Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby, 708 pages.
Lazenby provides what appears to be a fair and unbiased portrait of the basket ball legend, but who really knows? Was Michael Jordan an unreasonable bully to many of his teammates? If that is what it takes to be the greatest player of all time, and of be one of the highest paid athletes of his and several succeeding generations, then wasn't that an acceptable trade-off? Anyway, Lazenby starts out with how the Jordan family came to settle in the Cape Fear, North Carolina area, tells some interesting tales about Jordan's grandparents and parents and then tells the story of MJ's life. The legendary story of how Jordan didn't make the cut for his high school varsity team during his sophomore year is re-evaluated (or re-re-re-evaluated) with the author casting no particular stones, and showing the affect the decision not to play the future star may have had on Jordan's high school coach in later years. There is a great section on Jordan's time and North Carolina playing for Dean Smith. But the bulk of this massive bio focuses on Jordan's years as a Chicago Bull. It's a fascinating, multi-layered tale, and in every part, Lazenby gives the differing sides to the story. We hear from friends, family, opponents, teammates and coaches. Some of the stories show Jordan in a good light, others, not so much.
Jordan's life is well-documented and filled with controversy. Lazenby ably shows that little of the tale is settled history
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