{"id":2278,"date":"2026-02-01T16:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T16:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/?p=2278"},"modified":"2026-02-16T16:40:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:40:42","slug":"the-hoopsters-bradman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/the-hoopsters-bradman\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hoopsters’ Bradman"},"content":{"rendered":"

RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

When \u2018His Airness,\u2019 Michael \u2018Magic\u2019 Jordan, or just MJ, the King Arthur of Basketball, made his final bow from the game, his legion of fans was happy, elated, and, maybe, sad. Happy, because Jordan had given them a million moments to showcase memories of his true greatness; elated, because they\u2019d now cherish recollections of his mystical skills on court \u2014 as if whatever he had realised by way of his wondrous deftness wasn\u2019t just enough. And, sad because he wouldn\u2019t play the game, again.<\/p>\n

The parallels are obvious: Michael Jordan had to face the inevitable, as in any other profession. Retirement blues \u2014 a definitive outcome, which is so easy to talk about, not accept. Only a few acquiesce to the demands of the unavoidable \u2018rote\u2019 \u2014 sans a \u2018gritty\u2019 grunt. Needless to say, Jordan often said no; and, then he said, yes. He had to \u2014 to keep his own sense of Platonian axiom, or divine frenzy, going.<\/p>\n

Now, to the essence of this piece, a tribute to the greatest of them all \u2014 the magic that made Jordan, Jordan.<\/p>\n

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 17, 1963, MJ got hooked to the game at age 12. He played basketball throughout his high school days with a rare kind of penchant and proficiency. He was, within no time, thought to be someone special. All thanks to his supreme confidence, not over-confidence, and discernible basketball skills, aside from his truly original, infinite component \u2014 stupendous ball sense.<\/p>\n

For over thirteen seasons, Jordan, Chicago Bulls\u2019 star, was the monarch of what he surveyed. His was a saga like no other. If there never were a Jordan, the movies would surely have conjured him up. For no small reason. Because, Jordan\u2019s life was full of drama, made-for-media-moments, juxtaposed by an incredible basketball talent and plethora of achievements, which were no less unique. Yes, they\u2019re unmistakably awesome, and dazzlingly great \u2014 so much so, one would always stop and wonder, Is Jordan Real?<\/em><\/p>\n

MJ won more than a handful of NBA championships, and every individual award you\u2019d, possibly, think of. He broke most scoring records, appeared on TV shows, promoted basketball shoes, and just about every commodity: from soft-drinks, fast-food to batteries, and so on. Not only that. He acted next to cartoon characters, took part in charity and\/or good causes, retired, came back, and retired, and has always been a fine family man. With him in full flow, it\u2019s quite easy to think in terms of a perfect basketball season \u2014 of an equation that\u2019s akin to staging Hamlet<\/em> with the Prince of Denmark \u2014 at the theatre.<\/p>\n

MJ is, doubtless, the most recognisable man on planet Earth \u2014 even to those who may never have seen him in NBA games on TV. Larry Bird, for one, called him \u201cGod, disguised as Michael Jordan,\u201d when \u2018Magic\u2019 MJ scored 63 points against the Celtics in the 1986 play-off. As a matter of fact, to every basketball fan, MJ is an icon, ‘The Shot,’ or the buzzer-beating falling down game-winner, with more than an element of self-regulated consistency. For kids, MJ\u2019s one of their childhood friends \u2014 always the Mr Dependable in their fanciful dreams. Most important: what\u2019s made Jordan so much loved and powerful is the general realisation that he\u2019s not like other celebrities. The essence of his enormous appeal is clean and direct, in conjunction with his immense love for the game. Also, include his matchless accomplishments \u2014 and, you\u2019ve Jordan in a league of his own.<\/p>\n

That MJ credits his parents for most of his successes was apparent. His parents grew up in the South \u2014 in the midst of troubled racial conflicts and civil rights movement. They instilled work ethics in him \u2014 \u201cJudge yourself by what you are, not by the colour of your skin.\u201d In so doing, they actualised a kind of environment for their children. Much of what Jordan has achieved, or will continue to achieve, owes its origins to such an upbringing.<\/p>\n

MJ lives basketball. His father, a basketball buff, had a small court built in the backyard for his kids \u2014 just the perfect thing to do for one to get into the groove, or the enchanting ambience of the game. Naturally, MJ had to play. And, play he did with a great degree of excitement, and flair. Also, being the fourth of five kids, he was always thrown in to face challenges, as it were. This explains for his classy motif: \u201cChallenge is what makes you better.\u201d<\/p>\n

For MJ, the basketball court had always been the heart of the universe: a spectrum of consciousness, the eye of the spirit, and of life itself. In the seminary, Jordan averaged 17.7 points. He just did it. How? In his own words: \u201cStrictly from desire and ability. I learned on my own by watching. I wasn\u2019t taught fundamentals until college.\u201d Quite truly, college-basketball, to MJ, was what the falling apple was to Newton. It was a regimented atmosphere, all right. But \u2014 it rubbed on him. As MJ recalls: \u201cIt taught me how to be a team player; how to lay it out on the line for the team. The education of skills was, by far, the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s MJ\u2019s most treasured philosophy \u2014 the mark of his magnetism? \u201cBasketball\u2019s just a game, a game that I want to win. If I\u2019m playing you in golf, for example, I don\u2019t have to play for anything. We can play for pride. That\u2019s enough. But \u2014 I am going to try to beat you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not that MJ isn\u2019t a gambler. He certainly is. In so doing, he\u2019d always sought out new ways to challenge himself \u2014 to become better and better, and better than the best. Himself. In fellow-player Karl Malone\u2019s words: \u201cHe\u2019s the players\u2019 player. He\u2019s the man you watch when you\u2019re not playing. Sometimes you watch him do a move and you think: I wish he could do that again. He\u2019s unbelievable. He\u2019s the greatest.\u201d Facts, yes. Not superlatives \u2014 a realistic analysis of a man who has scored over 30,000 career points in a fantastic hunt for control of the ball on court.<\/p>\n

MJ, who\u2019s also a golf enthusiast, is the finest player ever to play basketball. He\u2019s also a living manifestation, a man whose motivation and drive are truly unique \u2014 like his god-given skills. What\u2019s most extraordinary about him is his eagerness to open himself up, and say, \u201cHey, I\u2019m human too.\u201d That\u2019s also his greatness \u2014 a legend, who respects basketball much more than anything else.<\/p>\n

There won\u2019t be another like him \u2014 again.<\/p>\n

\u2014 This is an unpublished piece plucked from my <\/em>Article Archives<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR When \u2018His Airness,\u2019 Michael \u2018Magic\u2019 Jordan, or just MJ, the King Arthur of Basketball, made his final bow from the game, his legion of fans was happy, elated, and, maybe, sad. Happy, because Jordan had given them a million moments to showcase memories of his true greatness; elated, because they\u2019d now cherish recollections […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-compass"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2278"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2280,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278\/revisions\/2280"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}