“Prior to 1988 when Michael Jordan won the Slam Dunk Contest and jumped from the free throw line, he was not a global icon yet… but that was the moment he became AIR JORDAN and a luminescent star. Bryce Harper winning a Home Run Derby at the exact same age of 25 could brand him in a similar way with baseball."
-- Clay Travis
Listen to Clay Travis explain why he thinks Bryce Harper's thrilling victory at Monday's Home Run Derby could be the same type of iconic moment for his career that the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest was for Michael Jordan.
In 1988, Michael Jordan was already a four-time All-Star and considered one of the league's most elite talents as a 25-year-old, but still hadn't appeared in an NBA Finals to that point. Travis says Harper has led a very similar career to MJ thus far and believes the Home Run Derby could become Harper's AIR JORDAN moment like MJ's leap from just inside the free throw line that launches his career from All-Star to ICON.
Listen to the full audio below.