[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 20, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S728-S729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RETIREMENT OF MICHAEL JORDAN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 23 now at the desk.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 23) congratulating Michael Jordan on 
     the announcement of his retirement from the Chicago Bulls and 
     the National Basketball Association.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it is, indeed, fitting that Senate 
Resolution 23 in this 106th Congress be dedicated to a man who 
immortalized the No. 23 as a player for the Chicago Bulls.
  I rise today to pay tribute to a man who is a true legend both on and 
off the hardwood. Michael Jordan may have retired last week from the 
Chicago Bulls and professional basketball, but he is anything but 
retired. He may well be remembered as the greatest basketball player of 
all time, but as long as boys and girls and men and women play this 
uniquely American game, they can also remember a great legacy beyond 
sports. We all owe Michael Jordan a special tribute, not only for his 
excellence at the game and his practiced skills on the basketball court 
but as a decent human being. Michael Jordan is an outstanding citizen 
of his community, the city of Chicago, the State of Illinois, his 
native North Carolina, but also of America and the world.
  It is often asked in many polls across the Earth: Who is the most 
popular man, the most well-known man? And it seems, now that the 
results are in--and not surprising--it is a basketball player from 
Chicago, No. 23, Michael Jordan.
  Those who have not traveled around the world may find that hard to 
believe, but my own limited personal experience can tell you it is the 
case. I can recall in the streets of Shanghai, in China, when my wife 
and I were walking along and saw a little boy with a Chicago Bulls 
baseball cap on, and we went up to this little boy, who did not speak 
English, and I leaned over to him --he was about 9 years old--and I 
said, ``Michael Jordan,'' he looked back at me and he said, ``Scottie 
`Peepin'.''
  A friend of mine was traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railroad across 
Mongolia. He was seated there for a while, and two native Mongolians 
came in and sat down, and after they had been on the train several 
hours, one of them looked at him and said, ``Michael Jordan.''
  When I visited Portugal a few years ago, in the streets of Lisbon the 
kids were wearing Chicago Bulls gear and talking about Michael Jordan. 
In Budapest, in Hungary, at the little flea markets on the square you 
will find these nestling dolls--the wooden dolls that we traditionally 
associate with Russian culture--are now being made with Michael Jordan 
on the outside and the entire Chicago Bulls teams on the inside. Isn't 
it amazing that this one man has now become so well known and so 
popular around the world.
  Well, he is a gifted man, gifted as few individuals have ever been, 
and more significantly, he has not squandered those gifts. He continues 
to contribute to our communities through his support for the James R. 
Jordan Boys and Girls Club, named after his father, the Jordan 
Institute for Families at the University of North Carolina at Chapel 
Hill, and the Ronald McDonald Houses of Greenville, Chapel Hill, Durham 
and Winston-Salem. For the families of seriously ill children who are 
being treated at nearby hospitals, Michael Jordan's charity makes a 
real difference.
  To have seen him perform on a basketball court is to have witnessed a 
talent that has been fashioned out of years of dedication, planning, 
practice, conditioning, mental discipline, will and spirit. As the 
greatest individual basketball player, he leaves his sport as the 
supreme team player. Michael Jordan defined the 1990s. He gained 
eternal fame as the greatest leader and ultimate team player in a team 
sport: six NBA championships in 8 years. He was so magnificent he 
continued to top the statistical lists, yet made everyone around him 
better, as individuals and components of a team.
  I can recall that when my son was in college and we went to our first 
Bulls game, you had the feeling, years ago, that at any moment in that 
game Michael Jordan would take control; no matter what the score was, 
he would be in control. The Bulls won their first NBA title in 1991, 
added two more in a row before Michael Jordan's premature retirement to 
follow another dream.
  He tried baseball but returned 2 years later. I was at his first 
comeback game. He was still good, but rusty, and a lot of men might 
have been discouraged by that and decide to walk away. He did not. He 
rededicated himself to his skills, honed them, developed a new fade-
away shot, and led the NBA in statistics as well as MVP, taking the 
Bulls to the championship again. Defying conventional wisdom, Jordan 
and the Bulls picked up where they left off in 1993. With a new set of 
teammates, including the remarkable Scottie Pippen, whom we will miss 
in Chicago, a rejuvenated Jordan played the best basketball of his 
life, and the Bulls registered the best league record in history with 
72 regular season games and a world championship in 1996. They added 
another title in 1997, and completed the double three-peat last June, 
1998--six titles in 8 years in two clusters of three. The unifying 
link? Michael Jordan.
  Time was running out and the Bulls were trailing the Utah Jazz by a 
point when Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone, dribbled up court, 
and with everyone in the world knowing what he was going to do, 
answered with a perfect swish--all net--on the last shot of the last 
game of his career to win the Bulls' sixth NBA title. Jordan was named 
the most valuable player in the playoffs again. In all six Bulls' 
championships the most valuable player each time was Michael Jordan. He 
has done his work well, always with dignity, always with class, and 
always with dedication.
  He takes care of his own family. He has now said that he is going to 
dedicate his life to carpooling--I have to see that. He has dedicated 
himself to his teammates and friends and to the communities that he 
lives in.
  Mr. President, on behalf of the citizens of my home State of Illinois 
and on behalf of my colleague in the U.S. Senate, Senator Peter 
Fitzgerald--who truly makes this a bipartisan effort--and for fans 
throughout America and the world, I am proud to offer S. Res. 23, 
honoring Michael Jordan for his incredible accomplishments both on and 
off the court.
  Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. President, I rise today to join with Senator Dick 
Durbin, my distinguished colleague from Illinois, in introducing S. 
Res. 23, commending Michael Jordan on his retirement from the Chicago 
Bulls and the National Basketball Association.
  For thirteen years, Michael Jordan has entertained the people of 
Chicago with his performance on the basketball court. The six 
championships he brought to Chicago have been a great source of pride 
and unity for the citizens of Illinois. His accomplishments are many, 
including ten scoring titles, five Most Valuable Player awards, and 
twelve All-Star Game appearances. He was also the first player to win 
the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same year, which 
he did in 1988. In addition, he was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year 
in the 1984-85 season.
  I offer my congratulations to Michael Jordan on all of his 
accomplishments, and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

[[Page S729]]

  I thank the Senate for its swift passage of this resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution and preamble be agreed to en bloc and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table without intervening action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Voinovich). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 23) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 23

       Whereas Michael Jeffrey Jordan has announced his retirement 
     from basketball after 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls;
       Whereas Michael Jordan helped make the long, hard winters 
     bearable for millions of Chicagoans by leading the Chicago 
     Bulls to 6 National Basketball Association Championships 
     during the past 8 years, earning 5 NBA Most Valuable Player 
     awards, and winning 10 NBA scoring titles;
       Whereas Michael Jordan and his Olympic teammates thrilled 
     basketball fans around the world by winning gold medals at 
     the 1984 and 1992 Olympic Games;
       Whereas Michael Jordan has demonstrated an unsurpassed 
     level of professionalism during his athletic career and has 
     served as a role model to millions of American children by 
     demonstrating the qualities that mark a true champion: hard 
     work, grace, determination, and commitment to excellence;
       Whereas Michael Jordan taught us to have the courage to 
     follow our dreams by striving to play baseball for the 
     Chicago White Sox;
       Whereas Michael Jordan demonstrated the importance of 
     pursuing an education by earning a bachelor of arts degree 
     from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;
       Whereas Michael Jordan continues to contribute to our 
     communities through his support for the James R. Jordan Boys 
     & Girls Club and Family Life Center in Chicago, the Jordan 
     Institute for Families at his alma mater, and the Ronald 
     McDonald Houses of Greenville, Chapel Hill, Durham, and 
     Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for families of seriously ill 
     children who are being treated at nearby hospitals; and
       Whereas Michael Jordan will take on new challenges in his 
     life with the same passion and determination that made him 
     the greatest basketball player ever to have lived: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates Michael Jordan on his retirement from the 
     Chicago Bulls and professional basketball; and
       (2) expresses its wishes that Michael Jordan enjoy his life 
     after basketball with his wife, Juanita, and their 3 
     children, Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine.

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