So they started the fire in me - that fire started with my parents. And as I moved on in my career people added wood to that fire. Coach Smith, you know what else can I say about him? (applause) You know, he's legendary in the game of coaching. And then there's Leroy Smith. Now you guys think that's a myth. Leroy Smith was a guy when I got cut he made the team - on the Varsity team - and he's here tonight. He's still the same 6'7" guy - he's not any bigger - probably his game is about the same. But he started the whole process with me, because when he made the team and I didn't, I wanted to prove not just to Leroy Smith, not just to myself, but to the coach that picked Leroy over me, I wanted to make sure you understood - you made a mistake dude. (laughter, applause)
And then there's Buzz Peterson, my roommate. Now when I first met Buzz - all I heard about was this kid from Asheville, North Carolina who's player of the year. I'm thinking, 'well he ain't never played against me yet, so how did he become Player of the Year?' Is that some type of media exposure? You know I came from Wimbleton; you know we had two channels, channel ABC and channel NBC, that was it. I never saw NBA sports at all when I grew up; we didn't have CBS affiliation in North Carolina in Wimbleton, so Buzz Peterson became a dot on my board. And when I got the chance to meet Buzz Peterson on the basketball court or in person - Buzz was a great person, it wasn't a fault of his. It was just that my competitive nature - I didn't think that he could beat me, or he was better than me as a basketball player. And he became my roommate. And from that point on, he became a focal point - not knowingly; he didn't know it - but he did. And Coach Smith, the day that he was on the Sports Illustrated and he named four starters and he didn't name me - that burned me up! Because I thought I belonged on that Sports Illustrated. Now he had his own vision about giving a Freshman that exposure, and I totally understand that, but from a basketball sense I deserved to be on that Sports Illustrated, and he understand that.
And it didn't stop there. You know, my competitive nature went right into the pros; I get to the Bulls, which I was very proud that - at the time Jerry Reinsdorf on the team. It was another organization. And Rob Thorn drafted me. Kevin Lockey was my first coach. Kevin used to take practices and put me in the starting five, and he'd make it a competitive thing where the losing team would have to run. So now I'm on the winning team, and half way in the game, half way in the situation, he would switch me to the losing team. So I take that as a competitive thing of you trying to test me - and 9 times out of 10 the second team would come back and win no matter what he did. So I appreciate Kevin Lockey for giving me that challenge - you know providing that type of fire within me; he threw another log on that fire for me.
Jerry - I mean what else can I say? The next year I came back, I broke my foot and I was out for 65 games. And when I came back I wanted to play; you know he and the doctor's came up with this whole theory that you can only play 7 minutes a game, but I'm practicing 2 hours a day. I'm saying 'well, I don't think - I don't agree with that math, you know?' And back then it was about whoever had the worst record got the most balls and the ping pong balls and you know you can decide what pick you're gonna have, but I didn't care about that, I just wanted to win. I wanted to make the playoffs. You know, I wanted to keep that energy going in Chicago. So I had to go in his office, and sit down with him and say 'Jerry, you know I feel like I should play more than 14 minutes, I've been practicing 2 hours.' And he said 'MJ, I think I have to protect the long term investment that we've invested in you.' And I said 'Jerry, I, I really think I should be able to play.' And he said 'let me ask you this, if you had a headache?' And you know at that time it was about 10% chance that I could re-injure my ankle or my foot. And he said 'if you had a headache and you got 10 tablets and one of them is coated with cyanide, would you take the tablet?' And I looked at him and I said 'how bad is the headache? depend on how bad the headache.' Jerry looked at me and he said 'Yeah ok I guess that's a good answer, you can go back and play'. And he let me go back and play.
You know, Jerry provided a lot of different obstacles for me, but at the same time the guy gave me an opportunity to perform at the highest level in terms of basketball, and the Bulls - the whole Bulls organization did a great justice for me and all of my teammates - believe me I had a lot of teammates over the 14 years that I played for the Bulls. You know I respected each and every one of them, I just wanted to win. You know, no matter how you look at it. And then along came Doug Collins who was caught in the whole midst of this Jerry Kraus and Jerry Rainsdorf. And, at the same time, you know when I was trying to play in the summertime, he said "well, you're a part of the organization and the organization said you can't play in the summertime", and I said "Doug, you haven't read the fine print in my contract. In my contract I have the 'love the game clause' that means I can play anytime I want, any place I want." (laughs) And Doug looked at me and said 'yea, you're right, you're right.' And that's how we became a little closer in terms of Doug Collins and myself. And Jerry Kraus is right there, and Jerry is not here - I mean obviously, I don't know who invited him, I didn't, but uh. I hope he understands, I hope he understands it goes a long way, and he was a very competitive person and I was a very competitive person. He said 'organizations win championships'. I said 'I didn't see organizations playing with the Flu in Utah. I didn't see them playing with a bad ankle.' Granted, I think organizations put together teams, but at the end of the day, the team has to go out and play. You know, so in essence, I think the players win the championship, and the organization has something to do with it - don't get me wrong. But don't try to put the organization above the players, because at the end of the day the players still got to go out there and perform. You guys gotta pay us, but I still gotta go out and play.
Obviously, you see my kids - Jeffrey, Marcus, Jasmine - I love you guys. I think you guys represent a lot of me; a lot of different personalities. Your Mom, you represent them as well. You know I think that you guys have a heavy burden. I wouldn't want to be you guys if I had to, because of all the expectations that you have to deal with - I mean look around you, they're charging $1000 tickets for this whole event. It used to be 200 bucks. But I paid it, you know, I had no choice. I had a lot of family, a lot of friends I had to bring in... so thank you Hall of Fame for raising ticket prices, I guess.
But you guys - I love you guys - you guys, just so you know, you got a whole host of people supporting you; family, friends, people that you don't know. Relatives coming out of the woodwork, you know, no matter how you look at it. But I think we taught you right - your Mom and I - and hopefully you can make the right decision when the time comes.
Pat Riley. I mean, you and I, we go way back. I still remember in Hawaii - you remember in Hawaii, you and I - I was coming in and you were I guess leaving and you decided to stay a couple extra days, but you were in my suite. And they came and they told you you had to get out of my suite. And you slid a note underneath my door - although you had to move; you did move - you slid a note, saying: 'I enjoyed the competition, congratulations. But we will meet again.' And I took the heart in that because I think in all honesty you're just as competitive as I am, even from a coaching stand point. And you challenged me every time I played the Knicks, the Heat - and I don't think you were with the Lakers - but anytime I played against you, you had Jordan-Stoppers on your team, you had John Starks who I loved. You even had my friend Charles Oakley saying 'we can't go to lunch, we can't go to dinner, because Pat doesn't believe in fraternizing between the two of us.' And this guy hit me harder than anybody else in the league and he was my best friend. Patrick Ewing - we had the same agent, we came at the same time, but we can't go to lunch. Why is this? You think I'm gonna play against Patrick any different than I play against anybody else? Nah, nah. And then you had your little guy, who was on your staff, who became the next coach after you - Jeff VanGundy. He said I conned the players, I befriended them and then I attacked them on the basketball court. Where did that come from? I just so happen to be a friendly guy. I get along with everybody, but at the same time when the light comes on I'm just as competitive as anybody you know. So you guys I have to say thank you very much for that motivation that I desperately needed. (applause)
Phil Jackson.Phil Jackson is a - to me, he's a professional Dean Smith. He challenged me mentally, not just physically. You know, he understood the game, along with Tex Winter. They taught me a lot about the basketball game - Tex being the specialist - you know I could never please Tex. And I love Tex. Tex is not here, but I know he's here in spirit. I can remember a game coming off the basketball court, and we were down, I don't know 5-10 points, and I go off for about 25 points and we come back and win the game. And we're walking off the floor and Tex look at me and says 'you know, there's no 'i' in team'. And I said 'Tex, there's not, there's not an 'i' in team, but there's an 'i' in win.' (laughs, applause). I think he got my message: I'll do anything to win. You know, if that means we play team format, we win. If that means I have to do whatever I have to do, we gonna win no matter how you look at it.
And my last example of that - and the last one that you guys have probably seen - I hate to do it to him, but - he's such a nice guy and uh. When I first met Bryon Russell - John and Karl should remember this - I was in Chicago in 1994. I was working out for baseball, and they came down for a workout and shoot-around and I came over to say hello. And at this time I had no thoughts of coming back and playing the game of basketball, and Bryon Russell came over to me and said 'you know what man, why'd you quit? Why'd you quit? You know I could guard you. If I ever see you in a pair of shorts. If I ever see you in a pair of shorts.' Remember this John? (laughs)
So when I did decide to come back in 1995, and then we played Utah in '96, I'm at the Center Circle and Bryon Russell is sitting next to me and I look over at Bryan and I said 'do you remember this conversation you made in 1994, or when you 'I think I can guard you, I can shut you down, and I would love to play against you.' 'well you about to get your chance.' And believe me, ever since that day, he got his chance. I don't know how succeeding he was, but I think he had his chance, and believe me I relished on that point and from this day forward if I ever see him in shorts I'm coming at him.
I know you guys gotta go - I know I've been up here a lot longer than I told my friends I was going to be up here. I cried. I was supposed to go up here say 'thank you' and walk off, and I didn't even do that, so uh. As I close - the game of basketball has been everything to me. My refuge. My place I've always gone when I needed to find comfort and peace. It's been a source of intense pain, and a source of most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. And one that no one can even imagine. It's been a relationship that has evolved over time, and given me the greatest respect and love for the game. It has provided me with a platform to share my passion with millions in a way I neither expected nor could have imagined in my career. I hope that it's given the millions of people that I've touched, the optimism and the desire to achieve their goals through hard-work, perseverance, and positive attitude. Although I'm recognized with this tremendous honor of being in the basketball Hall of Fame - I don't look at this moment as a defining end to my relationship with the game of basketball. It's simply a continuation of something that I started a long time ago. One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50. (laughs) Oh don't laugh. Never say never.Because limits, like fears are often just an illusion. Thank you very much. Looking forward to it.
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In this speech, Jordan sheds his heroic and corporate image, showing the real Michael in all his complexity: supremely gifted yet arrogant and petty — driven by an unquenchable competitive fire to become, not only the greatest basketball player ever, but arguably the most successful athlete in all of sporting history.
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