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Or … did he?
(Im talking about the sneakers thing.
Obviously, he did play basketball and appear inSpace Jam.)
Even today, Jordan is slightly defensive about this part of his legacy.
Probably, he says with a resigned shrug inThe Last Dance.
But thats where my energy was.
I wasnt a politician.
I was focused on my craft.
He wasnt into politics, he explained, didnt really know the issues.
And, as he later told a friend, Republicans buy shoes, too.
However, as many commentators havenoted, the sourcing inThe Second Comingis obscured.
Because after all that meant you won.
[…] So he shot me the last word.
Republicans, he said with a smile, buy sneakers, too.
It was a joke!
Stop taking yourselves so seriously.
Was it to obscure his own role in the quotes creation?
Or did he simply misremember, either then or now?
After 30 years, we will probably never get a firm answer about this aspect of the story.
However, he denied that he meant anything by it.
It was thrown off the cuff.
But its notable how the debate has shifted from what Jordan said to what hemeant.
Jordans defenders point out that the quotes immortality has obscured his more recentwillingness to speak out.
*This post originally misstated the ground Gantt was attempting to break with his candidacy.
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