JORDAN CALLED "KONGZHONG FEIREN," OR SPACE FLIER, IN CHINA

          To the Chinese, Michael Jordan "remains America's
     king," according to Elisabeth Rosenthal, who writes from
     Beijing about Jordan and the NBA's reach in China on the
     front page of the N.Y. TIMES.  The Chinese have named Jordan
     "kongzhong feiren -- 'space flier.'"  When a Beijing company
     recently asked 1,000 Chinese to name the best-known
     Americans ever, Jordan was second, "trailing Thomas Edison
     by just a few percentage points.  Behind him were Albert
     Einstein, Mark Twain and Bill Gates" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/16).
          RELOADING? In Chicago, Terry Armour reports that the
     TRIBUNE "has learned the Bulls are prepared to offer" Bulls
     F Scottie Pippen a two-year deal worth $35-40M in an effort
     to keep the team intact (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/16).  Arrests in
     Chicago after the Bulls' title win were down 22% from last
     year, "with 451 people arrested, mostly for disorderly
     conduct."  Police spokesperson Pat Camden said that arrests
     for "serious incidents" were down "even more significantly,"
     from 144 last year to 77 this year (SUN-TIMES, 6/16).