During his now famous Hall of Fame induction speech, Michael Jordan let us in on his little secret. He gave us a peak of the list of names he kept etched inside his head. That’s right, much like Steve Buscemi did in Billy Madison, MJ kept his own list of names he would never forget.
From the high school coach who declined to put a sophomore MJ on the varsity team to the hapless Utah Jazz guard Bryon Russell, Jordan made sure none of their actions went unnoticed. Whether or not these people actually meant any harm to MJ was of no consequence. The only thing that mattered was Jordan’s perception of their actions.
This was his day to set the record straight, his way of thanking them for providing the extra motivation he needed to destroy them.
The amusing part, of course, is in reality Jordan never had half the detractors he thought he did. It didn’t matter though, because MJ wanted his revenge.
Revenge can push seemingly sane men right off the deep end. It’s why a vengeance obsessed Jack Bauer strapped on full body armor to kidnap President Logan in the final season of 24.
Speaking of, can someone pass please this message along to upper management at Fox: WHY? Why on earth are you cancelling 24? Have you no soul? Are you trying to ruin Monday nights for me? ARE YOU?
I haven’t been this upset about Fox cancelling a show since Arrested Development. But I digress.
Real or imagined, Jordan never let his detractors off the hook. The great ones never do.
Which brings us to Kobe Bryant.
Next Page: Kobe and His List
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