I Present to You: "The Michael Jordan Simulator", a.k.a. "The World's Coolest Basketball Court"
By Rob Perez
I can’t tell you how many times I went to the local park, as a child, and pretended/reenacted this very Michael Jordan play. I remember muttering Bulls broadcaster Neil Funk’s words EVERY time: “Malone…stripped by Michael, to the floor, stolen by MJ! Michael the steal! 16 seconds left, Bulls down one…Michael against Russell, 12 seconds…11…10. Jordan, Jordan, a drive, HANGS…FIRES!!!!…SCORES! HE SCORES!!!! The Bulls lead 87-86 with five and two-tenths left, and now they’re one stop away! Oh my goodness…OH MY GOODNESS!!!!” — as I dribbled around an imaginary Bryon Russell, by myself, and most-likely bricked the pull-up.
It’s arguably the most “recognizable” moment in NBA history, and until now … the only way to relive it was through playful pickup fantasy, or, on YouTube.
Video-production company Stardust, Agency AKQA, and NIKE all joined forces in creating this jaw-dropping, basketball-junkie’s environment — and it is the prize jewel of a collaboration of interactive experiences built to commemorate “Air Jordan’s” 30th anniversary. For those in the area, it’s on display this weekend at the Jordan All-Star Weekend exhibition, which runs through close-of-business tonight — right across the street from Madison Square Garden.
When the experience begins, the floor lights up to show you where to dribble. On each wall, the actual Utah Jazz crowd in attendance cheers/boos your every move, as they did that night in 1998, and then react accordingly, depending on whether you actually make the shot or not… In addition: A real play-by-play announcer calls out your every move, real humans play defense against you/act as stand-ins for Bryon Russell, and even play the part when you push off.
Whether hoops are your cup of tea, or not … you can relate to how awesome this is…
For example, if these guys got together and did this for the other major professional sports at their All-Star events — what moment in history should they re-create? Here are the ones I’d want to relive:
NFL: “The Music City Miracle”
MLB: Endy Chavez’s “The Catch”
PGA: Tiger Woods, 16th Hole at the 2005 Masters
NBA (honorable mention): Vince Carter Dunking on Frederic Weiss at the Olympics
UEFA Champions League: Didier Drogba Penalty Kick to Win the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final