飛人喬丹的勵志演講

　　喬丹名人堂演講中文版：

　　謝謝…….謝謝……我告訴過我的朋友，我會出現(xiàn)在領(lǐng)獎臺上說完謝謝就轉(zhuǎn)身離開。但是，我不能。我需要感謝很多人。我還要感謝今天的直播，你們不會只看到我，還會有許多熟悉的面孔。在過去的四周里，我收到了很多的問題。他們問：“你為什么會選擇David Thompson?”我知道其中的原因David也知道，可能你們都不知道。我從小在北卡羅來納州長大，當(dāng)我11歲的時候，大概是1974年，David 奪得了NBA總冠軍。我是不支持北卡的，但是我被David Thompson所折服，不僅僅是因?yàn)榛@球本身，而是因?yàn)樗谄渲斜憩F(xiàn)出的(態(tài)度與意志)，我們都經(jīng)歷了許多的考驗(yàn)與磨難，他做到了，這深深地激勵了我。當(dāng)我邀請他做我的主持人的時候，我知道我緊張透了，但是他非常高興地答應(yīng)了。

　　我內(nèi)心深處一直是北卡的成員，他們都知道我是一名真正屬于北卡藍(lán)的人。Smith 教練，Larry Brown，Sam Perkins，James Worthy，他們都知道。這一切都源自于我的父母。我的生涯集錦隨處可見，還有什么關(guān)于我的事是你們不知道的?當(dāng)我今天看到其他人發(fā)言的時候，當(dāng)他們講述他們的時候，我發(fā)現(xiàn)關(guān)于Jerry Sloan的很多事是我所不知道的。我們總是打電話，但是我從來不知道他小學(xué)一年級到八年級的故事。即便是David Robinson，我認(rèn)識他已經(jīng)很久了，但是從他的演講中我也知道了很多事，好的壞的都有。我也知道了關(guān)于Chipson的事，我父母以前也經(jīng)常談?wù)摰剿?，但是有什么關(guān)于我的事是你們都不知道的?

　　我有兩個兄弟，James and Larry，身高五尺四寸和五尺五寸半，他們給予了我所能要的一切。作為兄弟，我們從小就互相競爭。我的哥哥Larry總是和我爭小東西，而我每次都爭不過他。母親這時候就會叫我們進(jìn)屋，因?yàn)槲覀儬幎返奶ち伊?。我大哥總是不在家，因?yàn)樗?dāng)兵，一當(dāng)就是31年。我體內(nèi)的競爭意識的源泉還遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不止這些。我的妹妹，她比我小一歲，不喜歡一個人在家。她參加了許多額外的課程，最終和我同一年畢業(yè)。之后我們都去了北卡羅來納大學(xué)，卻比我早一年畢業(yè)。你們問我體內(nèi)的競爭意識，競爭的本能源自何處，這就是答案。(它還來自)我的姐姐，她今天沒有出席，我的父親，雖然他已經(jīng)不在了，但是他的精神一直陪伴著我。我的競爭意識從我第一天從事體育運(yùn)動就開始萌發(fā)，任何運(yùn)動，棒球，橄欖球，籃球，你們所能列舉過得運(yùn)動我都參加過。

　　他們點(diǎn)燃了我心中的火焰，從我的父母開始，隨著我的職業(yè)生涯的發(fā)展，這股火焰更加旺盛。比如史密斯教練—我該對他說些什么呢?他是一個有著傳奇色彩的教練。Lerold Smiths，你們可能都不了解他，他就是當(dāng)年我被踢掉的時候進(jìn)校隊(duì)的人。他今天也在現(xiàn)場，他還是六尺七寸那么高，一點(diǎn)也沒長高，水平也和以前差不多。但就是他點(diǎn)起了我心中的火焰—為什么他可以進(jìn)校隊(duì)而我不能，我要證明—不僅僅是針對我自己或者他，我要向教練證明你做出了一個錯誤的選擇

　　現(xiàn)在我想談?wù)凴obert Peterson，我的室友，當(dāng)時我只知道他是北卡年度的最佳球員。但是他從來沒和我比賽過。這樣怎么可以成為最佳球員。我想可能是因?yàn)槊襟w的宣傳和長期的曝光度。我們就像兩個互不關(guān)聯(lián)的頻道—ABC和NBC，從小到大我都沒在那兩個臺看過NBA比賽，在北卡沒有CBS接收裝置。于是Peterson成為了我的目標(biāo)，當(dāng)我有機(jī)會在球場上見到Peterson，好勝的天性使我渴望打敗他。當(dāng)然他本人還是不錯的，但是我不認(rèn)為他可以打敗我。后來，他成為了我的室友。從那一刻起，他就是我競爭的目標(biāo)，當(dāng)然這一切他都不知道，當(dāng)然后來他知道了。史密斯教練，在選拔人員的那一天，他挑了4名先發(fā)，但是卻沒有我的名字，這使我火冒三丈。我認(rèn)為我有資格成為先發(fā)。當(dāng)然他有他的理由，他認(rèn)為我是一個新人，沒有什么經(jīng)驗(yàn)，這一切我完全理解。但是從一名籃球運(yùn)動員的角度看，我有資格成為先發(fā)。

　　伴隨著我的職業(yè)生涯，這種競爭的意識始終陪伴著我。我很榮幸成為公牛隊(duì)的一員。那時球隊(duì)老板還不是杰瑞 勞恩斯多夫，而是另一群管理層：拉夫在選秀時選了我，凱文拉齊是我的第一個教練。凱文在訓(xùn)練時把我放在先發(fā)球員里，他為了讓訓(xùn)練更有競爭性，會罰訓(xùn)練賽輸?shù)舻囊魂?duì)去跑步。剛開始我們這隊(duì)領(lǐng)先，但是半場的時候，凱文把我換到了落后的那一邊。我想，凱文你想試試我對嗎?所以我很感謝凱文給我機(jī)會去競爭。他讓我的求勝欲望更加強(qiáng)烈。我把這個當(dāng)做激勵我的動力，我知道這是為了歷練我，而往往10次里面有9次second team會取得勝利。

　　杰瑞 勞恩斯多夫——我能說他什么好呢?第二年我打了七場就傷了腳，康復(fù)之后我很想打球，然后杰瑞和一幫隊(duì)醫(yī)就頭頭是道的說我每半場只能打七分鐘之類的理論—— 雖然我每天都要訓(xùn)練兩小時——我可不管這些算數(shù)上的問題。當(dāng)時的選秀規(guī)則是戰(zhàn)績最爛的球隊(duì)得到最好的選秀權(quán)，我說：你們想破罐子破摔弄個好簽，這我不管，我只是想比賽和贏球，想進(jìn)入季后賽，使公牛隊(duì)保持那股干勁，所以我去了他的辦公室，對他說：“Jerry，我說我每天訓(xùn)練兩小時，可不想每場就打14分鐘。他說：“我們對你是長期投資，在你身上我們傾注了很多心血” 那時我的腿傷只有10%的可能性復(fù)原。我說：我真的想?yún)⒓颖荣愃f：“假如你頭疼，有一個盒子里裝了10個膠囊，只有一個是有效的，其他的都是毒藥，你會怎么選擇?”我回答說“那頭疼有多嚴(yán)重?”Jerry說:我想你給出了一個好的答案，好吧你可以去參加比賽了”

　　杰瑞(勞恩斯多夫)總是和我對著干，但是這也讓我始終保持著最好的競技狀態(tài)。公牛的管理層為我和隊(duì)友創(chuàng)造了很好的條件，為了整個球隊(duì)的平衡，他們針對我和我的隊(duì)友做出了很多調(diào)整。在這14年里我有很多隊(duì)友，我尊敬他們每一個人不論他們是如何看我的，我只是為了追求勝利。道格 克林斯(公牛教練)總是在我和兩個杰瑞(勞恩斯多夫和克勞斯)之間斡旋。那時候我想打夏季聯(lián)賽，克林斯說：邁克，你是球隊(duì)的一員，球隊(duì)不想讓你打夏季聯(lián)賽。我說：道格，你去看看我的合同，最好打印一份出來，合同上面寫著我必須熱愛比賽，我既然熱愛比賽那么就應(yīng)該隨時有球打。道格說，好吧那你去打吧。我們的關(guān)系就這樣好起來了。

　　杰瑞 克勞斯——我不知道誰向他發(fā)的請?zhí)凑医裉焓菦]請他來——我希望他能理解吧。我們之間的故事太長了，他和我一樣都是不認(rèn)輸?shù)娜?。他說，球隊(duì)(管理層)贏得了冠軍。我說：我可沒看‘管理層’哪個人頂著流感在猶他打總決賽，我可沒看見‘管理層’哪個人帶傷上場。我知道是管理層組建了球隊(duì)，但是最終上場比賽的還是我們這幫球員，所以我覺得是‘球員’贏得了總冠軍，管理層的任務(wù)是把后勤做好。別總是拿管理層來壓球員，因?yàn)榇虮荣惖氖俏覀?，你們是?fù)責(zé)給錢的。

　　今天我的兩個兒子Marcus和Jeffery也在現(xiàn)場，你們代表了我，也代表了整個家庭。我想你們身上有個很沉重的負(fù)擔(dān)，如果我是你，我也不會愿意活在一個人的陰影下。看看你們周圍，你坐位置要1000美元一張票——這可是被黃牛從200 美元一張炒上去的。只不過是我掏的錢，沒辦法，我有很多家人和朋友，我得讓他們來參加今天的活動，所以還要感謝一下炒門票的黃牛們。你承載著別人的期待。但是你們要知道有很多人在背后支持著你們，你們需要自己做出選擇當(dāng)這一天來臨的時候。我媽媽總是閑不住，我通常都很忙，但是我媽比我更忙。所以我的母親需要肩負(fù)整個家庭。她是我生命中的基石，即便是現(xiàn)在她仍然做著兩份工作。她是一個偉大的女性。她教會了我很多東西。當(dāng)我經(jīng)歷那些失敗的夜晚，是她一直教導(dǎo)我積極正面地看待人生，關(guān)于人們是如何看待你，你如何對待別人，什么東西是對孩子有利的，什么是對你自己有利的，如何積極看待公眾影響，如何慎重的思考，這一切都來自我的母親，我現(xiàn)在46歲了，她依然在孜孜不倦地教導(dǎo)我。

　　我還要感謝一些人，這些名字或許你們都沒想到。Isiah Thomas，Magic Johnson，George Gervin。在我的新秀賽季，我被你們完全凍結(jié)。是你們給我了前進(jìn)的動力，每天我都需要進(jìn)步，我要證明我所得到一切成就都問心無愧，無論人們是如何評論的，我從來不把謠言當(dāng)做真相。你們從來沒有把我嚇怕，不論如何，我就是要向你們證明我有資格在這個場上打球，就跟你們一樣。毫無疑問，在我整個職業(yè)生涯中我想我已經(jīng)證明了這一切，即使是面對活塞，我做到了。

　　Pat Riley，我想起了以前我把你的球隊(duì)橫掃，第二天你給我的門上留了一個紙條：我很享受與你的比賽，恭喜你，但是我們還會再見的。我想你就和我一樣，享受競爭的過程，樂于與我競爭，即便你是從一個教練的角度，無論是尼克斯還是熱火，每次我與你比賽，你有所謂的喬丹終結(jié)者(無敵的諷刺)，你有我所喜歡的John Starks。你還不讓我與Oakley一起吃飯，因?yàn)槲覀兪歉偁帉κ郑?Charles Oakley)是我在聯(lián)盟中強(qiáng)有力的對手，也是我最好的朋友，Patrick Erving和我一樣大，我們也是同一年進(jìn)聯(lián)盟的(似乎幫主記錯了尤因的時間)，但是我卻很少和他一起吃飯，這是什么原因?是因?yàn)槲以趫錾蠈⒛峥怂勾虻寐浠魉?我還是一個很友善的人，我熱愛與人交往。但是一旦進(jìn)入球場，我就會全身心投入，爭取每一場勝利。我感謝你們給與了我所極度渴望的動力

　　Phil Jackson，對我來說他就是我職業(yè)聯(lián)盟的Dean Smiths，他磨練了我的意志，強(qiáng)健了我的體魄。他對比賽有很深刻的理解，Tex Wenter也對我做出了很多指導(dǎo)，他對我很嚴(yán)厲，我很少能使他滿意。他今天沒在現(xiàn)場。我記得有一場比賽，球隊(duì)落后了5分或者10分，然后我拿了25分并且球隊(duì)獲勝，Wenter: There is no I in team Jordan: but there is I in win

　　我想他明白了我的話，為了勝利我可以付出一切，為了勝利，我們注重整體籃球。我聽到很多媒體的言論：你沒有冠軍戒指，你不如魔術(shù)師和大鳥一樣出色，你很出色，但是你就是不如他們“這一切我都要接受，這一切使我斗志昂揚(yáng)，這使我每天的籃球技術(shù)都上升到一個新的臺階。我有說他們說的是錯的，只是我從不同的角度來看他們的話。同時作為成為一個籃球運(yùn)動員，我努力成為最好的自己。在我的職業(yè)生涯，我取得了無數(shù)的成就，你需要接受人們所說的一切，對你的評價，對你的指責(zé)，使你動力十足，努力使自己的籃球技術(shù)上升到一個新的高度。我想這就是我成功的原因

　　Baron Russel，在1994年我打棒球的時候，他們在一邊的籃球場上投籃，我跟他們打招呼，當(dāng)時我想我沒有動力再去追尋籃球的足跡。但是他們走過來問我：你為什么要退役，你知道我可以防住你，別讓我看到你再穿上籃球褲，(原話其實(shí)語氣沒這么強(qiáng)烈If ever see you in a pair of shorts)所以當(dāng)我1995年回歸聯(lián)盟，96年與猶他比賽的時候，Russel坐在我的旁邊：你還記得94年的事嗎?我想我現(xiàn)在可以輕松地防死你，我很高興與你比賽 我說:最好你有機(jī)會相信我，從這一天，他有了這個機(jī)會，我沒有問他是否成功，他的確有，從這天起，如果我有穿上籃球褲，我就直接去找他(其實(shí)這一段對話我沒太聽清，幫主語速快而且沒有說出是誰講的話，哪位達(dá)人可以再聽聽大概在20分鐘左右)

　　我知道你們都需要離開(會場)，我也知道我講了很長時間，我本應(yīng)該說完謝謝就轉(zhuǎn)身離開。我很感謝你們。我的演講就要進(jìn)入尾聲，籃球就是我生命中的一切，我心靈的庇護(hù)，當(dāng)我需要信心與內(nèi)心的平靜，籃球總會在那里靜靜地等待我。它帶給過我沉重的傷痛，強(qiáng)烈的喜悅，以及自我的滿足感。這種情感是你們無法了解與想象的。這已經(jīng)有很長的時間了，它成就了我的偉大也帶給了我無盡的喜悅。它給我搭建了一個平臺來用各種方式釋放我的enthusiasm(審核的問題)。我從來沒有期待過這種方式，也無法想象這一切的一切。我希望我能夠激勵成千上萬的人通過自己的努力，堅(jiān)持不懈以及積極樂觀的態(tài)度來實(shí)現(xiàn)他們的人生夢想。雖然今天進(jìn)入名人堂是我職業(yè)生涯無上的榮耀，但我不希望這是我的籃球情緣的終點(diǎn)。這僅僅是我從小的夢想的一種延續(xù)。也許有一天你會看到一個50歲的喬丹在籃球場上追逐他那最初的夢想。

　　I told my friends I would come here to say “thank you” then walked off. I can’t, it’s no way. I get so many people I can thank. In all the videos, you never just saw me, also Scottie Pippen and the championship we won. I’ve got a lot of questions over the last four weeks. Anybody says “well, why do you pick David Thompson?” I know why, David knows why and maybe you guys don’t know. But as I grow up in North Carolina, I was eleven years old, 1974, I think, when David won the championship. I hated North Carolina, but I ended up in North Carolina. But I was in love with David Thompson, not just for the game basketball, but in terms of what he represented. You know, we all, as David says or said we go through trails and tribulations. And he did, and I was inspired by him. And when I called him and asked him to stand up for me, I know I shocked a shoot out of him. I know I did. But he is very kind to say, ”Yeath, I’ll do it.” That is not disrespect to the North Carolina guy; we all know I am true blue North Carolina guy to the heart. Coach Smith, Larry Brown, Sam Perkins, James Worthy, you know all of those guys.

　　I’d like to start to my parents. You guys see all the I-likes. What is about me that you guys don’t know? As I set up here and watch all the other guys give their history. So many things I didn’t know about Jerry Sloan. And we lived on the phone, but I didn’t know he was in a small class from the first grade to the eighth grade. Even David Robinson, I have known David for some time. You know, but I found some things, good things or bad things about him that I didn’t know. And Chipson, I’ve known Chipson for years. My father and my mother spent a lot time with Mike and found out good things about her, but what about me that you guys don’t know?

　　I got two brothers, James and Larry, five four and five five in height. They give me all I could ever ask for. As brothers, in terms of competition. My brother Larry is an ideal situation with small things coming with small packages. This do fall me every single day. To the extend that my mother used to come out and make us come in because we were fighting way too much. My older brother was always gone. He is served in the army for 31 years. And the competition didn’t stop there. My sister who is one year younger than me, never want to be alone by herself. She took classes, extra classes, graduated from high school with me, to go to university North Carolina with me, and to graduate fairer than me. And you guys wanna know where my competition nature comes from, it came from them, it came from my older sister and she is not here today. My father who is not here today, obviously he is with us, all of us. My competitive nature has gone a long way from the first time I picked up any sports, baseball, football, run-track, basketball, anything in this class I played.

　　They started to fire me; you know that fire started from my parents. As I moved on my career, people add wood to that fire. Coach Smith, what can I say about him? He is a legendary coach. Lerold Smith, now you guys think that’s a mistake. Lerold Smith was the guy when I got kicks he got picked in the team. He is here tonight. He is still the same six seven guy. He is not even bigger. His level is even about the same. But he started the whole process for me, because when he made the team and I didn’t, I wanted to prove, not just to Lerold Smith, not just to myself, but to the coach who actually picked Lerold over me. I want to make sure he understood you made a mistake, dude.

　　Buss Peterson, My roommate. When I first met Buss, all I heard about was that this kid from Ashville North Carolina was clearly unplayed against but he has never played against me then, so how do you come to be the player of the year? Is that some type of media, exposure, you know I came from Wilmington, you know, where two channel, channel ABC and channel NBC that I never saw NBA at all when I grow up. They didn’t have CBS receiver in North Carolina or Wilmington also. Buss Peterson became a dead on my board. When I get a chance to meet Peterson on the basketball court. But he is a great person. It isn’t the fault of his. It was just my competitive natures. I didn’t think he can beat me or is better than me as a basketball player. And he became my roommate. From that point on, he became my focal point not knowingly. He didn’t know it, but he did. And Coach Smith, the day when he was on the Sports Illustrated, he named four starters and he didn’t name me. That burned me up, because I got to be on that Sports Illustrate. He had his own vision about giving a freshman that exposure, I totally understand that but from a basketball sense I deserve to be on that Sports Illustrated, and he understands that.

　　And it didn’t stop there. My competitive natures went right into the pros, I get to the bulls which I am very proud. At the time Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t own the team. It was another organization Reinsdorf drafted me. Kevin Loughery was my first coach. Kevin used to take practice and put me in starting five. You know, he made a competitive thing where the losing team had to run. So now we are almost on the winning team, halfway on the game, halfway on the situation, he switched me to the losing team. So I took that as a competitive thing, but you were trying to test me and by nine times out of ten the second team would come back to win no matter what he did. So I appreciated Kevin to give me that challenge, providing that type of fire with me and he threw another log on that fire for me. Jerry Reinsdorf, I mean what else can I say. The next year when I came back I broke my foot; I was out of 65 games. And when I came back I wanna play. The doctor came with his old theory that you can play only seven minutes a game, but I am practicing two hours a day. I am saying, well, I don’t agree with that math. And back then, whoever has the worst record gets the most balls in Ping-Pang balls, you know you can decide what pick you can have, but I don’t care about that. I just wanted to win. I wanna made to playoffs. I wanna keep that energy going in Chicago. So I had to go into his office and sat down with him and say “Jerry, I actually think I should play more than 14 minutes and practice more than two hours. He said “We have to protect the long-term investment we’ve invested on you. I said “I really think I should be able to play.” He said “Let me ask you this, if you had a headache.” At that time, there was ten percent that I can hurt my ankle or my foot. He said “You had a headache and you got ten capsules, and one of them is coated with poison, would you take it?” I looked him and say “It depends on how bad is that headache. How bad is that headache” .Jerry looked me and say “You are OK, I guess you had a good answer, you can go back to play. You let me allow you to go back and play.” You know, Jerry provided a lot of difficult obstacles for me but at the same time the guy gave me a opportunity to perform at the highest level in terms of basketball. The bulls, the whole bulls organization, you know, they did great adjustments for me and all my teammates. Believe me I had a lot of teammates in all the 14 years I played for the bulls. I respect each one of them. I just want them to win. No matter how you looked at it. Doug Collins came the same time when I was trying to play at the summer time. He said “well, you are part of the organization and the organization said you can’t play at the summer time. I said “you read the things in my contract; in my contract I have the ‘love the game’ clause. That means I can play anytime I want, any place I want And Doug looked at me and said “you are right, you are right.” And that’s how we became a little closer. Jerry Krause is right there and Jerry is not here. Obviously I don’t know who’d invite him, I didn’t. But, I hope he understands it goes a long way. He is a very competitive person. I was a very competitive person. He said organizations win championships. I said “I didn’t see organizations playing with the flu in Utah. I didn’t see it playing with a bad ankle.” Granted, granted, I think organizations put together teams, but at the end of the day, team’s got to go out and play. I think the players win the championship, and the organization has something to do with it, don’t get me wrong. But don’t try to put the organization above players. Because player still got to go out of there and perform. You guys got to pay us, but I am still to out to play.

　　Obviously you’ve seen my kids Marcus and Jeffery. I love you guys. I think you guys represent a lot of me and a lot of different person as your mum, you represent them as well. You know, I think you guys have a heavy burden. I wouldn’t want to be you guys if I had to. You know, because all the expectations you have to deal with. I mean, look around you, they charge a thousand dollars ticket for this thing, for this holy event. It used to be 200 dollars, but I paid it. You know, I have no choice. I have a lot of families and a lot of friend I have to bring in. So thank all of you to raising ticket price. I love you guys, you guys have a host of people supporting you, family, friends, people that you don’t know, relatives coming our of the woodworks. You know, no matter how you look at it, but I think we taught you right. Your mum and I, hopefully you can make the right decisions when the time comes. My mum, what can I say about my mum, my mum never stays still. You think I am busy. She is always on the go. Without her, she is rough, she is unbelievable. Even right now, she takes over two jobs. She is unbelievable woman. As I experienced the failure each everyday, it is her. She classically keeps me focus on the good things about life. You know, how people perceive you, how you respect them, you know, what’s good for the kids, what’s good for you, you know, how you perceive public, take a second thoughts and pause to think about things you should do. These all came from my parents, you know, came from my mum. She is still like this these days, I am 46 years old, she is still parenting me today. That’s a good thing. I’ll love her to death. I’ll love her to death.

　　And I will thank a couple of people that you guys probably wouldn’t even think I will thank. Isaiah Thomas, Magic Johnson and George Gervin. They are the so-called freezing-out in my rookie season. I wouldn’t remember you guys gave me the motivation to say, you know what? Evidently I haven’t proved enough to these guys. I’ve got to prove these guys that I deserve what I got at this level. No matter what people have said, if it is rumor, I never took it is truth. But you guys never froze me up, because I was yet happy to be there no matter how you look at it. From that point forward, I wanted to prove to you, Magic, Larry, Gorge and everybody that I deserve to be on this level as much as anyone else. And hopefully over the whole period of career I have done that, without a doubt. Even in the Detroit, we’ve done that.

　　Pat Riley, you and I go way back. I still remember in Pat Riley, in Pat Riley. I was coming in there, got leaving; you decided to stay a couple of days. You were coming into my suite and told me to get out of my suite. You slid a note on the leak of my door, although you had to move, you didn’t move. You slid the note, saying” I enjoyed the competition, congratulation, but we will meet again. And I take the heart in that, because I think in all I can see you are competitive and even from a coach standing point. You challenge me every time I play the Nicks, the Heats, I don’t think you are with the Lakers, but every time I play against you, you have “Jordan Stoppers” on your team, you have John Starks who I love. You even had my friend Oakley says “We can’t go to the lunch, we can’t go to the dinner together, because this guy hit me harder than anybody else in the league. He was my best friend. Patrick Erving and I are the same age. We came up at the same time. But we can’t go to the lunch together. Why is this an issue? You think I play against Patrick any different than I play anybody else? No, no. They had your learned guy became the Nicks, coach after you, Jeff van gundy. He said I can’t be player fairly and I may dead on the basketball court. Where is it come from? I just happen to be a friendly guy. I get along with everybody, but at the same time when the light comes on, I am more competitive than anybody. So you guys, I must say thank you for giving me the motivation that I desperately needed.

　　Phil Jackson is, to me, is a professional Dean Smith. He challenged me mentally, not just physically. You know, he understood the game, along with Tex Wenter. They taught me a lot about the basketball game. Tex being the specialist, I can never please Tex. And I love Tex. Tex is not here. And I know he is here in spirit. I can remember a game coming after the basketball court; we were down five to ten points. And I go off about 25 points, we came back to win the game. As we walked out the floor and Tex looked me and said “you know, there is ‘I’ in ‘team’.” I said “there is not ‘I’ in ‘team’, but there is ‘I’ in ‘win’.” I think he got my message. I will do anything to win. You know, that means we play team format to win. That means I will do what I have to do. No matter how you look at it. Then you had all your media message “Scoring champion can’t win a NBA title”. You are not good as Magic Johnson, you are not good as Larry Bird. You are good, but you are not good as those guys. I have to listen to all this. And that put so much wood on that fire. It kept me each everyday trying to get better as a basketball player. I am not saying they were wrong. I may look at them from a different perspective. But at the same time as a basketball player, I am trying to become the best I can. You know, for someone like me who achieve a lot in this kind of career, you look for any kind of messages that people may say or do to get you motivated to play the game basketball to the highest level. Because that’s what I feel when I assail at my best.

　　And my last example and the last you guys probably have seen. I hate to do it to them. He is such a nice guy. When I first met Bryon Russell, John and Karl, I was in Chicago in 1994. I was working out for baseball and they all came down for workout and shooting around. I came over and say “Hello”, and at this time I had no thoughts of coming back and playing the game of basketball. Bryon Russell came over to me and said “why did you quit? why did you quit? You know I could guard you, if I ever see you in a pair of shorts”. Do you remember? John. When I did decide to come back in 1995 and we played Utah in 96, I’m at the center circle and Bryon Russell is standing next to me. I said “You remember the conversation you made in 1994 about ‘I think I can guard you, I can shut you down, I would love to play against you?’ Well, you are about to get your chance, and believe me ever since that day he got his chance, I don’t know how succeed he was. I think he got his chance. From this day forward, if he ever say me in shorts, I would come at him.

　　I know you guys got to go. I know I’ve been up here a lot longer than I told my friends I was gonna up here, I cried, I was supposed to get up , said “Thank you” and walked off and I am not able to do that. So I appreciate it. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. As I close, the game basketball has been everything to me, my refuge, a place I am always gone when I need to find comfort and peace. It’s been a source of intense pain and a source of most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. The one that no one of you can imagine. It’s been a relationship of number of intersection. It gave me the great expects and love for the game. It provided me with a platform and shared my passions with millions in the way I neither expected nor could imagine in my career. I hope it’s given millions of people touch and optimism to achieve their goals through hard work, perspiration and positive attitude. Although I am recognized with this honor of being in the Hall of Fame, I don’t look this moment as final relationship between me and the basketball. It simply a continuation of something I started a long time ago. One day, you may look up a senior player at a game of 50.Oh, no. Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh. Never say never, because limits, like fear, are often just an illusion.

　　Thank you very much!