Kanye West is still dwelling on the time when Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest basketball player of all time, came out of retirement to play with the Washington Wizards. Jordan retired after proving his genius and winning multiple championships with the Chicago Bulls, and his time with Washington is still seen by many (including Yeezy) as having put a dent in his basketball legacy.
At this week’s homecoming show in Chicago’s United Centre, Kanye West sung a tribute to Jordan, provisionally titled We Should’ve Never Ever Let Michael Jordan Play For The Wizards. It was all done in a slightly more reverential way than how West recently slammed a Nike executive through song.
Doused in auto-tune, Kanye sings: “When a player that made the NBA wants to become an owner of the team that he brought so much glory to… a team he brought so much story to… A team that has his statue in the front of the motherfucking building… But do you know what the owners of that team told MJ?… You’re just a player, homeboy.”
Check out the crowd footage below, as well as the full lyrical transcription in all its glory.
Watch: Kanye West Sings About Michael Jordan, United Centre Chicago, 18/12/13
Kanye West’s Michael Jordan song lyrics (Via Medium):
We should’ve never ever let Michael Jordan play for the Wizards
We should’ve never ever let Michael Jordan play for the Wizards
We should’ve never ever let MJ play for the Wizards
Why did that happen?
Why did that happen?
We should’ve never ever let MJ play for the Wizards
We couldn’t stop — we would stop — MJ playing for the Wizards
Why did that happen?
Six championships
The best years of our life
Playing through the flu
Every single night
I believed I could fly
and I wanted to be just like Mike
I believed I could fly
and I wanted to be just like Mike
We should’ve never ever let MJ play for the Wizards
Why did that happen?
Does anybody here know why that happened?
When a player
When a player wants to become an owner
When a player
When a player that’s done more for the league than the league could’ve done for him
When a player that MADE the NBA wants to become an owner of the team that he brought so much glory to, a team he brought so much story to
A team that has his statue in the front of the motherfucking building
But do you know what the owners of that team told MJ?
You’re just a player, homeboy
You can’t get no pay
You can’t own shit
THEY TOLD MICHAEL JORDAN THAT HE COULDN’T OWN SHIT
We should’ve never ever let MJ play for the Wizards
We should’ve never ever let MJ play for the Wizards
Now y’all know why MJ went to play for the Wizards
Because this very team wouldn’t let him be an owner
I’m talking about one of the most important people in our civilization
One of the most influential people in our civilization
They tried to marginalize
And in order to make his point he had to put on a MOTHERFUCKING WIZARDS JERSEY
To let y’all know “Oh yes I am gonna be an owner just like Magic Johnson”
We should’ve never let MJ ever play for the Wizards
Never never never never let him go
Because til I die MJ represents the Bulls
So tonight I’m about to put my 23 on
So tonight I gotta put my 23 on
(Via Consequence of Sound)
