Michael Jordan: #67 on the FanSided Fandom 250
Michael Jordan and his apparel empire ring in high on FanSided Fandom 250 list.
Michael Jordan has been the NBA’s standard bearer for more than thirty years now. Perhaps the game is moving toward LeBron James now, but His Airness’ shadow looms large. For that reason and others, Michael Jordan found a place on the FanSided Fandom 250 list at 67, a full twenty spots higher than the North Carolina Tar Heels that he played for.
Jordan is still very visible in the basketball scene even now. He is the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. He took some missteps in the early days of owning the franchise, which also marked some of the issues he had with the Washington Wizards front office. Now the team has been in the playoffs consistently and looking for more success around Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum.
Jordan is still an icon for his apparel licensing. Nike and Air Jordans are synonymous with basketball shoes and are still coveted. Being a Jordan Brand athlete is a big deal to the players who grew up watching Jordan.
More from North Carolina Tar Heels
- NC Colleges Provide Coronavirus Results from Athletic Departments
- UNC Football gets Commitment from Top Cornerback
- Four North Carolina players selected in first round of MLB Draft
- UNC Destroyed by Coach Duggs and Tennessee in NCAA Football 14
- UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heel star calls out Roy Williams
There have been many Jordan ad campaigns over the year. Gatorade, Coke, Nike, Hanes, and McDonalds can all claim to have had iconic Jordan commercials at one time. Although ‘Be Like Mike’ might be the most catchy, my personal favorite were the shooting contests Jordan had with Larry Bird over McDonalds food. Another favorite was older Jordan versus CGI young Jordan, only to have UNC Jordan ask for the next game.
More from Old North Banter
- Carolina Panthers: Secondary battles to watch in training camp 2020
- Carolina Panthers: 2020 training camp kicks off on Tuesday
- NC Colleges Provide Coronavirus Results from Athletic Departments
- Court alleges Zion’s Stepfather received $400k
- UNC Football gets Commitment from Top Cornerback
That does not even touch on the basketball. The shot versus Georgetown. Player of the Year in 1984 in college basketball. The dunk contests. Scoring 63 on the Celtics – the ‘God disguised as Michael Jordan’ game. The shot over Ehlo. Beating Detroit. Collecting the first three titles. MVPs. Dream Team 1992. Retirement. Space Jam. The Return for three more titles. The flu game. Scoring Titles. Defense. Developing his jumper. Retirement 2. The twilight Wizards years.
All of these things combine in one of the great legends that we have. We will probably never have a player exactly like him with the impact that he had. He played complete basketball with a killer instinct like no other.