HONORING 23 ON THE 17th — GREATNESS, GRACE, AND LEARNING TO REJOICE
February 17 — the birthday of Michael Jordan — is probably cool to most pure basketball fans, even to those of us who grew up bleeding purple and gold for the Los Angeles Lakers. As a lifelong Lakers fan, it almost feels like betrayal to say it out loud, but truth is truth: Jordan is the greatest to ever play the game. I would love to say LeBron is. Especially now as a Laker. But you aren’t going to find many from my generation who will say anyone is better than Jordan. We saw what we saw in the 90s.
The 1980s were my greatest basketball joy — the Showtime era, fast breaks and banners — but the 1990s were a different story. Those were the years when Jordan and the Chicago Bulls ruled the league and broke a lot of Laker hearts. And yet, somewhere along the way, I made him an honorary Laker in my own mind. I found myself pulling for Chicago because when Jordan played, it felt like greatness itself was on display. His footwork, his will, his hang time, his refusal to lose — it was art and warfare wrapped in one uniform. Love him or hate him, when he stepped on the court, you felt like your team was winning just by witnessing it.
But Jordan’s legacy did not stop at the hardwood. During this Black History Month, it feels fitting to recognize that his competitive fire has crossed into another arena. His NASCAR team, 23XI Racing just captured the Daytona 500 — one of the most iconic and historically exclusive stages in American motorsports. NASCAR has not always been known for its inclusivity, and the sport’s history carries complicated layers. Yet here stands a Black majority owner at the pinnacle of its most celebrated race. That speaks to doors opening, to walls being challenged, to excellence refusing to be confined to one arena. Jordan dominated basketball in a way the world had never seen, and now his presence is reshaping spaces far beyond the court. Greatness, it seems, does not retire — it expands.
As much as it cost a lifelong Lakers fan to admit Jordan’s greatness, there was something freeing in choosing to celebrate it anyway. Romans 12:15 calls us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep — and that command stretches us beyond rivalry, beyond preference, beyond pride. In a small way, cheering for Jordan even when he wasn’t wearing my colors teaches me something about the Kingdom of God: we do not lose when others succeed. We reflect Christ when we honor excellence, when we celebrate progress, when we recognize doors opening that once were shut.
If we can learn to rejoice over a game, how much more should we rejoice when God’s image-bearers rise, overcome barriers, and reflect gifts He placed within them? Jesus frees us from small hearts and tribal loyalties. He teaches us to love what is good, to celebrate what is honorable, and to see every victory as an opportunity to glorify the Giver of every good and perfect gift.
And…despite my proximity to Talladega, I have never been interested in NASCAR. But we can all change. With my favorite basketball player involved now, maybe I’m starting to feel a little interest.
BDD
