Michael Jordan faced some of the greatest players of all time, but he also had to fight something else.
Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon were the talking points of the ’80s – their influence on the game started even when they were out of the NBA. They entered the league at a time when the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers had a shootout almost every year.
But apart from the floor battles, there was another type of shooting that was prevalent in the 80s. Guns, drugs and women: the three keywords for any tabloid to build their stories. That was the reality, a reality that not even sports leagues could escape.
Players like Spencer Haywood and Len Bias fell victim to the overlord that is cocaine. While Haywood only passed out, Bias lost his life. Touted as Jordan’s cap, he didn’t make it to the NBA. The ’80s were a really terrible time to be young, but Jordan managed to stay out of trouble.
“Geniuses are allowed one vice”, as Sherlock Holmes once said. Jordan wasn’t as smart as he was, but he opted to smoke cigars and goof around on the floor.
Also read: “They saw Mike and kicked us out”: Michael Jordan was once kicked out of a pool for being African-American
TV shows shouldn’t treat drug lords like heroes; however, Pablo Escobar and El Chapo remain one.
The 1980s were notorious for the prevalence of drugs. It was a time when white nose powder cost less than flour to make bread. show how drug traffickers have romanticized drug lords and their rise to power, but the harsh reality of broken families doesn’t translate well enough into the real world.
Not that there isn’t a growing problem now, but the ’70s and ’80s had famous people involved in the hard stuff. Lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and many dentists were happy their business was booming.
The purchasing power of a normal American citizen was at an all time high, and all they wanted to do was drug themselves. They weren’t creative in naming the substances, but they had the most ingenious ways of incorporating them.
The NBA has come a long way since the notorious ’80s: its revolution began with Michael Jordan.
Having Michael Jordan enter the peak of the rampant epidemic that was “drug addiction” was a blessing in disguise. Jordan was there for one thing: to play basketball. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, he was used by the league to shift the image of him away from being a center for substance abuse.
Salaries could have been higher in the early years of the league, to be sure, but then they would only be feeding player funds for more drugs.
People in general have also become more aware: they know what legal trouble they can get into. The FBI may have been accused of certain things 40 years ago, but it is not so forgiving now. If marijuana is legalized in all 50 states, the transformation will be complete.
As for the NBA, the light that Michael Jordan gave it was enough to bring it out of the shadows. Today, it is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, and with good reason.
Also Read: Can Zion Williamson Replicate Michael Jordan’s Greatness After Returning From Injury?
