Why is Everyone Trying to be Like Mike?

I grew up watching Michael Jordan. I've watched him send future Hall of Famers home without a championship. I've seen him break New York Knick hearts several times (and I've enjoyed those times), but one thing I don't understand is why does everybody want to be measured up against probably the best guard to touch a basketball knowing that they're not going to live up to those standards? Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant is probably the closest thing to MJ we'll ever see, but he jumped into the Association from high school so he's had way more time to rack up the numbers to compare himself to MJ. And considering that MJ was cut from his basketball team in high school I don't think that the same option was viable to MJ so what if Kobe had gone to college? Had Kobe gone to college would he even be in the same sentence as his Airness? I don't think so. So because Kobe had a head start (which something no one really mentions) he's been able to put himself in the conversation.

The one thing I do give Kobe credit for is that he has MJ's desire to win...at anything. If it's a foot race Kobe's gonna wanna win, if it's even flipping quarters Kobe wants to be right the most just like MJ was when he was in his heyday, but that's where it ends for me.

LeBron James is the best player in the NBA today. When he wants to dominate the game there is absolutely no one who can stop him. He's too fast for power and small fowards, but too big for point and shooting guards so the way to beat LeBron is to hope he causes himself to fail and considering that he's won two titles in a row I'm not exactly sure he's down for that anymore. Yet he's another one that's being compared to his Airness why? LeBron's game actually reminds me more of Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan. LeBron would rather get his teammates involved until it is absolutely necessary for him to take over a game something Magic had done when he was rocking the short short basketball shorts while MJ would and could dominate from tip off.

I can't write about people being compared to MJ without pointing the finger at the media at least a little bit because it feels at times that the media wants another MJ. Why? Who knows, but it seems like they need to have a modern MJ and since there hasn't been a second coming of the greatness Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, amongst others have worn the "gonna be the next Jordan" t-shirt and now the t-shirt has been passed to LeBron hope he passes that to someone else because he doesn't need that amount of pressure.

To reach the light of his Airness the player is going to have to be damn near a copy of MJ and sure Kobe embodies that hunger and attitude that MJ had and sure LeBron has the domination that makes basketball look easy like Jordan had at times, but neither one has the overall package that made MJ his Airness. So I guess we all are gonna have to sit down and wait...