Michael Jordan -- in his own words

[Da_Realist]

I decided to post parts of a couple of interviews that SLAM magazine did with MJ that sheds more light on his career than his Hall of Fame Induction speech did.

Quotes taken from a special collector

[Da_Realist]

Scoop Jackson -- July, 1996

SLAM: If you only had $5, who would you pay to see play ball?

MJ: I would pay to see Scottie Pippen play. I think he is the ultimate team player. A guy that can score, pass, rebound and play defense. I also think he

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Heilige]

Thanks! Is this magazine on sell?

[Da_Realist]

Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson – November, 1997 (cont)

SLAM: When you first came in, you ended up playing with George Gervin, right?

MJ: I played with Gervin my second year, after I broke my foot. My first year…

SLAM: Orlando Woolridge…

MJ: Orlando, Quintin Dailey. All those guys.

SLAM: What’d you learn from those guys?

MJ: You really want to know?

SLAM: Sure.

MJ: Not to be like them [laughs]. You know, go out there and…I learned how to be a leader In all respects. Just try to lead them or help them out of their situation of losing all the time. The attitude was pretty acceptable here, of losing, so I was trying to break the mold.

[Da_Realist]

Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson – November, 1997 (cont)

SLAM: You talk about Magic’s five rings, that being a big plateau and now you…

MJ: Sure, I want to get six.

SLAM: How do you put yourself now, with Bird and Magic?

MJ: I don’t put myself above them. I think that we’re all on parallel ground here. You know, they educated me about a lot of things about the game, from a team standpoint. So I can’t put myself above…I mean, people try to, but we played in different eras. I had an opportunity to go against them, in the peak of their careers, while I was still young. And I went against them, when I was at the peak of mine, when they was on the other end. So it was a passing of trends there, and we never had the opportunity to play against each other in peak years. You know, so it’s hard to say that I’m above them, by no means. I like to consider myself parallel to them.

SLAM: What was it like, finally playing with them in the Olympics?

MJ: A lot of fun. I wanted to do that, because I wanted to see the work ethics of all the athletes that were on the highest level of stardom. Some people lived up to it, and some people didn’t. In terms of the way I perceived it.

[juju151111]

[QUOTE=Da_Realist]Scoop Jackson -- July, 1996

SLAM: If you only had $5, who would you pay to see play ball?

MJ: I would pay to see Scottie Pippen play. I think he is the ultimate team player. A guy that can score, pass, rebound and play defense. I also think he

[TheAnchorman]

The man has mad respect for Scottie Pippen. I can't think of any other player he respects more, besides maybe (David Thompson?).

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson

[Da_Realist]

[B][I]Ryan Jones

[Da_Realist]

Ryan Jones – August, 2006 (cont)

SLAM: You played on the original – well, the only real Dream Team –

MJ: Thank you for saying that. [Laughs]

SLAM: Yeah, I always catch myself. There’s only been one, only will be one. But if you could create a “dream team” of guys from your era, you and four other guys, who do you put around you?

MJ: Oooh – In our era? That’s tough…the point guard is Magic Johnson, without a doubt. I would have a tought time at the small forward position, because that’s Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird and splitting ‘em…

SLAM: If I give you a sixth man, you can go with that?

MJ: Yeah, I can go with that. At the power forward…Charles [Barkley] is gonna be mad, but I know Charles never played defense. Man, that’s another tough one…At center, I’d go with Olajuwon, that’s without a doubt. I mean, I never saw Jabbar in his prime, and Patrick, and I love Patrick, but I would have to say the versatility of where the game was going, Olajuwon was by far the best at the center position. And even Shaq, he’s the dominant center of today, but if you ask him back when he first came in, if he doesn’t say Olajuwon then he’s got a little amnesia. At the four, you’re talking Kevin McHale, you’re talking Karl Malone and then you’re talking about James Worthy. I’ma take James because I’m a Carolina guy.