When Michael Jordan thought he was 007 material

Michael Jordan

It’s not just SPORTSWRITERS who like to compare former basketball star Michael Jordan. According to his agent, Jordan apparently thought he was 007 material in the early 1990s.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek, in its July 1 issue, features SPORTS AGENT DAVID FALK ON ITS “HOW DID I GET HERE PAGE? It’s an infographic featuring quotes from the subject, photos and a timeline.

There’s this quote from Falk in the 1992 section, related to when Falk founded Falk Associates Management Enterprises (or FAME):

“I told Michael, `You’re not an actor. If you’re ever going to be in a movie, you have to play the person you can play best. He said, `Who’s that? James Bond?’ I said, `No, Michael Jordan.'”

Jordan may have been kidding. The infographic doesn’t provide any additional information. The comment works as a joke because Jordan isn’t known for being humble (click HERE or HERE for examples) either as a successful basketball player (six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls) or a less successful baseball player and NBA team owner.

FEBRUARY 2013 POST: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED COMPARES MICHAEL JORDAN TO 007

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.