|Jordan: Basketball's best ever!|
|Around the Academy:
Well he's finally retired!
What Michael Jordan has accomplished is beyond the wildest dreams of the most outrageous Hollywood scriptwriter. To coin a cliché, 'you couldn't make it up.'
First of all he should have been Brazilian. Only those South American footballing Gods are known by one name and even then it's something distinctive. Pele, Zico and Ronaldo are fine examples.
He's so good that he's known the world over as Michael or sometimes just plain old Mike?
His signature ad campaign had the slogan "if I could be like Mike!" That just wouldn't work for any other sporting icon.
"If I could be like Dave" still needs Beckham at the end to make it meaningful, and still doesn't have the same ring.
For me it's a play. I still get chills when I think of that move. To describe it is useless, but if you've seen him play there will be a moment that stands out for you too.
We all have our own little piece of Jordan history that moved us and almost brought us to tears.
People the world over, some of whom have never seen basketball, have taken to wearing Chicago Bulls number 23 jerseys.
Why? Because Jordan epitomised what sport is all about. The ultimate competitor, he improved his game every year.
More importantly, he has grown in stature as an ambassador not only to the game of basketball but to the spirit of competition.
On the court he did everything.
Imagine David Beckham keeping goal in a cup final while scoring a hat-trick, or Michael Schumacher adding his own fuel during pit stops and still taking the chequered flag two minutes ahead of the field.
Hang time took on a real meaning once you witnessed him soaring through and over defences to score another unbelievable basket. He has quite simply changed the game forever.
Today's players are simply out to emulate what he could do. The incredible thing about him is that he only wanted to win.
And win he did. Six NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals and that College National Championship are just the team accolades he achieved.
Now he's retiring, for good this time. I already miss him, but in my head and my heart I will always have 'my play'.
And if my son wants to play basketball and turns to me for advice, I will of course tell him to try and be like Mike.