The thing about Babe Ruth and Pistol Pete that make them so memorable is that they were innovators. Babe was really the first player to use the home run as a weapon, and as a result, the game was changed. Pistol Pete was probably the first player with that kind of flash, and that also changed how the game was played. Although Jordan was great, I don't think that the game itself changed because of him. Of course, during his tenure as the league's greatest player, the NBA went global and basketball became hugely popular. He did not create the art of skywalking, he merely mastered it. Other players hit clutch shots before him. I would say that Magic Johnson had a greater impact on the game that MJ.

This is not to say that I don't appreciate the man. As a young fan I worshipped the guy, and I even managed to persuade my parents to name my brother Jordan while MJ was still at UNC. My brother is now 19, and I'm glad that it all worked out. His name just as easily could have been "Bowie."