Many are amazed at the longevity of Michael Jordan’s impact on the NBA.
Kids still buy his shoes nearly 30 years after his retirement. Players continue to look to him for inspiration. That was evident with Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards’ comments after Thursday’s victory against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Edwards credited watching tapes of Jordan for his 44-point performance.
“My trainer told me to blackout tonight,” Edwards said after the game. “So I tried to do that. We [were] watching—I know people [are] gonna love this but he sent me MJ videos every day about blacking out.”
“And I think MJ said something like, ‘Why would I worry about a miss if I haven’t took the shot yet?’ So he be sending me stuff like that. I appreciate him.”
DO THE LAKERS HAVE THE NEXT PAT RILEY?
The chatter began the moment the Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick as coach last summer.
There were several reports and comments about how the Lakers felt Redick was a “Pat Riley-like” hire. After one season, Redick is at least on the same level as Riley. The Lakers have already reached 50 wins in Redick’s first season coaching a team that now includes LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Still, Redick has a long way to go to reach the realm of Riley.
He led the Lakers to a 50-21 record his first year as coach in 1981. Behind Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals. Riley later led the Lakers to three more titles before leaving the organization with a lasting legacy.
Now, Redick is in position to do the same. Guess the Lakers made the right decision. At least for now.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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