JORDAN IN LEAGUE BY HIMSELF

Remember 1994! The NBA would prefer that you did not. In ’94, Michael Jordan was off playing baseball and the NBA took a demotion. It was just another major sports league, lumped in with the NFL and baseball. . . . Never had one player been so missed. “I’m back” were the sweetest words the NBA ever heard. But nothing lasts forever. So enjoy it while you can. No one has done it better. Not Wilt or Oscar or Magic or Bird or Russell. Five players today have contracts in excess of $100 million. A handful more will soon join the club. None has the first clue about winning. And together, they don’t add up to anything close to Jordan when it comes to a TV rating or marquee value or what the man means to the league.