Max Klau: Black History Month: Honoring The Collective…
BlackVoices History Quest: Los Angeles
It would seem that the last person to criticize Kobe Bryant for not living up to the legacy of Michael Jordan would be either of Jordan's sons. Marcus Jordan, the son of Michael, has spent his entire life being ridiculed for the fact that he never has been or will be even a fraction of what his father once was. No one dogs Marcus out for the fact that he can't live up to Michael, because no one really can. The problem is that Marcus decided that he was going to attack Kobe Bryant (you know, the guy in Los Angeles with five championship rings), for not matching up to his father's playing ability.
On his Twitter page, Marcus decided to tweet the following (I will spell and capitalize exactly the way Marcus posted it):
"NO ONE.....and I mean NO ONE should EVER com par kobe Bryant to my dad an say that he is anywhere near close to my dad He's jagging this game"
Later during the game, ABC posted some statistics comparing Jordan and Bryant in the championship, and Marcus went on to tweet:
"I know y'all just seen the stats too" and "no comparison "
You see, the things that Marcus Jordan says to defend his father are certainly worthy of consideration. Many basketball fans might agree with him. The problem for Marcus is that he shouldn't be the one saying any of this, because Marcus is...well...a scrub. Long considered to be the more talented of the Jordan sons, Marcus averaged a "stellar" eight points and 3.1 rebounds for mighty Central Florida last season.
Don't get me wrong, Central Florida might be better than some of the other schools named after a section of their home state, but it's not as if he's playing for Duke. It's also not as if being Michael Jordan's son wouldn't have given him the chance to show his skills at any school in the country.
I find Marcus Jordan's words to be the musings of a confused college student who is proudly stuck under his father's shadow. He may never have learned what it means to work hard for things, since he has been royalty since birth. While Kobe's dad was also an NBA player at one point, Kobe had to fight hard to claim his space on a team that was dominated by Shaquille O'Neal in one of the largest media markets in the world.
He also had to overcome the humiliation of rape allegations to rebuild his image and find a way to win championships under the harshest media scrutiny imaginable. To start and successfully complete such a daunting mission, after skipping college as a 17-year-old kid, puts Kobe in a whole different universe from the guy who started as Michael Jordan's son and ended up as a mediocre player at Central Florida.
Marcus Jordan may want to be quiet and let his father's fans defend his record. He shouldn't be saying anything.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (42)
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By: quitehonestly on 6/21/2010 4:29AM
i get the sense that you people are so proud of your P's and your h's and your D's ... but what do you actually do with it ...do you really think you've touched the tip of the rainbow ? are you aware why you see a rainbow ? then why chase it ? i dont have a degree , but if i did , i would'nt masterbate to it . kobe skipping college wasnt a pivital moment in his life . it was pivital as you saw it . dont miss understand ... i could really impress, as you say "logic" upon you as well , but i'm neither interested or inclined , i will say that i live about a mile from VCU ... and alot ..i mean ALOT of students DIE in college ... way to many actually ... students that may well still be alive had they chosen to skip college .. maybe kobe would have died in a car accident in college ,who knows ? ... maybe if you went right instead of left this morning youd be dead ... do you understand ? being alive is better than being dead . degree or not .... you have all these certifications yet you write gossip sports ... could'nt you have done that without BUYING a degree ? why not use your considerable brains to do something really substantive ... oh say like ... expanding the life of the average human from 75 years to about 500 ,that would be something ...YOU ,KOBE , JORDAN ,none of us or what we do REALLY matters ,you may have a degree ... but you dont know much ... and for ANYTHING you can think of to belittle me for trying to in an important way ,REALLY educate you .... i need say only one word ........ ASTEROIDS .
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By: quitehonestly on 6/21/2010 4:36AM
AND KOBE IS A BEAST .... but RAJON RONDO is the MAN .
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By: BlackPrince on 6/22/2010 10:48PM
there's something wrong with your brain. Go see a neurologist or psychiatrist
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By: RJ. on 6/24/2010 12:10PM
Why jump on Kobe he never compaired his self to Jordan. If he wants to attack someone let it be the media there the one thats putting it out there.
The bottom line Michael had his cast that helped make him great and so did Kobe ,so truth be told niether one of them is a one man show its a team sport and they were a major part.
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By: Marsha on 6/21/2010 7:46AM
I think the greater question is does anyone in this world get to just be themselves?? I can only imagine the amount of teen suicides, (adults as well) the amount of people that are depressed, the consequent drug and alcohol addictions, and all kinds of other deviant behaviors that exist soley because of the merciless comparisons to other people. God will not "anoint" you to be anyone but yourself....period.
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By: VRMII on 6/21/2010 8:19AM
I must agree wit the previous person......."he was humiliated by rape allegations"......ok, well what about the person who he raped? Im sure she was a little "humiliated" too! The comparison is asinine and I think it was poignant for his son to say something about it!
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By: MigThor on 6/22/2010 7:42AM
"ok, well what about the person who he raped? " vrm11, don't forget, Kobe was "accused" of rape. He was accused of rape while they had consenting sex. What kind of crap is this?
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By: scorpio baby on 6/22/2010 8:13AM
FIRST OF ALL, THOSE WERE ACCUSATIONS!! SECONDLY, WHY DID SHE GO 2 THAT ROOM WITH NO WITNESSES, NO BODY GUARDS, BY HERSELF FOR WHAT!!! LETS SEE, UUM MAYBE 2 GET WHAT THEY BOTH WANTED AND AFTERWARDS SHE REALIZED THAT HES STILL GOING HOME TO WIFEY! IF THE TABLES WERE TURNED AND HE WANTED TO CONTINUE WINING AND DINING HER, OR IF HE WASNT FAMOUS WE WOULD HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THIS!! MIND U ALSO THAT SHE TESTED POSITIVE FOR HAVING SEX WITH SOMEONE RIGHT BEFORE THE "RAPE" ACCUSATION!!! LAKERS NBA CHAMPS WTG!!!
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By: Marsha on 6/21/2010 8:05AM
I can also add that I believe people are so hungry to be love and accepted for who they are, not what they do. I personally think the saddest part of Michael Jordan's legacy was to watch the blank stares on his kids' faces during his Hall of Fame induction speech. He even said himself "he wouldn't want to be them". Why? because he was so busy chasing his own dream that his kids, quite likely, got left behind. Perhaps his son Marcus feels the only real connection he has to his father is the "Legacy" and that's why he so fiercly protects it???? Just a thought, or perhaps as you like to say DR. Watkins, a teachable moment for Father's Day.
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By: sanny on 6/27/2010 1:55PM
Who cares!!! My boyfriend thinks the same with me. He is eight years older than me, lol. We met online at****A ge ro mance(C 0 /M)*** nice and free place for younger women and older men, or older women and younger men, to interact with each other. Maybe you wanna check out or tell your friends.
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