2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose recently said that Michael Jordan became who he was and is who he is today because he played in Chicago. According to Rose, the Windy City's basketball culture greatly impacted Mike's career, and it helped shape who he became.
While it's true that Chicago has a great basketball tradition, former three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams disagrees. According to Lou Will, Jordan was so good and so special that he would have become the greatest of all time regardless of where he played his NBA career.
"I felt like MJ was going to be MJ whether he was a Portland Trail Blazer or Cleveland Cavalier," said Lou Will. "Michael Jordan was going to be Michael Jordan."
Chicago's rich basketball history
Wind City was one of the earliest cities to have basketball. The first league opened three months after Naismith invented the game. The Harlem Globetrotters were formed in 1926 on the South side of Chicago.
The legendary George Mikan was born in Joliet, Illinois, and attended DePaul in Chicago. Other players who came from the Chicago area include Johnny Kerr, Dan Issel, Maurice Cheeks, Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, Quinn Buckner, and Terry Cummings.
Although he was the biggest star to play in Chicago, Jordan was born and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, and honed under Dean Smith in Chapel Hill. The Bulls picked him third overall in 1984, but 'Sweet Lou' thinks he would've been successful regardless of which NBA city he was drafted into.
"Well, LeBron should be your case study," added Williams. "LeBron James was LeBron in Cleveland. LeBron James is LeBron in Miami. He's LeBron James in an LA uniform."
Related: "It kind of f****** me up" - Derrick Rose says he felt tricked after seeing Kobe Bryant relax
D-Rose claims Jordan became MJ in Chicago
Williams' comments come after Chicago native Rose declared that Jordan wouldn't have been MJ if he had not played for the Bulls . During his recent appearance on the Club 520 podcast, the 2011 NBA MVP said that Mike became the 'Black Cat' because of the city's expectations.
"The basketball culture is just strong," said Rose . "The expectations of, like, alright, what are you going to do? I guarantee you he had people in his corner like you just went on vacation. They ain't going to let you win three more," Derrick added. "I bet you can't. That's what n***** in Chi-Town were telling him. You already won one. I bet you can't win another."
While Chicago's basketball tradition is undeniable, Jordan was the best thing to happen to basketball. Sure, Chicago became the venue for his greatness. But it's hard to argue that he became who he is because of that.
You can understand D-Rose's affinity for his hometown. But the only reason why MJ was MJ was because of, well, MJ himself. He was already born the Black Cat.
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