Posted on 05/01/2019 2:26:52 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
"Do you think Michael Jordan really still eats McDonald's even though he is a millionaire?" is a question thousands of kids posed to each other in the 1990s.
According to Jordan, the answer is "yes," and one story about a product he refused to endorse reveals just how important it was for MJ to maintain a genuine image as he rose to fame.
In May 1992, Jordan did a lengthy interview with Playboy that was later reproduced at Longform. Mark Vancil asked Jordan about products he turned down, and His Airness revealed that he rejected one substantial offer because he did not use the product and did not like the name.
"Two or three years ago Quaker Oats came to me to endorse Van Kamp's pork and beans — Beanee Weenees, I think it was called," Jordan said. "You ever heard of Beanee Weenees pork and beans? It was close to a million bucks a year. I'm saying, Beanee Weenees? How can I stand in front of a camera and say I'll eat Beanee Weenees?"
Beanee Weenee is actually a version of pork and beans that uses chunks of hot dogs instead of bacon. It is still available today.
Two or three years before the interview, Jordan had not hit the peak of his playing career. He had one MVP award and had yet to win a championship.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Kinda miss that guy on the court, he was a sight to behold at his craft.
He is also a world class gambler, and gambling loser.
According to former mafia Captain Michael Franzese (who left the mafia and became a born again Christian), Jordan's "retirement" from the NBA when he went to play minor league baseball was because of gambling, and then Jordan's father may have been killed by the mafia because of his gambling debts.
Michael Franzese on Michael Jordan's Father Killed Over Jordan's Gambling
A more in-depth analysis:
Was Michael Jordan’s Father Murdered By The Mafia Due To His Gambling?
A friend of mine went to HS with Jordan, said he was a pretty cool guy ( and to be honest my buddy was kinda racist, so he really must have been impressed with him even back then). Also said Jordan wasn’t the stereotypical “dumb jock” but rather was pretty smart getting all A’ and B’s in school. He apparently went out for football first wanting to be a quarterback but sucked at that, so switched to basketball and well the rest is history.
I haven't been able to watch basketball since he retired. I live in the far southwest suburbs of Chicago. The Jordan era was the golden era of basketball as far as I'm concerned. We'll never see another like him, nor Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and so many more that played at the time.
Basketball now is just a bunch of tatted up gang-banging thugs driving the lane to draw a foul.
No talent. No finesse. No anything anymore.
Oh, and for the record: LeBron James SUCKS!!!
Don’t hold back, let us know how you really feel.
YouTube is your friend. Endless videos of great NBA basketball during the 80s and 90s. Nostalgia.
I agree with you. Michael Jordan was the best basketball player of all time - not just because of his skills but also because of his competitive nature and leadership which made everyone around him on his team play better. I will never forget his triumphs with the Chicago Bulls. Totally awesome.
Sounds like he had decent business sense, even back then.
He certainly is a world class douchebag.
The NBA used to be a lot more physical than it is now. Far more skilled players in a lot of ways (e.g., centers dribbling the ball up the court, shooting 3’s) than they used to have.
Also, more thuggery a decade or two ago.
Michael Jordan was great. The NBA was a great league in the 1990s, now it is unwatchable.
One name that rarely gets mentioned is Pete Maravich.
In his 4yrs in college, WITHOUT the 3-point line, he averaged 44 ppg.
In the NBA, he averaged almost 30 ppg...again WITHOUT the 3-point line.
He will eat it if he wants to visit the white house. /s
I can't watch the NBA either; bunch of thugs.
“Republicans buy shoes too”
The Bulls probably would have won it all in 94 and 95 if Jordan was playing those two years, to make it eight straight.
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