When Jordan returned after his first retirement, it did not come as much of a surprise. He had not exactly set the world of baseball on fire. We admired him all the more for his noble though ill fated attempt to fulfill a childhood dream, and welcomed him back with open arms to where he has always belonged. Without missing a beat, Jordan promptly rewarded his fans’ loyalty by returning the Chicago Bulls to championship form. Not even the distracting presence of his ever so bizarre new teammate Dennis Rodman could pull our eyes away from the spectacle of a lower flying but no less dominant Michael Jordan. With a revamped playing style tailor made to exploit the considerable gifts still at his disposal, he led the Bulls to a second threepeat with even greater ease than he had the first time around. When he presumably concluded his remarkable run of brilliance with a steal followed by the winning shot of NBA title #6, it seemed that Jordan had given his devotees all he had to bestow. The subsequent disbanding of the invinciBulls appeared to seal the deal. We had seen his magic performed before our mystified eyes for the very last time. A new generation of hardwood heroes would now take over. Players like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson proved themselves eager to fill the void left by Jordan’s departure. Basketball did indeed have a pulse after his Airness traded in his sneakers, shorts and tank top for a seat in the owner’s box.
The aforementioned Bryant and Iverson, along with Shaq, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and others, were quite capable of keeping seats and highlight reels filled. The Los Angeles Lakers gracefully replaced the Bulls as the NBA’s next dynasty, even if they had to do it with Chicago’s former coach leading the way. New individual and team rivalries stepped up to the forefront as previous ones faded. Thought perhaps not quite as successful as when #23 was at its helm, David Stern’s ship managed to stay afloat nicely. Players, teams and fans alike were able to move on. But as it turned out, Michael Jordan was not.
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