Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 10:15 am  |  135 responses

SLAM Presents JORDAN

A Hall of Fame Tribute, On Sale Now!

by Ben Osborne

The banner ads are running on our site already, the NYC newsstands are poised, and the bookstores nationwide will be cracking their boxes open next week and stocking their shelves. And as of today, it’s available for purchase online.mj-flying

The situation is simple: the greatest player of our time is going into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and all of us at SLAM—who know full well our mag might not even exist if this guy hadn’t come along to make basketball as popular as it is—wanted to celebrate it by giving him a special issue.

As I say in my editor’s letter in the issue, for a magazine that started when Michael Jordan was retired from the NBA, SLAM quickly became the best at covering MJ. Think about it: the snafu with Sports Illustrated criticizing his baseball career created a long-lasting rift betwen Mike and the mag, and I don’t recall ESPN the Magazine ever caring too much about Mike. Without any other comp in the bball realm, I’ll humbly state that for the better part of our 15-year history, SLAM has been the best mag for MJ fans.

This status is due to a few things I feel blessed to have inherited. There was the devotion to MJ as a player and shoe salesman that led previous Eds. Tony Gervino and Russ Bengtson to give Mike his props in SLAM whenever warranted, which was often. There was also the inside knowledge, relationship skills and unique voice that Scoop Jackson brought to SLAM. Re-reading all his amazing stories in this issue reminds me a, how Scoop, during his SLAM days, might have been tighter with Mike than any other member of the media, b, how dope his writing was and c, how much we miss him.

Most of all, though, MJ’s consistent presence in SLAM over the past decade and a half has been due to the man himself. We cover basketball and basketball shoes, and he is basketball and basketball shoes. Throw in a willingness to speak with us over the years, and we’ve had a perfect match.

Incidentally, many people out there seem to agree with us as the MJ authority. Peep the voting results right here for some proof (and keep voting through August 31 to complete the rout, if you’d like.)

Michael’s induction to the Hall will take place on September 11, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will run a special exhibit through the rest of the year. All of this will be matched with breathless tributes. As the magazine that has covered Michael the best of all, this compilation of priceless photos, classic stories and unique new articles serve as your guide to it all.

So, head to your local magazine retailer (to the best of my knowledge, this will be sold more places and in greater quantities than the typical SLAM or KICKS), and pick it up! For fans of the great Michael Jordan, this will be the ultimate magazine.

jordancoverbig1

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  • Enigmatic

    And the only way your bad boy team could kick MJ’s ass….was to literally kick his ass. If we’d still had Charles Oakley instead of Bill Cartwright though, best believe plenty of “bad boys” would’ve ended up with some lost teeth and bloody noses too though. Either way, MJ showed who was tougher in the end. Bulls swept them in ’91 and left them running and crying. Didn’t even stop to shake hands. At least Zeke gave Bron someone to look up to.

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ KOSTAS KOUFOS

    M.J,M.J,M.J….thinking about it he is definitely one of the top-20 figures in my life . Thanks for everything.

  • http://slamonline.com Jacob J

    @ Enigmaitc. i was just trying to prove a point. I understand and know that MJ had pippen,grant,rodman,harper,and kukoc and he had some help winning titles but Kobe still had tons more. Whos better Shaq or Pippen? Exactly. Im just trying to prove a point.

  • http://slamonline.com Jacob J

    Also at Enigmatic. Yea the Pistons had to kick everyones ass and not many people outside of michigan liked that style of play but thats just how we play in Detroit/Michigan. We are blue collar people that work hard to make a living. I still get to talk because the bad boys and the newer bad boys won titles using that style of play.

  • yo son

    i agree with enigmatic, you look at how the bulls did in 98 when pippen was out with a injury, they were not looking good. if reggie miller hit that three in game 7 there would be no 6 championships. man jordan did not do it alone. like phil said “it would have been great to see the 91 team vs that 02 lakers team. he would know he coached both of them…

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  • yo son

    all the honors go to mike this month.

  • http://Slam rwendt23

    Man for anyone to believe Kobe Bryant is anywhere near as good as Michael Jordan is just stupid please never watch B-Ball again period. Kobe is the closest thing to MJ that we have seen so far n prob will ever see for a very long time but noone and I mean NOONE WILL EVER BE AS GREAT AS THE MAN FROM NORTH CAROLINA AT GAURD 6’6 MICHAEL JORDAN

  • JL

    kobe the closest, but shot better. i guess im stupid then, i should stop watching basketball, lol.

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  • http://www.melissabrennan.net Melissa Brennan

    Here are some but not all of the countries (aside from the US & Canada) where copies of the Jordan issue are going:

    Asia – Philippines, Taiwan, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kuala Lampur, Singapore, Thailand

    Middle East – Israel, Lebanon,

    Europe – Portugal, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, England, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Switzerland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Austria,

    Africa, – Ghana, South Africa

    Oceania – Australia, New Zealand

    North America, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Trinidad

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  • Teddy-the-Bear

    I respect the Jordan Bulls, as well as the Bad Boy Pistons (one of the only teams to beat Jordan), but Bernard King of the Knickerbockers singlehandedly laid the smackdown on Isiah’s boys. Man… Knicks should’ve had a title in ’94.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    I know that in ’94 King wasn’t on the Knicks. Just saying. Bernard King was the definition of small-forward kick@ssedness.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    @ Jacob: Pippen is better than Pau Gasol though.

  • yo son

    yeah pippen can hold his own, alot of those guys could. and jordan made them even better, which was sick. alot of those guys with kobe are good though as well. but unless your a player you dont get that real perspective. reggie miller gave some good perspective on jordan and kobe since he played with both.

  • http://slamonline.com Jacob J

    @ Teddy-the-Bear. Thats a now brainer gasol is a weak european and isnt tough at all. If it wasnt for Bynum coming back I dont think the Lakers would have won the title.

  • JL

    mj is the best man, i had to go back and look at some stuff. that man did some “stoopid” things with a basketball. crazy!

  • Fizzling

    I still have a copy of the very first “Slam presents Jordan” from the 90′s.

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » Win a meal at Michael Jordan’s The Steakhouse N.Y.C.!

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  • Jason H

    This issue is sick man! I just got it and it’s serious. i’m gonnna frame this once i finish reading!

  • Diego

    Nice issue, couldn’t the editors have written new stories and editorials than just reprinting articles from previous issues? Most of the issue is just a reprint. Don’t get lazy on us, SLAM.

  • mitch

    alright why have the last 2 issues not been available to subscribers?? the kicks one and this special one both havnt come even thou im subscribed

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  • http://yahoo.com Logues

    how bout a slam presents jordan dvd? with a bunch of his old games and dunks, game winners, etc.

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  • http://whatkicks? elisamson

    what kicks is MJ wearing against the knicks mark jackson in one of the pictures in the magazin??? just curious, I know it’s not a jordan line.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    @ elisamson – Whatever they are, they seem to be the same ones Mark Jackson is also wearing in that pic.

  • T75iffany

    I am wondering if I can still purchase this magazine. I really need to find it. Please help!!!

  • T75iffany

    I am wondering if I can still purchase this magazine. I really need to find it. Please help!!!

  • http://slamonline.com Ben Osborne

    T75iffany (and anyone else): go to simbackissues.com and click on the SLAM link. Scroll down and you’ll see a place where you can order this issue.

  • R3!d

    How do I get this?

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  • http://yahoo side show

    hey i got slam presents the only all mj magazine jordan special collectors issue what it worth plz dont lie

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