I was watching SportsCenter tonight and learned that in a few days Michael Jordan will be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. ESPN put together an MJ highlight reel. It was probably five minutes -- it could have been three hours.
MJ won NBA titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Played in April, I was 13 when he won his first, 20 when he won his sixth. While Jordan is undeniably the Greatest in his sport, I think he holds a special place in my heart because of who he was, when he was, what he was. Jordan's career spanned middle school, high school and college for me. When he retired a Washington Wizard, I had already met Christina (2003). All of the stages of my post-pubescent life I lived watching MJ.
It is, for lack of a better word, so complex how you think about the past as an adult. My own child or children (coming in the next couple of years, I am sure) will only hear stories of Jordan like I heard about Ruth and Mantle, Lombardi and Namath, Chamberlain and Dr. J; he or she will read about him and overhear recounts of "His Airness" from old folks like Dad and his friends. Never will my children have the distinct feeling of youth gone by and coming of age that I have when I think about Michael Jordan.
Funny, isn't it, how the most random and seemingly insignificant things can so greatly impact our lives as adults. Here's one for nostalgia.
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