The Neighborhood Enrichment Project Blog

“The Dream Shatterer! Jordan Enters The Hall Of Fame”

Ay Yo, I shatter your dreams like Jordan

Assault and batter your team…

(“Dream Shatterer” by Big Pun 1998)

“Dream Shatterer” is probably my favorite track by Big Pun, who in my opinion was a great lyricist and one of the best in the rap game during late 90’s. It is a really aggressive track with a fast pace beat and lyrics that force you to nod your head. The best part of the song is the first verse when he tells the competition, “Ay Yo, I shatter your dreams like Jordan.” That right there is a strong statement and you know exactly why if you were anywhere near a television in the 90’s.

Charles Barkley… shattered.

Karl Malone…shattered.

Patrick Ewing…shattered.

John Stockton…shattered.

Reggie Miller… shattered.

Dominique Wilkins… shattered.

These future Hall-Of-Famers are just a few of the names on the list of former NBA players who never won a championship because they played during the Jordan era. Their dreams of champagne showers, parades, and iced out rings were all ruined by Michael Jordan, the “Dream Shatterer.”

It was around 1987/1988 when my buddy Binky aka Glenn Collier got a Jordan Jammer. He became the most popular kid on the block because all of the other kids wanted to get into his yard so that we could play on his Jordan Jammer. The Jordan Jammer back then was what a new Xbox or PS3 is today.  Binky and I became really cool because we were the best 8 and 9-year-old b-ball players in the neighborhood. We would battle one on one all the time. He was Jordan and I was my favorite player, Magic Johnson.

I didn’t like Jordan, partly because everyone else liked him so much. Everyone wanted to “Be Like Mike.”  My cousin Reece, aka Aparicio Giddins, swore that he was Michael Jordan when we were growing up. He had all of the Jordan highlight videos and he would watch them over and over again. He walked, talked, and he even stuck out his tongue like Jordan when we played b-ball. What made it worse was that Jordan and the Bulls beat Magic and the Lakers in the NBA finals in 1990. I couldn’t stand Jordan.

It wasn’t until he came back to the NBA after his brief retirement to play baseball that I realized his greatness. I was a little older by this time and I was starting to play basketball seriously myself so I now understood how amazing of an athlete he was. Jordan was the ultimate competitor and a true professional. Every time the game was on the line you knew who was getting the ball and he always delivered in the clutch.

And yes, by the time the 10^th grade rolled around I was a yearly contributor to the Air Jordan sneakers gotta have em club. It was something about wearing those sneakers that just made you feel a little bit more confident. Jordan was just that great. I still have a pair or two in my closet till this day. The amazing thing is that when I look at what the children are wearing today I see Air Jordans are still a popular choice. His rep and legacy still lives on even though he retired over 5 years ago.

On Friday September 11, 2009 Michael Jordan will be inducted into the pro basketball Hall Of Fame. He should have his own wing in the building if you ask me. When I watch highlights of him today I realize how close to perfection he was as a basketball player. Tell all the young fans of today that Lebron, Kobe and the rest of them are great players but Jordan was on another level.

The Greatest of All Time!

The Dream Shatterer!

MJ #23

Chillin at The Park (by the courts),

Scott Speed

www.TheNeighborhoodSpeaks.com

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