Michael Jordan, and What I Learned About Life

While some folks hate Michael Jordan and everything he stands for (John Stockton) others worship him with a blind adoration, turning a blind eye to his every fault.

Me, I learned some things from Michael.

Mainly about fathers...you see, my dad is a pastor, but he has always been a basketball fan. When I was a kid he even coached for a while.

My first introduction to Michael was when my dad and I sat down with a group of teenagers in his youth group to watch the Finals in 1992. The Bulls were playing the Trail Blazers and Clyde "the Glide" Drexler. I was hooked.

We lived in Connecticut, and at the time the Celtics were pretty bad. The Knicks, however, were a different story.

The Knicks had John Starks, Anthony Mason, and Patrick Ewing. If there was any way to express the way I feel to this day about John Starks, it would be about the same as the feeling of hatred an Ohio State Buckeye fan has for USC Trojan's coach Pete Carroll

I will never forget watching Michael drive baseline, shake John Starks, then elevate and posterize Patrick Ewing.

My loathing for all things New York Knicks was irrepressible.

The fact that Jordan seemed to always have his biggest games in Madison Square Garden just made me love him all the more.

In just his seventh game as a professional, November 8, 1984, Jordan wowed the New York crowd by dropping 33 points in a Bull's victory. In '86, in the Bull's first full game of the year, Michael broke the record for most points scored at Madison Square Garden, scoring 50.

And it goes on, there was the 47-point game in '88.

"Michael Jordan was as great as I have ever seen him," said then-Knicks coach Rick Pitino. "You can't stop Jordan. He was like Superman, and I didn't have any Kryptonite."

I was too young to remember any of these games, but definitely old enough to start following my dad.

Dad's love for sports was third only to his love for God and for his family. I wanted to do everything my dad did, be everything he was, like everything he liked. He was the ultimate role model to a small child.

Then on July 23, 1993 Michael's father, James Jordan, Sr., was brutally murdered. I was frightened, and the fact that Michael Jordan, the best basketball player in the world, could lose his dad, really made me start to ponder the realities of death and the facts of life.

Jordan had begun to emulate his father. You see, James had a habit of hanging his tongue out of his mouth when he was concentrating.

Understandably, Jordan retired from basketball for a time, citing no interest in the game.

In 1995, Jordan returned to basketball with these words, "I'm back".

The man who had lost the one dearest to him, who had lost his role model and example, came back to doing what he loved.

He persevered.

This taught me a valuable lesson that I will never forget.

No matter what difficulties may be thrown at you, no matter what obstacles may lie in your path, keep pressing on, just keep doing your best, and you can accomplish your goals.

You see there is another role model in my life, another man who means a great deal more to me than a mere basketball player.

My grandfather.

He is a quiet, unassuming man, small in stature, yet in possession of a large heart.

He has always been a huge fan of the Cubs, Bulls, and Bears, and passed that love down to his children and their children.

For over half of my life, my grandfather has battled with cancer. He lost his eldest daughter to the same disease, and yet he is one of the most pleasant, enjoyable people I know.

He always greeted us with a smile and a piece of candy, even when it hurt him to even stand.

He has lived a full life, and is enjoying his time with his grandkids, and now even a few great grandkids.

As I write this, my grandpa's health is slowly deteriorating, and he won't be here for long. But, like MJ, he is one of the people that helped to fashion my life, and be an example, sometimes bad, but mostly good, of what living life is all about.

Jordan seemed to be at his best when sick, when his team was the underdog, or in hostile territory. He took whatever the game of basketball could throw at him, and just hung his tongue out a little further, looked a little angrier, and tried a little harder.

That's how life should be, exciting, and for those who earn it, fulfilling.

You see, Jordan's six rings and his multiple MVP and scoring titles were not a product of his talent alone, but of his will to win, his determination to press on, and his desire to get better.

In his first game back at the Garden after his return to the game, Jordan broke his previous record of 50 points with 55 against the defense of Knicks guard John Starks. Starks was befuddled all night long by Jordan's array of high-flying dunks, effortless fadeaways, and gravity-defying jumpers.

My dad and grandfather taught me to pursue what I love, that family matters, that what you do is who you are.

Jordan taught me to never quit, no matter what...be like Mike.