ORLANDO -- LeBron James can stop wearing his No. 23 if he wants -- in deference to Michael Jordan -- but asking the rest of the league to follow his lead is only showing his immaturity.Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was asked Friday morning about James' request, and he didn't hesitate to say he thinks the idea is misplaced.
"It's a nice gesture, but he (Jordan) is not Jackie Robinson. Baseball did it because it had historical significance,'' Van Gundy said. "There actually were guys before Michael who could play the game. Then you should retire numbers that (Bill) Russell, Wilt (Chamberlain), and certainly Oscar (Robertson) wore. I understand LeBron didn't grow up watching those guys, but still. ''
"I wasn't in the banner department,'' he said. "I'm just not one of those guys who thinks unquestionably that he (Jordan) was the best player of all time. I don't buy that. We've had a lot of great players at a lot of positions, so what are you going to do? Retire all the numbers, and pretty soon our guys will be wearing No. 327 because all the two-digit numbers are gone.''
James made his request after his Cavs beat the Heat in Miami Thursday night with Jordan in the stands sitting alongside Pat Riley, Heat president.
"Michael was a great player, and if the NBA wants to decide that every other team in the league has to worship him, then that's up to them,'' Van Gundy said. "Would I be for that? No.''
Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Amen SVG.
MICHAEL JORDAN IS THE BEST THATS EVER PLAYED THE GAME---- NEXT IN LINE AND REAL CLOSE IS KOBE BRYANT. VANGUNDY IS JUST JEALOUS HE DOESN'T HAVE 10 WORLD CHAMPION RINGS LIKE PHIL JACKSON WHOM COACHED THE BEST TWO PLAYERS THAT EVER DRIBBLED A BASKET BALL.
Sounds like SVG is a MJ hater.
jordan get in line behind larry bird ,magic johnson
Ya Jordan was big in Chicago, but the rest of the free living world hated him.
SVG hit the nail on the head,that ballhog MIGHT be 4th behind Oscar,Bill,and Wilt.
stop that
I can honestly say this is the first time I've agreed with SVG...now I imagine there's hope for the middle east now that this paradigm shift has occurred...
This is why Stan is the man. Good thing he said this after Jordan's retirement speech. He might be going to the top of Jordans enemies list.
Yet another Tim P. Article where he found an opportunity to bash Lebron/Cavs.
I think the negative response in the Ziller article and this one to James` gesture is more than just James Gang bashing, and do more to the implicit comparison of Jordan with Robinson than due to feelings about the Cavs and James. Russ is a better role model for James in some ways, so it is good in some ways his will switch to Russ` number. Russ was more a Jackie Robinson like figure than Jordan. Jordan was amusing for some in his Friar`s roast like acceptance speech for the Hall of Fame. But it was also a reminder of how UNlike Robinson and Russell Jordan is. Russ, as an athlete still, was the first black coach in the Nba. But even coming out of college, he would shake hands, not sign autographs, until long after he retired. He wanted the focus on winning, not on him. Jordan pioneered nothing, and James is pioneering nothing. Both are merely highly marketed, good basketball players. Wilt also pioneered. In Kansas, the law segragated, so Wilt risked arrest going to things like white restaurants. Turned out, the Kansas folks just served him, and the segragation eventually was repealed from the books. James deserved to be MVP last year, and may win a championship, his first, this year. I hope he has a bright future. It isn`t his fault the media has been mainly kissing up to him, when he only showed potential, not results. I don`t think Jackie should be perverted into an icon either. He was just a man, a good baseball player, and a racial token, the first black man accepted in white baseball. His number being retired was about racism, not baseball, so maybe it was the NAACP which should have retired his number, and should retire Russ` number, not the MLB, NBA. We`ll see if James leaves his team the way Terry Mills did, when his coach did to him what James` coach did to James. But he isn`t speaking up about it so far. He isn`t pressing for civil rights, just indiviual success, so far.
Jordan was a great player. Kobe is better, no doubt about it. Was MJ the greatest? Not better than Kareem, or Wilt, or Bill Russell. He absolutely was not better than Oscar Robertson or Jerry West. Believe it or not, LeBron will be better than MJ when he hangs up his Nike's.
Hero worship is not healthy.
wow you really are a retard
Kobe is better? I agree with youngcnyce1, you truly are a retard.
Kobe freakin raped a girl and should be in jail right now
Who's achieved more than Michael Jordan? Who's won 6 Championships and was the MVP those 6 times. Remember, the NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's number. Think about that. It's actually a good idea.
I hate the Celtics. But Bill Russell was number 6 and won 11 titles in 13 years. Noboby will EVER beat that.
Who's achieved more than Michael Jordan? How about Russell....Bill is one of the 50 greatest players of all time he has 5 MVP awards and has won 11 championships in 13 years and coached the Celtics to two of those championships
wayne is the great one in a sport where there isnt alot of greats.
Have you ever heard of Kareem abdul Jabbar and Bill Russell, players who actually achieved more than Jordan?
the NHL retired Gretzky's number because he broke a gazillion NHL records, something Jordan didnt do in that feat. Gretzky also wont just as many rings as Jordan, but its the records he broke that propbrably no one will catch and thats why Gretzky is more honored than MJ. Bill Russell won more like 12 championships, so maybe they should retire his number too.
Players from the past paved the way for MJ. Jordan isnt a basketball god. Bird & Magic saved the NBA from going bankrupt when they were rookies and thats where Jordan came in 5 years later.