OPINION: I Don't Want to "Be Like Mike"'

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This is an opinion piece and does not reflect the feelings

or thoughts of all the writers at The Walk On Blog.

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“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

This quote by legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden completely underscores my biggest complaint about ESPN’s The Last Dance. The documentary at its core was a reputation securing, propaganda filled program that twisted the narrative of the person of Michael Jordan.

For those who may have missed it, The Last Dance was a 10-part docuseries based around the final championship run for Michael Jordan and his infamous Bulls teams of the 90s. The series also delved into his brand, his father, and some of the scandals that surrounded him.

However, it was always Jordan who had the last word.

“’The Last Dance’ does not merely document the final days of Jordan’s Bulls—it inhabits Jordan’s personality, assumes his grievances, settles his beef,” Bradford Davis said in a column for the New York Daily News. “Yeah, it will address some uncomfortable topics, but you can always tell who’s steering the conversation.”

Every bit and piece of the documentary was twisted to support Jordan’s reputation. Every scandal was downplayed, mainly by Jordan, who always had the final remarks. Every opposing claim was dismissed and disrespected.

While Jordan was busy protecting his reputation as one of the greatest players of all-time, we got the chance to see his true character.

Jordan was a ruthless competitor, and it was seen all throughout the series. Stories of him playing through injury, taking on the greats, and battling tough opposition were weaved in-and-out of the episodes.

But grit, competition, and drive are not what define great character; the way you treat others is.

Unless you personally bought into his mission, Jordan was not a fan of you. This was evident in the sequence that wrapped up episode seven. During this time, Jordan displays emotion while describing his mentality.

“Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game, and I wasn’t going to take anything less,” Jordan said through tears. “When people see this, they’re going to say, well, he wasn’t really a nice guy, he may have been a tyrant, well that’s you, because you never won anything. If you don’t want to play that way… don’t play that way.”

Jordan cared about winning more than he cared about other people. This claim is shown in the way he treated several of his teammates throughout the years. The series showed countless evidences of bullying and intimidation that Jordan would use on his teammates as “motivation” for them to improve.

Tex Winter was an assistant coach on the Bulls staff during their unprecedented run. He claims Jordan’s treatment of others hurt a lot of people.

“I think he expects too much from his teammates,” Winter said. “No doubt, an awful lot of the players he’s played with in the past, at least in their own minds, believe he alienated them; they’ve resented the treatment they’ve received.”

Jordan was seen purposely going out of the way to destroy the confidence of others, even his own teammates. He constantly went after his teammate Scott Burrell with jabs and insults. He even targeted Tony Kukoč, his future teammate, in an Olympic match in an attempt to humble him.

Beyond his treatment of others, the docuseries made Jordan to appear emotionally distant from his peers. This came through as Steve Kerr began sharing his experience relating to his father’s unfortunate and untimely murder.

Knowing that Jordan’s father had also been senselessly killed, the interviewer asked Kerr if they had ever talked about it and connected through it. Kerr said no.

Jordan also called Scottie Pippen selfish for wanting to be compensated fairly for his contributions. Jordan at the time was making over $30 million a year.

All of this shows a lack of respect for others fueled by a desire to be great.

“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness,” Anne Frank once said.

The phrase “Be Like Mike” involves becoming the greatest brand, competitor, and athlete that you can be. Those things do not matter in the end. This is where the difference in greatness lies.

Jordan’s greatness can be defined by championships, statistics, and passion. But true greatness comes from your character and treatment of others. That is how I want to be known.

And that is why I have no interest in being like Mike.

Author: Jason Prill