My Monthly Sports Minute: Am I Still Trying to “Be Like Mike?” #2

My Monthly Sports Minute: Am I Still Trying to “Be Like Mike?” #2

Growing up in the 80’s and 90's, you could not help but get caught up in the Michael Jordan mania. Think about it. His confident walk, his trash talk, his gold earring, his stylish shoes, and his sports cars. His overall swag.

I still remember watching one reporter interview Michael Jordan. The reporter asked him, “would you be OK with someone walking by without saying, ‘hello?’” In a serious voice, Michael Jordan said, “it would not bother me, at all, if someone walked right past me without saying hello.” After that statement, I started paying attention to the role players.

I began to realize I was not just “like Mike.”

Yes, in some ways, I still wanted to “be like Mike,” but I began to think “what would Mike be like without Pippin?” This helped me understand that I also needed help. Not just with basketball, but with life in general. For me to make it, I needed God. Today, young men also need help. After a lot of odd jobs, I found my passion in life: counseling youth.

“Like Mike,” we all need help.

— Packy Baker