The Waiter thinks his legendary teammate is misunderstood.

Being a basketball icon has its problems; Michael Jordan will be one of the first to confirm that. He is still one of the most recognizable faces in all sports today, and he retired more than two decades ago. So his persona has been in the media spotlight since 1980, and being human, MJ had to rub some people the wrong way.

Think about it; you have been under constant media scrutiny since you were 20 years old. The closest NBA player to this is LeBron James, and we can be sure that he would like to take it easy sometimes and live a life a bit more secluded and without a media eye on him.

Kukoc saw the real Mike
One of the people who had a chance to meet MJ at his peak popularity was Bulls legend Toni Kukoc. Even though they started on the wrong foot in 1992, they built a good friendship and, even in retirement, still compete against each other, but not on the basketball court. They like to stretch their legs on the golf course.

“We are good friends, we see each other often,” three-time champions said. “Although he rarely comes to Chicago now, I usually go to him in Florida for golf. We play golf, light up a cigar. Michael Jordan is a wonderful and divine person, I always say that if I were Michael Jordan, I would be a worse person, but you can’t make or afford everyone his two minutes. If he gave everyone two minutes, his day would last for three months.”

Kukoc has a point as somebody who has seen, as a teammate, how much fans ask from Jordan and how they put him on a pedestal. MJ can’t deliver every time, but people don’t seem to care about that. They expect him to always be a larger-than-life person whose aura changes the room when he enters.

MJ is trying to live away from the spotlight
Jordan rarely gives interviews these days and tries to be in the shadows a bit more, but the problem with being on the NBA’s Mount Rushmore is that media pundits, players, and fans constantly mention you and compare today’s stars to him; just ask Antony Edwards. Having to live under constant pressure to deliver and your mistakes get highlighted is quite exhausting.

For sure, Mike still keeps his eye on the game, but maybe he would like to enjoy his basketball retirement to the fullest without cameras and selfies, to enjoy Florida weather without anyone getting in his business. MJ deserves that for what he did for the beautiful game of basketball.