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Kevin Kenealy

My MJ memories


Watching Space Jam is one of my favorite memories of the Jordan-era.

I wish I were just a tad older when Michael played. Born in 1986, I was just 12 when the Bulls won their final championship, but I still remember a few things from the Jordan era. Watching The Last Dance sparked some of those feel-good 90s moments. My list is below.

1. Where were you when you heard about Jordan's retirement?

I was sitting in a car with my dad in a parking lot waiting for my mom to get out of the store. He had the radio tuned into some sports talk show, and when we heard the devastating news, a hush fell over the car. We thought the sports world as we knew it was ending.

2. What was my favorite moment from Space Jam?

I love that movie, and now I want to rewatch it after they talked about it in episode eight. I thought it was unbelievable that Jordan filmed throughout the day while training. While there are a lot of great parts in that fun flick, I liked the part at the beginning when the young Jordan shot free throws in his backyard. It gave me a sense of where he started, and how his hard work originated.

3. How did I take the conspiracy surrounding Jordan's father's death?

At the time, I was only about 7 years old, so I didn't know what to think. As the years went on, I started to think there was more to the story, as the pieces seemed too strange when they all coincided - his gambling addiction, his father's death, his short retirement. It felt like his father's death was more mob-related, I thought. But after watching the documentary, I'm not so sure that's true. People like to hold on to conspiracy theories sometimes to make sense of the unknown. And maybe that's what I did all those years.

4. What number Jordan jersey did you wear?

I remember having the black number 23 jersey. No one wanted the 45. I thought it was interesting that he changed his number because of what Nick Anderson said, and didn't realize he wore 45 for a starting-over kind of thing.

5. What do you remember about the Bulls' third championship?

I honestly don't remember much. I played pee-wee baseball at the time, and I remember the coaches talking at length the following day about about Paxson's shot and the win as we waited to start practice. I wish I could recall the shot and the games more vividly, but it's funny how certain things like people talking about it stand out more.

These are the things that stick out the most vividly when I think to the memories that popped up in that time period that were episodes seven and eight. I started playing a lot of basketball with the net we had in our backyard around that time. Everyone wanted to be like Mike, and we all had to imitate his fadeaway. If you grew up in that era as a kid, you probably tried a fade away while yelling "The Fadeaway!" in announcer Ray Clay's voice.

It was a good time to grow up, and I think I might start watching some of the classic Jordan games while I finish up the documentary. I hate the fact that I can't remember more about the era. But watching the series has me on the edge of my seat.

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