MJ is 50, and the greatest of all time

ESPN has been all over Michael Jordan's 50th birthday this week. Lots of commentary about his legendary play, inevitable comparisons to current day stars like LeBron and Kobe. OTL has a great article about his legacy and current life you can read HERE.

For my money, I think MJ was the greatest of all time. His natural talents were obviously top flight, but the commitment (or was it obsession?), work ethic, competitiveness were what made him the best. The OTL article outlines that today at 50 years old, he wants to win and still thinks he could be competitive.

But the OTL article also outlines what I believe is a common side-effect of this level of achievement: isolation. You see, nobody can relate to him. Nobody can walk a mile in his Air Jordans. Nobody knows the pressures that come with the title of "the greatest". Now don't mistake my comments for pity, Jordan's life ain't too shabby. But I think most people see the fame and money and don't realize there are also negative consequences.

People naturally want to compare MJ to LeBron because of LeBron's gaudy stats, especially this year. But if you want the current day comparison, don't look at LeBron, look at the Lakers KOBE BRYANT. You see, LeBron's as interested if not more interested in being a brand, something that Michael created. He wants to be liked, want's to be told he's King James like Dwight Howard's insecurity. Have a 60 minute TV special to announce you are "taking your talents to South Beach". Sure he wants to win, but he's already shrunk into the corner in more big NBA moments than MJ, Kobe, Magic, and Bird combined! Kobe, straight up assassin. He'd knock down your Mama if she was between him and a ring. And that's what made MJ the greatest.

Oh, and before you start typing, don't mistake my commentary about Kobe and MJ as admiration. If I would have received the God-given gifts that any of these guys had, I'd probably fall more into the "Like Me" camp than the "Assassin" camp. But the reality is, if you want to be the best, you've got to be willing to trample a few less-worthy that stand in your way.