the G sides

This weekend the Basketball Hall of Fame inducted one of the best classes of all time. Vivian Stringer, Jerry Sloan, John Stockton, David Robinson, and Michael Jordan.

As a kid, MJ and The Admiral were both heroes of mine. Only one of them had the depth to continue as a hero as an adult. There was no better illustration of how different these two players are than in their acceptance speeches.

I’m sure you’ve seen Jordan’s. It’s been on ESPN. The YouTube site has like a million hits. It made me sad for the man Michael Jordan. Ultimately it was incredibly vain. I think Jordan is hands down the best basketball player to ever play the game. His competitive fire is unmatched.

But I made my son David Robinson’s speech. In fact, I made the whole family watch it. That’s how incredible it was. Go watch it. It’s 7 minutes long. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I wonder why the TV hasn’t replayed this speech over and over again. It’s the best induction speech I’ve heard.

The difference between the two is immeasurable. That could be seen in the standing ovation David received. Could be heard in his words of thanks to his teammates, his coaches, and most importantly – his family. Robinson privately built a school in the meanest, poorest section of San Antonio that any kid living in that area could go to.

A Hall of Fame player and a person.

I want to live so that I too can say what David said to a room full of the greatest basketball players alive…

“If you have spent anytime with me, you’d have to admit that you’ve seen the hand of God with me. And my prayer for you is that you will experience what it’s like to walk with God.”