Getty LeBron James passed Michael Jordan on the career points list.
Michael Jordan is one of the greatest to ever lace ’em up.
While on the court, Jordan won six championships and a sneaker that everybody wanted. Post playing career, he has a statue in the United Center in Chicago and is the majority of the Charlotte Hornets.
LeBron James is still writing his story but the story is stellar: three championships and a triple double threat every night on the court as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Derrick Rose, the league’s yongest Most Valuable Player in 2011, had a stellar career before suffering multiple ACL and MCL injuries that changed the trajectory of his career. The first pick in the 2008 Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Rose is a native of the city’s South Side.
Jordan, James and Rose all have midwest roots. James and Rose almost became Chicago Bulls teammates in 2010. They’d later be Cleveland Cavaliers teammates.
Jordan set the legacy bar high in Chicago. On a recent episode of the Scoop B Radio Podcast, print legend Robert “Scoop” Jackson revealed things about Jordan, James and Rose’s legacy that are worth some consideration.
Check out a snippet of our Q&A from the Scoop B Radio Podcast below:
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Robert “Scoop” Jackson on Scoop B Radio talking all things basketball. I gotta ask this. You covered Allen Iverson for many years and then comes a guy in Chicago by the name of Derrick Rose from the South Side just like yourself and he plays for the hometown Chicago Bulls. I’ve posted this statement a lot and tell me what you think and why or why not it’s true. Two things. One, I believe that Allen Iverson was to Philadelphia was what Derrick Rose to Chicago I also feel like Russell Westbrook is to Oklahoma City is what Allen Iverson to Philadelphia. What say you?
Robert “Scoop” Jackson: I see a big difference. I see where you’re coming from and I think there’s a lot of truth to that and there’s a lot of accuracy to what you’re saying. But I think from a percentage standpoint, I think you’re missing the overall impact that Derrick had in Chicago because he’s from here and the people you’re talking about are not from where they wind up playing basketball at.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: I see that.
Robert “Scoop” Jackson: And that’s where Derrick takes on greater impact and I think his impact in Chicago was greater than theirs happens to be because there is basically surrounding maybe the feel of the city and the identity of an organization, where Derrick goes much more than feel. It goes much than organization. It’s in the concrete of the city because he comes from this concrete. People in Philly weren’t checking for Allen Iverson when he was in grammar school. You get what I’m sayin’? People in Oklahoma City had no idea, they didn’t give a damn who Russell Westbrook was when he was at UCLA. We started talking about Derrick Rose when he was in seventh grade at least. You know what I’m sayin? Cats on the street was like, “Yo Pooh! Yo ya’ll see Pooh?” His first high school game was switched from a gym to the Chicago Pavillion. And he didn’t even play! But it was just the fact that the kid that we had been talking about for 2 years since the seventh, eighth grade was playing his first high school game. So I hear what you’re saying but, I think Derrick was a little bit different. That impact was a little bit greater because he came from here.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Why do you think that people in mainstream media in Chicago downplay Derrick Rose so much?
GettyDetroit Pistons guard Derrick Rose
Robert “Scoop” Jackson: That’s a good question. That is really good question. I think if I have to give you an in- the-moment quick thought answer looking back why it was, probably because of the shadow that Mike has cast. Mike’s shadow is huge man…you don’t even know. You have to really live here especially at that time to understand. Let’s go back to LeBron. LeBron didn’t play up under any shadow in Cleveland. There was no cast shadow like I said before that was his. So when the media started telling LeBron’s story especially on the local level, it was easy. Especially basketball. No disrespect to Brad Doughtery or Mark Price or hell, we can go back to….we can way way back to who was ballin’ with the Cavaliers back in the day. And their shadow still wasn’t that of Jordan’s. It wasn’t historical like that. So could you imagine the how the media felt about anointing this Chicago kid in the same arena, and the same uniform, same organization that you know, you got to walk past the statue of this dude. Like a legit statue. This was before Magic’s statue, Kareem’s statue, you know before all these statues! Did they give Michael a statue before he retired? [laughs]…
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Yup. Yup. They did
Robert “Scoop” Jackson: Okay so you get what I’m sayin’ then. That shadow is laaaaaarrrrrrge…That shadow is large. So I think that’s why they were really hesitant to go all in on Derrick because you’re never going to be this dude [Michael Jordan]…And in our minds, it’s like the Skip Bayless theory on LeBron James. I don’t hate LeBron James, I just love Michael Jordan. There’s nothing you can do you know it’s like the old folks talking about Sugar Ray Robinson. Like it’s, “Man that Ali cat he’s nothing. Ain’t nobody sweeter than Sugar Ray!”… Sugar Ray in his life in some people’s eyes, there is never going to be a replacement. Ever. And I think Derrick Rose is really under that shadow and it took mainstream media, especially local mainstream media a long time to even acknowledge this dude man. A long time.