“Michael Jordan, we watched the Pistons tackle him, Isiah wouldn’t shake his hand”

Michael Jordan retired from the NBA nearly two decades ago, but he remains incredibly popular among millions of basketball fans. Nearly everyone who saw him play in his prime would argue that nobody in the history of the game played better than “His Airness.”

MJ, however, didn’t get to the top of the totem pole of NBA basketball without going through serious growing pains, both literally and figuratively. Colin Cowherd, on his podcast, stated that Jordan’s on-court and off-court struggles allowed fans to identify themselves with the basketball superstar.

Here’s Cowherd on why Michael Jordan is such a beloved figure in American sports:

“Michael Jordan, we watched the Pistons tackle him, Isiah [Thomas] wouldn’t shake his hand. We watched the Celtics tackle him, we watched the death of his father, we watched the ‘Comeback,’ we watched the ‘Flu Game’.”

The analyst added:

“And then we watched the documentary where he’s fighting with his general manager. I think a big part of the Michael Jordan love is he got his a** kicked a lot and he lost a lot, personally and professionally. Makes Michael so much easier to embrace.”

@ColinCowherd: “The Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls are the most beloved team in the history of my life & perhaps the history of the country.”

Colin Cowherd details why the 90’s Bulls were the only sports dynasty ever that nearly ??? fans adored. ihr.fm/2UQLixF

?@ColinCowherd: “The Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls are the most beloved team in the history of my life & perhaps the history of the country.”Colin Cowherd details why the 90’s Bulls were the only sports dynasty ever that nearly ??? fans adored. ihr.fm/2UQLixF

Jordan entered pro basketball when the NBA was ruled by Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson’s LA Lakers. He also had to contend with the Detroit Pistons, who were more popularly known as “The Bad Boys.”

Dubbed Chicago’s savior, the North Carolina superstar carried the massive expectations of a success-starved city on his skinny shoulders. Glory, however, would have to be paid in sweat and blood in Jordan’s first six years in the NBA.

38 years ago today, the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan with the third pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.

38 years ago today, the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan with the third pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. https://t.co/geGAthUdIU

The Chicago Bulls, during that span, lost to the Milwaukee Bucks once, twice to the Celtics and thrice to Isiah Thomas’ Detroit Pistons. Michael Jordan’s battles with the Pistons were legendary in almost every way possible.

“The Bad Boys” created the Jordan Rules, which were built on bruising physical play that bordered on being dirty, to stop MJ. Jordan literally took his lumps on three straight postseason defeats to the Pistons.

Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Dennis Rodman and Thomas consistently punished the Bulls’ best player, particularly when MJ drove to the basket.

MJ flipped a switch following the Bulls’ three straight playoff losses to the Pistons.

After getting beat up by Detroit’s “Jordan Rules,” MJ found ways to score without dribbling the basketball.

bit.ly/2VXRMLX

MJ flipped a switch following the Bulls’ three straight playoff losses to the Pistons.After getting beat up by Detroit’s “Jordan Rules,” MJ found ways to score without dribbling the basketball.? bit.ly/2VXRMLX https://t.co/u0FsdRfEZJ

Jordan, however, didn’t quit. Despite the relentless battering, he only kept getting better and stronger physically and mentally. When MJ’s Bulls’ finally matured, there was no stopping them. They took everything the Pistons dished at them and rolled on.

After six years of heartbreaking failure, “His Airness” was finally an NBA champion. The extremely difficult path to his first title just made the Bulls’ success that much more enjoyable and satisfying.

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Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls paid their dues and then ruled NBA ‘90s basketball

There was no stopping “His Airness” once he got past the Detroit Pistons as he led the Chicago Bulls to their first grand slam. His trifecta of NBA titles, however, didn’t look as important when his father was murdered.

Stunned by the death of his confidant and biggest fan in James Jordan, MJ retired from basketball and had a brief fling with baseball.

The stage was then set for the “Comeback,” and Millions of basketball fans went wild when Jordan announced his return to the NBA.

MJ played only 17 regular-season games during the 1994-95 season and wasn’t at his best in the playoffs. The Bulls were eliminated by Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic in six games.

With a full training camp and preseason, Michael Jordan was once again on top of the NBA with the start of another three-year championship run. The Bulls were unable to defend their last title as the late GM Jerry Krause decided to disband the most dominant team of the ‘90s.

Many shared Jordan’s struggles and success. They saw themselves in MJ’s unbending will to overcome whatever obstacles were thrown at him to succeed in his craft. It’s for this reason that the next generation of players that came into the NBA idolized the six-time champ.

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By the time Jordan retired, he wasn’t just a basketball player. He was a global icon who had become a beloved figure in American sports and that remains the case today.