by Marcas Grant
Last week, LeBron James said he would change his number from 23 to 6 as part of a petition for a league-wide retirement of the number as an honor to Michael Jordan.
The idea that someone as influential to the NBA should be honored is laudable. Certainly there is a whole generation of players worldwide that were motivated to excel in the game thanks to His Airness. Who knows if we'd have Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or even Dirk Nowitzki in The Association if we'd never seen the high-flying, tongue-wagging Jordan dominating the league in the 80s and 90s?
But is that enough to prevent any player from ever again wearing #23? Michael was a phenomenon on the court and became a marketing icon like none other, yet he wasn't the greatest winner in league history. Try Bill Russell and his 11 rings. He is the league's third-leading scorer, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. And Michael never had the overall impact on either the college or pro games that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did (the NBA Finals were tape-delayed until 1982, when Magic and Larry were starting to come into their own).
Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson's number because of his far-reaching contributions to both baseball and American society as a whole. Wayne Gretzky's impact on hockey was so great that his trade to Los Angeles was considered a traitorous act to the country of Canada. If Michael Jordan had finished his career with the Toronto Raptors, would any senators have threatened legislation to block the deal?
Jerry West was a legendary player on the court and handled himself with class away from it. Michael Jordan had some very high-profile foibles when he wasn't on the hardwood. Even the day he was inducted into the Hall of Fame - a day that should have been the pinnacle of his professional life - Jordan used the opportunity to humiliate most everyone influential in his career.
Michael Jordan was a once-in-a-generation type player. But so was Babe Ruth and no one has suggested pulling all of the number 3 jerseys out of baseball clubhouses around the country. If LeBron James wants to honor Jordan by no longer wearing his number, he is well within his right. There are plenty of ways to salute Michael's accomplishments, but to suggest that every other player in the league follow suit in perpetuity, I think we've gone a little out of bounds.
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