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Jordan was the probably the best to ever play the game but along with the other greats of their generation, the HOF is his just reward. It is the highest honor in basketball and LBJ may end up there if he concentrates on basketball and not on it's legacy.
This is ridiculous. MJ is no role model and no one is bigger than the game itself.
LBJ just keep to hoops for now.
#6...hmmm, the guy who wore that number won 11 championships! I think Lebron is retiring the wrong number
11 championships, 9 in a row.
LaBron isnt paid to be bright, obviously
Did hockey retire #99 or #4, baseball #3 or football #32?
There'll be some one better than Jordan sooner than you think, maybe LB.
I agree with Jackie Robinson's # being retired, but that was for reasons other than his play on the field.
"Did hockey retire #99...?" - Yes, Gretzky's number was retired league wide in 2000.
Jordan is ARGUABLY the greatest player of all time. There are at least a 1/2 dozen players who have careers equal to his. And more than a few have more championships. Lebron's decision is cute but, (along with his choice of #6) demonstrates that he probably should have went to college. If for no other reason than to take a course on basketball history.
Would have 'WENT' to college? Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player in history. What's wrong with honoring him by retiring his number 23? Colin "Cowherd" was ranting about it today, but I rather doubt that his opposition to this move is anything MJ has to worry about. Cowherd has to find something to talk about every day or he loses listeners/viewers. He needs to find something WORTH talking about next week.
that he probably should have went to college. If for no other reason than to take a course on basketball history.
How about YOU go (back to) college for English 101.
Retiring #23 by the NBA is the least the NBA can do for what Michael Jordan has done to the game.
The least the League can do? Nonsense!! Every bball generation has had a 'savior'!! Russell, Wilt, Oscar, West, Dr J, Bird, Magic, Kareem. Almost all won titles and were the greatest of their era. MJ was the greatest of his era but so was Bill Russell for the 60's. Numbers should not be retired by the entire league unless the person wearing it deserves it on and off the court - ala Jackie Robinson.
I agree 100%. Jordan is the best...no question about it. Sure, Doctor J, Russel, Chamberlin, Magic, Bird - they are all icons of the sport, but Jordan reached an "out of this universe" level. I dont even think it has to do with talent/skill. All the players just mentioned (and more of course!) plus Kobe/LBJ are/were just as talented. But Jordan had the X-factor. There was just something special about him that distinguishes him from the rest. Ironically, most everybody but die-hard basketball fans knows this.
Obviously fishook started watching basketball in the 80's
Who cares what Lebron has to say. He has not won any titles so I dont value his opinion as some sort of NBA mouth piece. "you cant be the king if you aint got that ring" He should shut up and play ball.
I had a lot to say regarding this but you all said it pretty well. I do not think anyone should be listening to Mr. James. He is hardly a role model or sportsman. Michael Jordan, while great and deserving of all accolades, would not have had the stage to showcase his talents had it not been for Magic and Larry. Nobody was paying attention to the NBA until those two. Michael would have gone the same route of Dr. J while on the Nets. He displayed talents that no one had seen at the time and by the time he got to the sixers those talents, while still there, were not the same. And Michael can have the logo when he averages 56 points a game in a playoff series.
The Bulls retired Jordan's uniform number, but the league should not.....Bill Russell has done more for the league and humanity....maybe it is #6 that should be retired by the NBA......
Jordan's contributions to the NBA are immense; probably no one elevated it to the global product it became like he did. He is also one of the rare athletes that transcends sport and becomes a cultural icon. That being said, there is no empirical way to declare definitively that Jordan is the greatest player of all time. As rufe said above, Bird and Magic brought the league back from obscurity and turned it into a commodity. Should the NBA retire their numbers, too? How about Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving? And on and on. Sure, in the contemporary game Jordan is the obvious standard bearer, but it's just a number. The Bulls have already retired it. And, as Heaterjf0271 observed, he is now in the Hall of Fame. I appreciate Lebron trying to pay homage. Fine if he wants to quit wearing #23, but it's a bit naïve to lobby for the NBA to follow suit.
He is the only reason I started to watch basketball and have never stopped.
Which means you starting watching the NBA in the 80's?
Thats like saying the Gulf War was the deadliest war in the history of the world...because I"ve been following military history since 1989...
LOL!
Hey, I think Michael Jordon was a great guard but there are other guards or anyother players who deserve their jerseys retired first. There was a center in Boston named Bill Russell. He won 8 to 9 NBA titles in a row and that is an accomplishment that will never be threatened. There was a guard located in Los Angeles named Erwin "Magic" Johnson who dominated the early to late '80s. Now, if the Bulls want to retire Jordan's jersey for the team that would be appropriate. I don't think there is an athlete [other than Jackie Robinson] that should have his number retired for the entire sport he played.
Hmm... you don't suppose that the real reason James wants to chage his number is so his fans will have another jersey to buy, do you? Maybe he should just change from 23 to a $ sign instead.
I am a MJ fan and beieve he is one of the greatest to play the game. If every player gets his number retired what will happen when the numbers are used up, we will have to go tothe alphabet or roman numerals. Wilt Chamberlin was over- rated, spent more time chasing women and criticizing his team mates. He was better at volley ball than basket ball. Bill Russell won a lot of championships when the league only had two or three good teams but it is unlikely anyone will win as many rings as he did. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double season but who did he play against? Rather than retire his number league wide it may be better to leave things as they are. If LBJ does not want to wear 23, so be it. He has won any championships yet. This is not a tribute to MJ because MJ shook hands with opponents when they lost and when they started to win. LBJ has some more work to do before he can be considered a champion on the court, trick shots and funny interviews.
The way a player's number is retired now is the best. Jordan's 23 was retired by the organization he played for: the Chicago Bulls, as every other team has done in the past for their great players.
If LeBron wants to change his number to honor Jordan then that's his decision. To have the NBA retire any one player's number would disrespect the greats who played before Jordan, and those who followed that just so happened to wear 23 up to the point where they begin playing for the NBA. Plus, LeBron wants to change the NBA logo too? Sorry, but Nike already has that emblen trademarked for their line of shoes, something James should have already known.
LeBron should do all his talking on the court. His remark "if I can't wear 23 than nobody should" only reminded me of the man/child that walked off the court last year without congratulating his opponents. To paraphrase an old saying, LeBron should be seen, not heard.
Are you all fuc&ing kidding me?! Screw Ali! Screw DiMaggio! Screw Williams!! And SCREW Jordan!! It's only sports. Jackie made a difference! Nobody else did. So,... No retiring of numbers. You want to change your shirt? Go for it. You try and step in the shoes of Jackie Robinson,...!!!
Yes the NBA should retire #23 across the board. Despite the fact Jordan did not have the effect that Jackie Robinson had breaking baseball's color barrier, he transcended and changed the NBA for the better. Every young player looks up to MJ today, and many wear #23, it should be retired to show respect for all that MJ has done for the NBA.
Please there is only one number that needs to be retire and that is Kareem. Kareem is the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. Did Jordan ever had a rule sign to him. Kareem was so dominating that college ban dunking. Who can say that. But in college doing that, Kareem then develop the greatest shot ever and that shot led him to being the highest scoring points ever. I would take a young Kareem over any player ever. LB is a idiot too. SportCenter has help MJ and those that follow him
Silence!!! the king has spoken. Who does this kid think he is anyway?? Of coarse Jordan Is Lebrooms favorite player, he was all about himself and his own ego too!! Jordan was the greatest ever! (mostly at selling shoes and underwear) Let the leauge and the fans decide.
If the NBA does this it will be an absolutely stupid move. LeBron shouldn't try to dictate what he wants to the league. If the NBA did this then they should immediately retire the numbers of Russell, Wilt, The Big "O", Dr. J., Bird, Magic, Kareem and a few others. When would it stop! It would get to the point where players would have to start wearing three digit numbers because so many were retired league wide. Jordan wasn't any better than these players. He just played in a different era, which because it wasn't very long ago is all the people who voted yes know.
If the NBA does this it will be an absolutely stupid move. LeBron shouldn't try to dictate what he wants to the league. If the NBA did this then they should immediately retire the numbers of Russell, Wilt, The Big "O", Dr. J., Bird, Magic, Kareem and a few others. When would it stop! It would get to the point where players would have to start wearing three digit numbers because so many were retired league wide. Jordan wasn't any better than these players. He just played in a different era, which because it wasn't very long ago is all the people who voted yes know.