Sports Illustrated compares Michael Jordan to 007

Michael Jordan

Sports Illustrated in its Feb. 18 issue did a big spread on former basketball star Michael Jordan on the eve of his 50th birthday. The cover story, Michael Jordan at 50, briefly compares the former athlete to a certain gentleman agent.

Here’s the key except in the article by SI’s Phil Taylor. It’s part of a passage about whether Jordan can retain his popularity.

There was a time when Jordan was the coolest guy in any room, the black James Bond. He turned the shaved head into a game-changer for prematurely balding men. Baggy shorts with black socks, once the province of dorky retirees, became stylish once he started rocking them…..But how long can Jordan’s level of public admiration last? As his playing career fades further into the background, can the post-50 Joran maintain his cool pose?

Most of the magazine’s contents are behind a pay wall. You can sample some offerings on its Web site, such as 50 reasons we’ll never forget Michael Jordan and SI’s 100 best Michael Jordan photos.

Jordan turns 50 on Feb. 17.