Words By David D.
We all remember how it happened.
Jordan makes a lay-up. Runs back on D. Strips the ball from Malone (Malone flops but no call). MJ dribbles. Cross-over with a little push. Jumper. Bucket.
Pose.
If it were a play, the curtains would have closed while he was standing there, watching the jumper fall in.
It wasn’t long after the celebrating and amazement at the great shot that we realized it was over. The Jordan had ended.
It’s hard for most of us to remember a life before Jordan dominated the league, commercials and our shoe closets. The NBA is still in a tailspin, looking for another entity to dominate and capture our imaginations like #23. And the shoe game hasn’t been the same, either. We can all agree that most of the new Jordan’s that have come out since ’98 have struggled to keep the legacy of great kicks alive. But when he was around, Mike was absolutely the best.
The Shot also set the Blueprint for going out on top. Most athletes or artists had fizzled out towards the end of their careers, still managing to maintain respectability. After the ’98 shot, greatness had to come with the perfect ending.
It’s no secret how much of an indelible impact Jordan has had on Hip-Hop. His retirement shot has influenced prominent artists almost as much as his career did.
Jigga tried to recreate the perfect swan song with his pseudo-retirement Black Album and Fade To Black movie. But nobody believed the retirement and The Black Album wasn’t the classic ending to a great career.
MC’s from The Game to Lupe Fiasco have put an added emphasis on their retirements early in their careers, declaring impending retirements before their first albums even drop. Since that game winning shot fell the end of a career was no longer a footnote in one’s quest for greatness, but the final chapter necessary to cement a legacy.
We truly were blessed to have witnessed the Jordan era.
The “Shot” Ranks In #24 in ESPN’s Top 100 Memorable Moments
Related – Michael Jordan Vs. Kobe: Not even close…
Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek & Sauce Money – What The Game Made Me
Beastie Boys – Intergaltic
The Lox Feat. DMX & Lil’ Kim – Money, Power, Respect
Young Bleed – Betta Than The Last Time
Nature – Exclusive (New Shit)
Trick Daddy Feat. Trina – Nann Nigga
Canibus Feat. Free & Pras – Patriots
Kurupt – C-Walk
Jayo Felony Feat. Method Man & DMX – Whatcha Gon’ Do
Ice Cube Feat. Mr. Short Khop – Pushin’ Weight
Ice Cube Feat. Mr. Short Khop – Limos, Demos & Bimbos
C-Murder Feat. Silkk The Shocker & Soulja Slim – G’z & Macks
Cam’ron – Confessions
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This was my screen saver for about a year.
2 HELL with the Utah Jazz!
okay, but jordan still came back and basically embarrassed himself playing with the wizards….the lesson here, i think, is that (especially) when you go out on top, just stay the fuck gone.
The Shot also set the Blueprint for going out on top
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As well as the blueprint to coming back only to tarnish a perfect ending.
But regardless of how he went out, Jordan was still the greatest to ever do it.
WTF happened to Nature?
“For All Seasons” was decent but Nate never came back after that “Wild Gremlinz” joint bombed. I used to think he was next up in terms of rappers coming outta the Bridge.
Man, Jordan had decent seasons with the Wiz ESPECIALLY considering his age.
Oldest cat to score 40 and 50 points in a game. The final All-Star game. Pinnin’ Ron Mercer’s shot against the glass. The 22 straight points against the Hawks. Making Vince Carter fall on the crossover.
Dudes act like he came back and was a waste of a jersey.
But regardless, in 30 years, no one is going to remember the Wizards comeback.
How did Ali’s last two fights go? exactly.
Amp said “But regardless of how he went out, Jordan was still the greatest to ever do it.”
^^^ truer words were never spoken…it just sucks when athletes (and artists, for that matter) just can’t leave the shit alone…i mean look at the brett favre situation…dude is probably the best (if not one of the top three) quarterbacks ever to put on pads, but he’s making a mockery of his legacy by trying to comeback after retiring (basically) twice…i know it’s hard to give up that rush that playing or performing or recording must give you, but when it’s time it’s time
Great Est !
…
NYC Stand Up !
“The Jordan had ended.”
The Jordan NEVER ends. Ask The Bobcats.
PEACE
damn don’t nobody got Cool Breeze – “East Points Greatest Hits” for the kid???? hook a bruva up
To this day it still bothers me when people say he pushed off, like it was some cataclysmic altering of the universe push. All you ever hear is yeah but…..he pushed off. No. He sat his hand on his back and gave a nudge you would give a 2 year old, his wrist was basically limp. Ugh, I think I get irritated by it cus most of my friends love to hate and I hear shit like this all the time. On to more pressing matters, KOBE!
Here is a nice recent vid of MJ at a school or something
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqlBUj9bFC4
What I would give to get that jumper in my eye or to get dunked on like some of these kids did.
spot a black person in that Utah crowd? lol
@ Aron
That very same link is @ the end of the post.
who is that female emcee “free” on canibus’s patriots??? was she ever on any other joints???
^I’m pretty sure that Free from 106 & Park fame believe it or not. She did another track with Canibus a couple of years ago too
@ David, it took a min, but i found the brotha.
i agree with Amp, i woulda dropped alotta $$$ on a bet for Nature to blow.
Anybody got the new clipse joint?
“The Jordan NEVER ends. Ask The Bobcats.”
Ask Kwame Brown. Peace.
Some of the facial expressions in this pic are incredible.
Dope write-up, David.
“a little push” yeah right, that was the worst no call in NBA history! I’m a Jordan fan, but they did B. Russ wrong on that play. That’s the day I realized that the NBA was fixed.
Donaghy > Stern
is it just me or has basketball lost much of its excitement?
Do the kids who have grown up in the Kobe, Lebron, Wade era find the same excitement we had with Magic and Mike? esp. Mike….
chief u da man dog
@ Raine and David D
That IS/WAS Free from 106…PRE-106
Y’all mad young
Showtime Lakers vs The Celts Era >>> to the 10th power than the Jordan led Bulls era.
Don’t get me wrong.. no way do i not rank Jordan as greatest ever.. I said it, deal with it. But for me he was almost too good.. he overshadowed the league much to the detriment of itself
But straight up.. if the Jazz had won ….. ughhh not even thinkable.
I was waiting for ya’ll to write about this and David did it justice.
And the league is still hurting is right.
Thank god the olympics are coming, and KG got his ring.
And don’t look now, but things are going to be A LOT different next year.
Jermaine crossing the border to make El Mago a post beast, No Childress, Carlos Arroyo jumps ship too, Artest giving the rockets some toughness, No more Seattle Supersonics, Posey taking his ring and going to the N.O., LeBron still not getting any help and counting down the days until him and Hov become business partners, Elton going to philly with Iggy, Deng and Ben Gordon failing on their holdouts for the free agent market that paid no attention to them and getting Rose who’ll be Chris Paul-like in excitement factor. Rondo finally playing with some confidence, Kwame giving ‘Sheed a reason to shoot more 3s, Bynum getting healthy…
We’ll see how things go. It’ll be interesting to say the least…