Yo, Michael! You're the Best!

Modern life suffers from the Mona Lisa complex, the idea that when you finally see a legendary work of art, it inevitably disappoints, appearing somehow smaller and less awe inspiring than you had imagined it. Except Michael Jordan.

Jordan, whose gleaming visage is probably more familiar to American kids than that of Leonardo's lady, is an icon that grows more revered by the day. Millions more people have seen him pushing Nike Air Jordans, Pepsi and Wheaties than performing magic -- make that outperforming Magic -- on a basketball court. But all the commercial hype and publicity fade away when he...