I grew up in Chicago in the 1990s when Michael Jordan was cementing his legacy as the greatest to ever do it. When I was a kid I remember listening to the radio in my bedroom during the Finals, hearing the neighborhood erupt when the Bulls scored. It felt like the whole city was breathing together. Sports can do that. At their best, they unite people who otherwise have very little in common.

That kind of shared experience feels rarer now. We no longer gather around the same handful of television channels. We scroll through thousands of streaming options, each living in our own algorithm. But sports still has the power to cut through that fragmentation. The biggest games still command collective attention.

When Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash, it was a gut punch, even as a Bulls fan. For years, he was a constant presence on our screens. He defined an era in Los Angeles and beyond. The greatest athletes don’t just play games; they........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)