One player–Michael Jordan–is the greatest of all time. Here’s why.
Throughout its history, the NBA has witnessed many great talents. From Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul Jabbar to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. But one player–Michael Jordan–is the best of the best.
Yes, Jordan won six championships. That would be enough to seal the deal. But there’s more than to his legacy than championships.
Rookie Season: Drafted by the Chicago Bulls as 3rd overall in 1984, Jordan had one of the best rookie seasons ever. He averaged 28.2 pts. and 2.4 steals per game and led the Bulls into the NBA playoffs. Despite losing to the Bucks in the first round, Jordan’s performance was enough to put the League on notice. Jordan’s terrific performance made him the NBA’s ROY.
Courtesy: The Cheat Sheet
The ‘Jordan Rules’: For a good part of Jordan’s NBA tenure, his Bulls went head-to-head with the ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons for NBA supremacy. To limit Jordan’s effectiveness on offense, Detroit employed a defensive strategy, which the Pistons called ‘Jordan Rules.’ Those rules included this: If Michael was at the point, Detroit forced him left and doubled him. But if Jordan was on the left wing, the Pistons went immediately to a double team from the top.
The ‘Dream Team’: Jordan is one of only three U.S. men’s basketball players to win Olympic Gold as an amateur and professional. His first Gold Medal came in 1984 as a college player. He led the team in scoring. Then, at the 1992 Games, Michael was part of a team that included Magic Johnson and Larry Bird–a team dubbed “The Dream Team.”
“Air Jordan”: Jordan’s legacy is very much related to sneakers and sportswear that Nike produced exclusively under Michael’s name. Total ‘Jordan’ U.S retail sales hit $3 billion dollars last year.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom: President Obama honored Michael in November 2016 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Obama said, “There is a reason you call somebody ‘the Michael Jordan of’ … the Michael Jordan of neurosurgery, the Michael Jordan of rabbis, or the Michael Jordan of outrigger canoeing. /It’s because/…Michael Jordan is the Michael Jordan of greatness. He’s the definition of somebody so good at what they do that everybody recognizes it.”
For these reasons, make no mistake about it: Michael is the greatest and his legacy is intact.
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An earlier version of this article was published on the author’s blog.
