Hello everyone! This week in my series of posts I would like to go back to our youth. Especially to mine :). Everybody has their own "Heroes" from young age - singer, sportsman, actor etc. Each post will be dedicated to one of my favourite idol. I divided this into three categories: Sport, Film, Music. Today we start with sport.
It wasn't an easy decision which athlete was my favourite one. First idea was Michael Johnson. American sprinter who made great impression on me in 1996 Summer Olympic in Atlanta. He won 200 meters final and 400 meters. But to be honest now I can only remember first one. 200 meters final sprint with world record and extraordinary commentary by Włodzimerz Szaranowicz(unfortunately it is deleted from YouTube). Next on my list was Marek Cito. Polish football player. I had some posters with him on my walls. I have watched many games on TV with him for few years. He has always impressed me. But was only the one sportsman who I can't forget.
Air Jordan
Best basketball player all the time.
- 6 time NBA champion
- 6 time NBA Finals MVP
- 2 gold medals in Olympic Games
- 5 time NBA Regular Season MVP
- 14 time NBA All-Star
- Rookie of the Year
- NBA Hall-of-Fame
Known as Michael Jeffrey Jordan. The first thing I can remember about "His Airness" is 1998 NBA Finals Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz. I was only twelve and getting up at 2-3 a.m wasn't easy thing. TV on parents' room was the biggest challenge. But it was worth it. Chicago Bulls won championship and Michael made the greatest and most famous basketball play in history.
Many people say that Jordan made a foul on Bryon Russell. But who cares, it was the greatest play made by the greatest player. Even Byron agrees with that. "To me, that's the greatest play in basketball history. It will stay that way because he will always be the greatest player to play the game. I didn't mind. But the referees didn't make the call on the push off. It's long done and gone. It was a call that wasn't made on a play that was great."
Things that you may not know
Michael attended Laney High school in Wilmington, North Carolina, but as skinny sophomore, he was cut from the basketball team. The coach Clifton Herring thought he was not promising player. Michael has remembered that and on Hall-of-Fame Speech said "I wanted to make sure you understood: You made a mistake, dude." :)
He was picked by Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft... you may think with No. 1? No, he was "only" third. First one was as everybody expected those days Hakeem Olajuwon picked by Huston Rockets. The Portland Trail Blazers, however, with the No. 2 pick chose center Sam Bowie. The Blazers bypassed Jordan because just the year before the team selected another exciting shooting guard in Clyde Drexler. Although Drexler went onto to be a star, Bowie was an injury prone player. What happened next everyone knows six-time champ etc.
On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game.
Jordan was introduced to Hall of Fame on September 2009 and he made Jordan-Style speech.
He got a lot of criticism because of this speech. But I love it. It shows us Michael Jordan as a person not a basketball player. This speech tells us a lot about mentality of Jordan.
Famous quotation:
"There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."
-- Magic Johnson
"I'm back"
-- Michael Jordan at press conference about his comeback to NBA. He said this and went out.
And last but not least great commercials with Michael Jordan.
Questions
Who is your favourite sportsman ?
Do you still love your idols from young ages ?
You just wrote about Him :)
ReplyDeleteSo much of hard work and attitude and giving his all heart to do what he does no matter what it is - basketball, baseball, managing a team and coaching.
Even doing some not so great things, it's the person that can motivate any one of us, to get the impossible.
Good point Kamil.
ReplyDeleteFor me it is important to judge sportsman in level of sport. Jordan isn't perfect person. For example, he had same minor problem with hazard, but as a athlete he was brilliant.
I don't have a favourite sportsman and I never had any real idols when I was young.
ReplyDeleteOf course there are some remarkable sportsmen like Jordan, Pele, Lance Armstrong, Schumacher which have at least one thing in common - they are the best.
They achieved it through motivation and hard work and this is in what I believe.
I didn't have a favorite sportsman... Golota was popular when I was young, maybe Schumacher, Jordan? probably too but i didn't care about it:P
ReplyDeleteNeither do I. I don't even have favourite sport. Maybe paintball but is it a real sport?
ReplyDeleteOf course I still love my idols from my youth :) but non of them is the sportsman.
I am afraid I do not have, and I never had any idol. We are all humans and all have merits and flaws, I do not see any reason to glorify anyone.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I have some fictional or imaginary idols who are so unreal and inhuman that they rather seem to represent some specific attribute... . Sorry for off-topic. ;)
Micheal Jordan is a person who followed the rule – if you’re doing something, be the best at it. I think it’s a great rule and it’s good to know that when you work hard you will be awarded and appreciated.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite athlete and idol is the greatest footballer the world were the French team player and multi player Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid. I love him and I think the best sportsman in the world.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, heroes from the 90's. Jordan is a legend in his own league and with world-wide fame, even with people who don't really watch or care for basketball. This just shows how much he has achieved.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I don't care for sports that much and if I'd had to pick a favourite sportsman then I guess it would be Graham Hill, the racing driver from long ago :)
My favourite sportsman is Patrick Kluivert becouse he was a great football player. I like the way he played. He was in my favorite football club but the injury that he took in one of the matches cause that he couldn't be a better player then he was and he couldn't even play as he used too.
ReplyDeleteWho is your favourite sportsman? hmmm that is good question. I am not interested in football, like most people in this world, but recently I have become a big fan of Polish tennis player Agnieszka Radwańska. I hope that she will win all the matches.
ReplyDelete