I know I was not alone when I heard the NBA owners were definitely going to lock out the players and jumped for joy. With the 1998-99 season sure to be shortened, maybe, just maybe, Jordan would want to play one last time?

The intense speculation surrounding the possibility of a short Jordan return overshadowed the actual story of the lockout. It had only been six months, but already most fans, reporters and, more generally, Americans everywhere realized the true post-Jordan NBA world would need years before it was fun again.

We all still wanted to be like Mike.

Unfortunately, Jordan had no plans then to return, and a thumb injury would have prevented it anyway. Still, after the first retirement-unretirement incident, we kept our eyes on him all the time.

There’s really no secret to his appeal. First of all, he’s undoubtedly (I will never back down from this position) the greatest basketball player ever. Secondly, he’s assertive and intimidating on the court, but humble and hard-working off it.

And at one point in his career, he was the world’s biggest superstar—every woman wanted him, and every man wanted to be him.

So for all the Jordan-haters out there, excuse the rest of us for having followed his every move since 1998—from the charity golf tournaments to the Wizards boardrooms, from the Space Jam redux commercials to his political endorsement of Bill Bradley.

You can watch Latrell Sprewell and John Stockton all you want on the court, but that’s still less captivating than Jordan’s off-court machinations.

Now, I’m a life-long Bulls fan, and watching the current Chicago crop of hapless tykes disheartens me. I’ve been looking for a team I can root for once the Bulls are mathematically out of the playoffs, which is usually by December. The Sacramento Kings have come close, but now I can sincerely root for Jordan’s Wizards.

Less than five years ago I wouldn’t have considered buying the jersey of a team that used to be called the “Bullets”. But put “Jordan” on the back, and now I’m styling.