By DAN HOEHNE
daniel.hoehne@newssun.com
Those that know my background might think I'd be all for the recent proposal made by LeBron James - that the NBA universally retire Michael Jordan's number 23.
And my initial instinct was to think, "Wow, that would be kind of cool."
I grew up a Bulls fan, after all, and the team's practice facility is in my home town.
I bore witness to the entirety of Jordan's career and his first house was two neighborhoods over from mine - I actually was the only other customer in the local video store on a wintery Wednesday night in the early 90s when he came in, but of course was too petrified to actually approach him.
The excitement he brought to the team, the fans, the city, even before the championship years, was something to behold.
However bad the Bulls teams were during his early years, he alone made for must watch television.
It was always a rare treat when an athlete on one of "my" teams reached the standard of a Sports Illustrated cover, and Jordan made it routine.
He took shoe marketing, as well as the marketing of an athlete overall, to a whole new level, and of course, his achievements on the court were just as remarkable.
So it is with the background, and having half a brain, that has me respect and agree with some of what James said in his declaration to switch from his current jersey number, 23.
"If you see 23, you think about Michael Jordan," James said. "You see game-winning shots, you think about Michael Jordan; you see guys fly through the air, you think of Michael Jordan."
But while I may feel the same way, I think he's blowing it out of proportion a bit.
"There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwayne Wade if there wasn't Michael Jordan first."
Really?
There might not be James, Bryant or Wade enjoying the mega-million dollar endorsement deals without what Michael did from the marketing standpoint - which I really kind of hope he really means, because to imply that they wouldn't be professional basketball players if not for Jordan, as if there was some barrier to their professional dreams that he broke down, well, that's just silly.
It's not as if there weren't other stars of the era to emulate.
Even old friends, who were there with me during the Jordan era, didn't necessarily view him as their favorite player.
My buddy Tyler preferred the gritty, hard-nosed play of Charles Barkley, and old friend Pete was commonly known as "Doc," interestingly because his favorite player was James' second favorite, Julius "Dr. J" Erving.
And it's not as if there were no shoe contracts for players, or marketing ventures.
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were already hawking their Converse lines before Jordan came into the league.
And while Jordan took that to a whole new level, as well as helped the popularity of the NBA itself explode, things were already on an upward swing thanks to Magic and Larry.
As for the pioneering aspect, in the game itself, it was men like Earl Lloyd, the first African-American player to suit up in the NBA during the 1950-51 season.
Or Chuck Cooper, the first African-American drafted into the league.
Or, really, any of the black players that endured the hardships during the 50s and 60s.
Odd that James says he'll now wear number 6 for Erving, when if you were to combine greatness and pioneering, the number 6 of Bill Russell would seem a better choice.
Winner of 11 championships, outspoken on the rights and treatment of black players, the first African-American head coach.
I've read arguments on message boards, regarding this topic, and often it devolves into such quibbling as to if Jordan was better than Wilt, or Magic, or Oscar Robertson, or Russell.
Yet when discussing the retiring of a number throughout a league, there is one standard of greatness that it must be measured by.
And while I think, as a player, Jordan was one of the best that ever played, I do know that he was no Jackie Robinson.
Dan Hoehne is the Sports Editor of the News-Sun. He can be reached at daniel.hoehne@newssun.com.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 - www.newssun.com/WED-11-18-DanColumn