Back in the day – think 1990s with me – you could say a large percentage of my job revolved around Michael Jordan.
No, I didn’t rebound MJ’s practice shots as a ball boy for the Chicago Bulls.
Actually, as the creative manager of The Upper Deck Company’s NBA basketball trading card sets, I was charged with developing all kinds of cards featuring His Airness.
Upper Deck had an exclusive endorsement with Michael, so the company had an advantage over competitors Topps, Fleer, Skybox, et al. in that it could go past the limit of four trading cards per player with MJ.
Whether it was his annual “regular card” featuring traditional biographical information and stats, subsets, or specialty sets like “Rare Air” or my personal favorite, “23 Nights,” I enjoyed many instances of selecting MJ photos, researching Jordan feats and facts and composing descriptive copy that was to be featured on the backs of these trading cards.
There were literally hundreds of Michael Jordan cards that I had a hand in creating for sports collectors worldwide. It was a fantastic experience being able to pore through the archives of NBA Photos in Secaucus, New Jersey, look up fascinating records about No. 23, review the cards before printing, and finally see the final product reveal itself after opening the foil wrappers. It’s still fantastic to think back on it.
Today is Michael’s 53rd birthday, and it’s kind of fun to think about what creative card I would do today to commemorate the occasion if I was still in my old position. Perhaps something to recall a memorable 53-point game? (I’m confident he had at least one given all of his 50-plus point games). Or maybe it would be a 21st century version of his first Upper Deck rookie card (1990-91) possessing some type of digital or technological feature that would be akin to Michael lighting up an arena with a patented jam.
Reading birthday tributes to Michael on social media today brought back great memories about my days capturing his achievements on the basketball court for Upper Deck. Writing this post elicited even more remembrances. Thanks for the memories, Michael, and happy birthday!