MJ Still in a League of His Own as 50th Birthday Approaches

Few men have left an imprint on the game like Michael Jordan did. His Airness, now the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, turns 50 this Sunday and it's a reminder of how much the basketball world still reveres MJ. The six-time world champion for the Chicago Bulls will be celebrated throughout the week on ESPN and, if you're tired of seeing his Slam Dunk Contest highlights from the 80's then keep the television off because those will be run constantly as the 2013 edition of the Dunk Contest approaches. Jordan retired at the conclusion of the 2002-03 season, but he is still a prominent figure in the game today.

Today, we are blessed to watch the jaw-dropping ability of superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. The three can score at will and attack the hoop with reckless abandon. Their numbers are incredible and they have challenged records since they set foot on the floor. However, there is a shadow that hovers over them and it's a shadow that won't disappear any time soon. It's the shadow of Jordan, who is widely-accepted as the greatest player of all-time, and who somehow remains relevant years after retiring.

Take today for example. James is in the midst of one of the most dominant and productive stretches ever after scoring 30 points and shooting 60 percent from the field for the fifth straight game. Despite his feat, sports talk shows have deemed his achievements secondary to Jordan's streak of 10 straight triple-doubles in 1989. Over the years it has been made clear that a player can't revel in his own accomplishments without them being compared to something Jordan did.

Michael Jordan is the barometer by which all superstars are judged on. Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, but did he do as efficiently as MJ once did? James has scored 50 points in nine games in his career, but Jordan did it 34 times during his time. Durant has averaged 28 points per game in his first 43 playoff games, but that's not close to Jordan's 35.4 in the same span. The reality for superstars today is that they can't escape Jordan. He is there at every historic performance and every record with one that matches or trumps all.

It's not just his numbers though. People still care about Michael Jordan as a man and nothing illustrates that better then when he made front page news for wearing cargo shorts on a golf course about a month ago. I'm sure many golfers have made that mistake, but Jordan was a hot topic on ESPN for that small miscue. As recently as this week he was in the news because current Lakers' forward Antawn Jamison stated to the media he believes MJ could still contribute for a team and score double figures despite turning 50 on Sunday. That's respect if I've ever heard it.

Jordan still graces our televisions on multiple Hanes advertisements and it would be a tight contest to see who is shown more during Bobcats' highlights -- him or the actual team. His influence is great, but it begs the question: how has he stayed so relevant?

It's not as if Jordan is always talking to the media or creating headlines for himself. That's not the way he operates and, in fact, he would rather keep to himself. Obviously, he wants us all to know he is still alive and still considered the greatest player ever, but he is not always visible. Magic Johnson is very visible. He is always on television and we see him every week. There was a period of time where Isiah Thomas and Larry Bird were very visible as they worked with their respective NBA teams. Charles Barkley ignites laughter in every household on NBA Thursdays on TNT. In that regard, those players have never been mysteries. We knew where they were and what they were thinking. But not Jordan. Although the ownership of the Bobcats has made him more visible, it still seems that he is in a different world, almost as if he is above everybody else.

Jordan has his flaws, and by now, people have formed their opinion of him as both a player and a man. Whatever you think about him, he is not going away. As fans we will continue to see his name and, more importantly, players such as Bryant, James and Durant will continue to be compared to him. Their successes will be judged on the Jordan standard and it will be decades until MJ is an afterthought.

Gatorade may not have known it would stick at the time, but their 1991 commercial still rings true today. Everybody just wants to Be Like Mike.