County, North Carolina. There were several famous teammates and coaches who accompanied Jordan during his stay at the Orange County University. Let's take a quick look at some of the notable names to see if any of them made the cut:
Dean Smith: Mr. Smith was the head basketball coach during Jordan's entire collegiate career. Dean Smith is quite well known within the State of North Carolina for his long and somewhat distinguished career at UNC-CH. Was Dean chosen to represent MJ as the shaper of the NBA star's early career?
NO.
Sam "The Rubber Man" Perkins: A teammate of Jordan's for 3 years and known for his ability to tie his shoes without bending his waist might qualify as the Jordan presenter. Did he?
NO.
James Worthy: Worthy played with Jordan on the 1982 ACC Champion team, but only for that year. Did the glory of besting all comers on the 1982 ACC Tournament make James worthy of the honor? (Pun intended)
NO.
Matt Doherty: Better known as the White Doherty, Matt also played with MJ for three years. He also later became famous as the UNC-CH coach who threw Dean Smith out of his office in the athletic department. Was Michael able to overlook this discretion and choose Matt as his presenter?
NO.
Brad Daugherty: The current NASCAR broadcaster, aka the Black Doherty/Daugherty, played with MJ during his final 3 years as a member of the Powder Blue Boys. Did this long tenure elevate him for consideration for the HOF dais?
NO.
Steve "Vidal Sassoon" Hale: Hale, much more famous for his beautifully manicured locks than his basketball skills, also played with MJ for 3 years. Did Steve offer enough hair care tips to impress Jordan?
NO.
Kenny "LSU" Smith: Kenny Smith, famous for trying to take it to the house at LSU in 1984 and coming away a little worse for the wear, played in the NBA and went on to an undistinguished career as a broadcaster. This body of work may have been influential enough to sway Mike to select him. After all, Kenny did show MJ how not to go into the paint. Was this enough?
NO.
Scottie Pippen: The most famous #2 man to ever play for the Bulls. Scottie and Michael conquered the NBA world together. Surely, MJ's sidekick for so many years earned a spot on the podium with him, right?
NO.
Phil "Zen" Jackson: Jackson lead the Bulls to every one of their Championships. Phil's leadership and station in life as MJ's mentor surely makes him eligible for the induction ceremony.
NO.
Dennis Rodman: No mystery here, no one wants to put this crazy bastard in front of a microphone, so ...
NO.
If all of these notable players and coaches never captured the attention of Jordan as he down-selected for his HOF celebration, who did he pick?
A little background before we unveil the mystery man. Michael Jordan was a much better professional basketball player than he was a collegiate player. Conventional wisdom has always stated that he was held back by an über-conservative college coach that did not know what to do with him and simply forced players into his system rather than the other way around. I believe that Jordan simply had talents that were better suited to the more open pro game and he shined because of it. In contrast, the man that Jordan selected to speak on his behalf in the coming days was a world-beater in college and although he had very notable flashes of brilliance at the next level remained far more famous for his collegiate exploits.
Michael Jordan, the favorite son of Orange County denizens around the globe selected David Thompson as his presenter. David Thompson is simply the best player ever to step on a court in an ACC game. This is not subject to discussion. Despite the Jordan heroics trumpeted by the FOBB (Fans of the Baby Blue), Michael was simply never Thompson's equal at the collegiate level. You can cut the irony with a knife because we all know that Thompson never played with Jordan, and he certainly didn't play at UNC-CH. That's right campers, Thompson played at a rival school, North Carolina State University, and remains the pride of Wolfpack fans through the land.
Before today, I would have been absolutely, 100% convinced that these facts were lost on Jordan, but, as sometimes happens, I was wrong. It seems that MJ knows his basketball history and despite his education, knows basketball royalty when he sees it. One must wonder what the UNC-CH faithful think about this turn of events. Thompson paved the way for later stars such as Jordan and perhaps Jordan is displaying his loyalty to the great basketball players in North Carolina (The State, not the University) with this selection. I venture to suggest that the FOBB will see this as a slap in the face of their special little club, but not enough of one to turn their backs on the favorite son.
I applaud Jordan's decision and stand surprised at the decision, if for no other reason than he appears not to be as dumb as his choice of college would indicate.
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