Reinsdorf not one to judge Jordan's Hall of Fame speech

Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf refused Monday to make a judgment call on Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame speech.

"Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player who ever played," Reinsdorf said at a ceremony to help open Chicago Bulls College Prep, a charter high school a few blocks from the United Center.

"He said what he wanted to say that night, and it's not up to me to grade it or interpret it."

Jordan spent much of his speech discussing those people who helped motivate him to be great. He mentioned his siblings, former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, the alleged all-star "freeze-out" culprits, Pat Riley, Bryon Russell and many others.

Reinsdorf was included when Jordan recounted his comeback from a foot injury late in the 1985-86 season. The Bulls didn't want him to risk reinjuring the foot, while Jordan wanted to play.

During his induction speech, Jordan said Reinsdorf asked him if he had a headache and was given a bottle of 10 painkillers but one was coated in cyanide and would kill him, would he take the medicine? Jordan's response was, "How bad is the headache?"

"It's hard to imagine that story took place 23 years ago," Reinsdorf said Monday. "His memory of it wasn't exactly perfect, but it did explain what a competitor he was that he was willing to risk his entire career just to get back and play basketball."

Chicago Bulls College Prep opened this fall with 229 ninth-graders. It is expected to serve around 600 students when fully enrolled with grades 9-12 in the 2012-13 school year.

This is one of nine charter schools throughout the city that are part of the Chicago Public School system but run independently.

Principal Tyson Kane quizzed the students on the goal of the school, which is to graduate them from college.

"When I was growing up, if you got through high school, that was considered a big achievement. That's not good enough anymore," Reinsdorf said. "You've got to go to college if you want to get the good jobs. In a bad economy, education is even more important.

"I don't believe athletes are the ones you should idolize. I think we should idolize teachers, scientists and physicians. I'd rather idolize Jonas Salk, who invented the polio vaccine, than whoever the greatest athlete in the world was."