The book is well-written and fair. It paints all the players, including Michael Jordan, as merely human. All Smith did was write about the players’ thoughts and feelings, which they freely shared with him.
The Last Dance (available on Netflix), the docuseries about Michael Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls, mentions a controversial book, The Jordan Rules, published in 1992 about the 1991-92 Bulls season. The book is controversial because it paints an unflattering portrait of Jordan as a teammate. But it was the media’s reaction to the book that set off the firestorm, as well as condemnations from people who hadn’t even read the book.
After watching The Last Dance, which I heartily recommend, I read The Jordan Rules: The Inside Story of a Turbulent Season with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, by Sam Smith, who covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune.
… and I was shocked—shocked at why this book was considered so evil by so many at the time.
Unlike Jim Bouton’s Ball Four, the book does not delve into the players’ personal affairs. It chronicles their interactions with Jordan and each other throughout the season. It wasn’t a hit-and-run piece, as Smith traveled with the team all season and continued for years.
In an introduction to a later edition of the book, Smith wrote, “I told every player about the book before I wrote it, although Jordan later said he didn’t recall that. I sat down with every one at lunch or dinner and explained this was a book about basketball, not private lives. I remain proud of the book because it didn’t hurt anyone that way. And to this day, I remain friendly with most players.”
It is almost impossible to write a book like this without creating misunderstandings. When John Feinstein wrote A Season on the Brink about Bobby Knight’s 1985-86 season with Indiana University’s basketball team, Knight permitted Feinstein to immerse himself in the program, giving him the chance to attend meetings and practices, travel with the team, and even sit on the bench during games. Nevertheless, Knight complained to the Chicago Sun-Times that Feinstein “wrote the book completely outside the set parameters. The book was supposed to be about the players, but it was about me, starting with the cover and going right through.”
Feinstein claimed Knight knew from the outset that he would be the focus. Similarly, Jordan was upset with the book.
Sam Smith: There was no question he was angry then, though I felt it was more because of the negative publicity from portions of the book that were taken out of context by others. My guess is Jordan never read the book. But people who read it now ask me why it was such a big deal then.
Count me among that number. The book is tame to the point of being PG by today’s tell-all standards. It is well-written and fair. It paints all the players, including Jordan, as merely human and portrays the inevitable conflicts and jealousy when 12 people are so close to one another daily for an entire basketball season. All Smith did was write about the players’ thoughts and feelings, which they freely shared with him.
“There’s always been this mystery and guessing game about The Jordan Rules, wrote Smith. “Who was the source, the Deep Throat. I’ve always hated that since the implication is someone handed me all this information, and I sat around and just waited…. There was no secret source. Everyone was the source.”
Sam Smith (photo courtesy of Columbia Journalism Review)
The book’s title conveys that Jordan was treated differently from the other players. Looking back, that was no great revelation. As Smith explained, “The Jordan Rules wasn’t a difficult story to get if you looked. For several years, players would tell me something about how Jordan had held someone up to ridicule or skipped a mandatory workout. Phil (coach Phil Jackson) had explained publicly, which was part of his brilliance, that the pretty girl gets kissed. In other words, some people get better treatment because society sees them as more special than others.”
At the time, the public didn’t want to burst the bubble of the Michael Jordan mystique. Everyone wanted to “be like Mike.” But Smith felt he might have done MJ a favor. “Michael Jordan had been marketed as perfect,” Smith wrote. “And he looked the part with that magnificent smile and spectacular game. I always figured ‘The Jordan Rules’ took some pressure off him by showing he wasn’t perfect and didn’t have to be, and the fans will still love him. Not that the book did him any favors. But he always worried about being unloved and unpopular, and here I was writing about him being a real guy, hardly a criminal, but difficult at times. How dare I! And you know what, they still loved him. Maybe even more.”
The Jordan Rules is well worth the read and a great companion to The Last Dance. The docuseries glossed over some of Jordan’s faults, while the book was more honest and less biased. In any case, if you haven’t already done so, check them out.
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This column first appeared in The Vacaville Reporter on July 25, 2020.
