In this SI 60 selection, Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam writes about why Michael Jordan was the perfect athlete for the perfect time in America.

As he reaches his 50th birthday, MJ is still looking for one more ass to kick

You have a tape?" Michael Jordan asks. "Of that game?" "I do," I say. "Man, everybody asks me about that game," he says. "It was the most fun I ever had on a

Let's run a clear-out for Michael Jordan. Before he scores one more oooh noo, hook up the VCR, mama, he's throwin' it down again basket; before he gulps down

BOUND FOR GLORY: An oral history of how Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and the rest of the 1991 NBA champs learned to play together and started the greatest pro sports dynasty the town has ever seen