Classy All the Way to the Buzzer

It was Michael Jordan’s microphone Wednesday, and the sports icon could have used it to heap praise upon himself. Few would have quibbled; you can get away with self-adulation when you personally have generated an estimated $10 billion in the world economy. But that’s not Jordan’s style. He began his retirement press conference with a nod to a Chicago beat cop named John C. Knight.

Knight was fatally shot Saturday during a traffic stop. He died that night, leaving behind a wife and three children. It was on Jordan’s mind. The basketball superstar seemed almost embarrassed at the media mob he commanded.

“There’s a lot of other serious things happening in the world,” Jordan said in remarking on the fallen officer, whose funeral was taking place in another part of the city. “I think that puts a lot of things in perspective in terms of what life is really about. . . . I’d like to pass on my condolences from my family to his.”

There will be all manner of summations and arguments today on Jordan’s incomparable 13-year professional career. But, again, it was a modest Jordan who offered up the best dish to the assembled press: “My responsibility has been to play the game of basketball and relieve some of the pressure of everyday life for people who work 9 to 5, and I’ve tried to do that to the best of my abilities.”

Sports marketers are desperate to create or discover “the next Michael Jordan.” But there are no other Michael Jordans. This is an athlete whose thoughtful approach to fame offers the best guidance on what professional sports in general ought to be looking for. As Jordan so aptly demonstrated again Wednesday, the many aspirants to the throne of “His Airness” need to understand that it takes more than slam dunks to inspire lasting fan loyalty and admiration.