One of the most recognizable faces — and brands — in the world, Michael Jordan joined Cigar Aficionado publisher Marvin R. Shanken in a six-part sit-down interview in which he discussed his insane golf schedule, the famous golfers he plays with on a daily basis, Tiger vs. Jack Nicklaus, his brand, his passions and of course, cigars.
The golf portion of the sit-down spanned two videos: one (which can be seen below) focussed on Tiger and one (which can be seen above) on Jordan’s own golf game, his round and cigar frequency as well as some thoughts on the game’s up-and-coming stars.
The full series can be seen on CigarAficionado.com
GolfChannel.com had some of the memorable quotes from the interview.
In a series of videos, Jordan recently told Cigar Aficionado that he plays 36 holes “almost every day,” smokes up to six cigars a day and has a “bad 4” handicap. An unabashed fan of the PGA Tour – he’s been a presence with the U.S. team in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup – he offered his take on some of today’s top young players:
Jordan Spieth: “I just played with him four weeks ago in Cabo. Great kid. Very polite. Very talented. Grinder. He has heart. He has determination. He finds a will to win. That’s Jordan. He doesn’t hit it long. He’s a great putter. A lot of that comes from his hard work.”
Rory McIlroy: “Very talented … For someone that small, to generate that much power, is truly amazing. I’m fascinated that with my massive size, these guys can blow it past me.”
Rickie Fowler: “Rickie is coming into his own. Real talented. He’s a phenomenon in that he resonates with the consumers and the kids.”
Justin Thomas: “Talented. I met him when he was 12 years old.”
Jordan also took issue with interviewer Marvin R. Shanken’s claim that the debate about who is the greatest golfer of all time – Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods – is over (presumably with Nicklaus the winner because he still leads Woods in majors, 18 to 14).
“I beg to differ,” Jordan said. “First of all, you’re never going to say who the greatest of all time is. I think that’s more for PR and more for selling stories and getting the hype. Jack and Tiger never played against each other. … I won six championships. Bill Russell won 11. Does that make Bill Russell better than me or me better than him? I think (Nicklaus and Woods are) both great. I would never say one is greater than the other.”
[CigarAficionado.com, GolfChannel.com]
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