Stephen A. Smith is easily one of the most opinionated men in all of sports media and every so often, he comes through with some opinions that leave fans scratching their heads. Most recently, he went on First Take and gave a list of five people that Michael Jordan should be thankful for. You would think that most of these people would have to do with the Chicago Bulls but as it turns out, the list is actually quite the mixed bag and can be made open for debate.
As you can see from the clip below, it starts out with Smith ranking Phil Jackson fifth, Isiah Thomas fourth, Scottie Pippen third, Magic Johnson second, and David Falk first. All of these choices were backed up by some sound reasoning although you can't help but feel like maybe Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson should be above guys like Thomas and Johnson.
It's impossible to accomplish anything all on your own and Jordan wasn't the exception to that rule. He had plenty of great partners and rivals over the years and those listed by Smith are all great options.
Fans might be particularly surprised by Falk's inclusion here but he is the man behind Jordan's Nike deal which has brought in billions of dollars over the years. Clearly, Falk is the unsung hero of Jordan's career.
Michael Jordan’s Agent Recalls MJ Turning Down $100 Million Offer
All Michael Jordan needed to do was give a two-hour appearance.
Michael Jordan has a net worth of over $2 billion which just goes to show how successful he is both on and off of the court. Jordan’s salary while playing basketball is simply a fraction of what he has made thanks to various endorsement deals, including profits from his ultra-successful Jordan Brand.
Thanks to Jordan’s fame, brands are always coming to him with new opportunities and as his agent David Falk described, the NBA legend is incredibly picky about what he puts his name to. In an interview with WFAN’s Boomer and Gio radio, Falk explained that MJ even turned down a $100 million dollar deal.
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“I brought him a deal three years ago for $100 million. All he had to do was, other than giving his name and likeness, make a one two-hour appearance to announce the deal and he turned it down,” Falk said. “God bless him. He’s been so successful, it gives him an opportunity to do whatever the hell he wants or not to do things he doesn’t want. I really admire that. He’s very, very selective in the things he wants to be involved in.”
Considering how little effort it would have been to make the money, it illustrates that MJ gets to pick and choose what he wants to do and that he’ll only put his name behind something if he truly believes in it. When it comes to the Charlotte Hornets, that still remains to be seen.
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Michael Jordan’s Agent Has Harsh Words For Scottie Pippen
Michael Jordan’s agent David Falk doesn’t have very nice things to say about Scottie Pippen.
If you have been watching ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” then you know all about Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen’s relationship. Without Pippen, Michael Jordan wasn’t able to win any championships and for the longest time, Pippen was considered to be one of the greatest Robin-type players ever. Pippen and Jordan will forever be a dynamic duo that will stand the test of time as the greatest ever. Despite this, it appears as though Jordan’s agent David Dalk isn’t a fan of Scottie. In a recent interview, Falk went so far as to say that Pippen is jealous of MJ.
“Pippen has a certain level of jealousy towards Michael. He has said recently many times he thinks LeBron’s a better player,” Falk said. “Now, if you’re Scottie Pippen, and Michael Jordan made your career, completely made your career; even if you think that, keep it to yourself.”
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Falk also went on to say that Pippen wasn’t a good competitor and that he lacked the desire to win like Jordan did.
“Scottie’s problem, as the documentary points out in so many different places after the episodes you’ve seen, is that he wasn’t a great competitor,” Falk explained. “There were times for silly reasons. The migraine; you think that Michael Jordan [would do that] unless he had his leg amputated? Scottie didn’t play part of that game because he had a headache.”
It’s unclear why Falk has these feelings towards Pippen although they are pretty strong assertions to make. After all, Pippen is a Hall Of Fame player that facilitated Michael Jordan’s ascent to becoming the greatest basketball player ever. That has to count for something.
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