Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, January 19, 1999
Jordan's retirement ends legacy of sports excellence
By Matt Tait
Kansan sportswriter
It had to end sometime
On Wednesday, January 13, a day basketball fans will remember forever, Michael Jordan retired saying he was mentally exhausted and felt there were no challenges remaining for him in the NBA.
Jordan said he was at peace with his decision.
After 13 glorious seasons of grazing the NBA and the world with his talent, acrobatics and professionalism, Jordan walked away from the game he mastered.
While many were not surprised by Jordan's decision, some are saddened by his departure and left wondering if the NBA can survive without His Airness.
KU men's assistant coach, Matt Doherty, who was a teammate of Jordan's at North Carolina, has nothing but pleasant memories of Jordan's career.
"I look at this as a time to celebrate the career of one of the most magnificent athletes in the history of sports," he said. "The game will sorely miss him. He is a great man."
Women's basketball player Suzi Raymant expressed similar sentiments.
"It's sad because I love the
Bulls. They're my favorite team, and they're coming apart," Raymant said. "But I think it's great when an athlete goes out on top like he did."
Jordan retired once before in 1993, citing that he had nothing
tried to prove in basketball. Shortly after, he pursued a career in baseball but had little success.
He struggled for the short time he was with the minor league team the Birmingham Barons, and
Jordan: Retired after 13 NBA seasons
in 1995, he announced he would return to the Chicago Bulls.
Wearing number 45 in his first game back, Jordan returned in full force, scoring 19 points in a Bulls' loss. That season the Bulls were beaten in the playoffs by the Orlando Magic. That series marked the last time the Bulls were bounced from the playoffs in the Jordan era.
Jordan, along with a dreamteam cast including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Phil
Jackson went on to lead the Bulls back to the promise land, ending his career with three straight NBA championships. His last shot, a title-clinching game winner, is one that many people are calling their favorite.
"The favorite memory will be the last one," said Roy Williams, Kansas men's basketball coach. "I mean, again, making that shot. It's a little bit of a special deal with me because my players right now, the thing I say to them more than anything, when you shoot the basketball is follow through. I used to hammer that to him all the time."
Williams recruited and coached Jordan in college at North Carolina as an assistant under Dean Smith.
Jordan leaves behind him a legacy of achievements. He was a five-time NBA most valuable player, won six world titles and was the MVP of the finals all six times. He was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1985. He is third in all-time scoring behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.
"He alone made people with no interest in basketball watch to see him play," said Brad Frederick, North Carolina basketball player. "That will be tough to replace."
"I think that the true greatness of Michael is that he has these enormous gifts,but he worked so hard to make sure he could be a strong,fundamentally sound player."
—Roy Williams Kansas men's basketball coach and former North Carolina coach of Jordan
"Jordan's retirement is kind of a blow to athletics in general. He is the most recognized athlete in the United States and he will be the most missed.Now there is no
one in the NBA to carry the league like Bird, Magic and Michael did." Scott Williams North Carolina basketball player
"His decision doesn't surprise me. He told me in May that he was done. When I heard that he wasn't working out in the off season, it only confirmed things
because Michael would never go into a season unprepared." — Matt Doherty Kansas men's basketball assistant coach and Jordan's former teammate at North Carolina
"Michael Jordan was the biggest attraction in the NBA for so many years and him being from UNC creates a feeling of pride in him and our school."
Brad Frederick North Carolina basketball player
High-scoring, unselfish forward is truly the Pride of the Jayhawks
By Matt James
Kansas sportwriter
At times she almost seems embarrassed by all the attention.
So it was no surprise as reporters gathered around junior Lynn Pride after last Wednesday's Missouri game and asked her how she felt about reaching the 1,000-point mark, that she looked down and grinned like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. It was as though she had hoped she could go on with the season without anyone noticing.
But achievements like becoming only the 13th player in Kansas women's history to score 1,000 points tend to draw some attention.
Pride laughed and recalled how she didn't even realize she was only 17 points away until a friend told her before the game.
"I was all nervous and scared then," she said.
She said that she was not afraid of achieving a great accomplishment for herself but that she might disappoint her teammates and friends by not reaching the mark in Allen Fieldhouse.
That's just the kind of person she is, quick to shift the focus to others and unimpressed by her own statistics. But while the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year may not be taking herself too seriously, everyone else seems to be.
Nebraska head coach Paul Sanderford said after Saturday's game against the Jayhawks that his team had been prepared to use up to 15 fouls on Pride if that was what it took to slow her down.
"She's a great player," he said. "She's going to get her points no matter what."
Lynn Pride, guard/forward, goes up for a jump shot in a game against Nebraska Saturday night. Earlier in the week, Pride became the 13th player in Kansas women's basketball history to score 1,000 points in her career. Photo by Matt J. Dauchery/KANSAN
So what is it about junior forward Lynn Pride that has her raking in awards, and Big 12 coaches biting their nails at the thought of facing the Jayhawks? The statistics are great — 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game at week's end — but they don't tell the whole story.
"She's a great scorer, great defender and great passer," said sophomore guard Jennifer Jackson. "Teams really have to play a lot of different things when they face her."
Maybe the statistics do tell the story — Pride is currently in the top 10 in the Big 12 Conference in scoring, rebounding, blocks, steals and field goal percentages, a package of size, speed and talent that is nearly impossible to match up against. Opposing coaches struggle with who to put on a forward who handles the ball like a point guard and blocks shots like a center, and knocks down three pointers with ease.
The easy-going star from Arlington, Texas may be shy when it comes to talking about herself, but the minute someone mentions her team, her eyes light up and the competitor in her takes the spotlight.
"I just knew we had to go out there
and win the ball game," she said in the midst of questions about her milestone free throws, which put her at 1,000 points with 5:21 to go in last Wednesday's game.
That Missouri game may be the best indicator of what Pride means to the Jayhawks. Against a tough defense she managed to score 24 points while the rest of her team struggled from the floor, even though she herself was shooting poorly. Then with the game on the line she hit two clutch free throws to give the Jayhawks the lead for good. And as if all that weren't enough, she
blocked a three-point attempt in the final seconds that would have tied the game.
"I knew I could make them, so I was real confident going to the line," she said of her game-winning free throws. "I like being in that position because everyone's counting on you."
So much for being reserved.
So what's next for Kansas' Naiismith Player of the Year candidate? Of course more dazzling plays, but most importantly to her and her teammates — more wins for the Jayhawks.
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