The Last Dance documentary series was an absolute godsend during this sports-less time. It had everything. A great soundtrack, interviews that include everyone from the late Kobe Bryant to Barack Obama, and of course never-before-seen behind the scenes footage. My biggest takeaway from the MJ doc is that Michael Jordan’s basketball legacy & career truly will never be topped. The LeBron vs. MJ argument will forever be debated on First Take, Twitter, and in sports bars everywhere. Whether or not you think LeBron is the most talented basketball player to ever walk planet earth, one thing remains clear: Michael Jordan’s wealth, fame, and legacy will never be seen again in NBA history. Ever.
Jordan Came First
This simple fact is unfair to the many players that came after(and before) Michael, but sometimes you’re just born in the wrong decade. The NBA has been around since the 1940’s, but didn’t really become popular until the early 1980’s. Coincidentally, or not so coincidentally, a young Michael Jordan is drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984 with the 3rd overall pick. After Bill Russell retired in 1970, the NBA had a whirlwind of problems ranging from cocaine scandals to the ABA breathing down their necks. What’s interesting about Jordan’s career is that both him and David Stern came into the league the same exact year, thus beginning the birth of the modern NBA. The NBA’s popularity started to grow with stars like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael. The fact of the matter is, the NBA’s presence in pop culture and the national media really started in the 80’s, so the legacies and popularity of players pre-1980’s like Wilt, Bill Russell, and Oscar Robertson never came close to the legacy of MJ, through no fault of their own. They were simply born too early.
David Stern himself has credited cable television as the true savior of the NBA, but Michael Jordan was a close second. The impact of television on the NBA’s success and popularity cannot be understated. The pairing of Michael Jordan’s incredible athleticism combined with fans being able to watch him in the comfort of their own homes was a match made in heaven for Stern. The players that came before Jordan just didn’t have the advantage of the technology that brought their talents into mainstream society. In order, the ’98, ’97, ’96, and ’93 Finals are the most watched series in NBA history. Game 6 of the ’98 Finals is still the most watched NBA game of all-time. And there’s one simple reason for those figures: MJ.
During the 90’s, Michael Jordan was hands down the most famous person in the world, and truly globalized the sport of basketball. He was so famous and recognizable that he had to cut a deal with Chicago grocery stores to stay open past close so he could shop in peace. The 1990’s was the heyday of the NBA and Jordan was it’s biggest star. You could fill a book with the amount of kids that idolized Jordan and became a fan of the game because of him. Kobe has admitted to copying MJ’s moves, LeBron wears #23 in honor of him, and virtually ever player in the league today wanted to grow up to be “Like Mike”. Jordan’s legend shines brighter than any player who has ever stepped foot on an NBA hardwood and unfortunately for the players post-Jordan, they have to try and copy his gold standard of a career. Like we’ve seen, the sequels are never as good as the original.
Jordan Moments
What makes Jordan’s legacy so incredible and unshakeable is the abundance of iconic moments throughout his illustrious career. Jordan has been in so many big games, and has delivered in the clutch countless times. Some players if they’re lucky have one or two moments that they can point to, Jordan has a grocery list. His resume of career defining and NBA history-changing moments is simply ridiculous. He has the 1982 NCAA championship game-winner, the iconic FT Line dunk, the Craig Ehlo shot, the closed eyes free throw, 63 points against the ’86 Celtics, the mid-air switch layup, the shrug, posterizing Patrick Ewing, the 360 And-1 on Bill Laimbeer, and of course the greatest play in NBA history: The Last Shot. When you look at the list of NBA greats, no player has anywhere close to as many moments and big game highlights that His Airness does.
The all-star game appearances, the MVPs, and the rings are all important when looking at a players’ legacy, but the memorable moments are what turn stars into legends. Players like Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, and yes even LeBron struggle with the moments facet of their careers. There will always be a debate on if the “clutch gene” is real. After all, a wise man once said, “Who needs to be clutch when you beat ’em 122-87”. However, when a game is on the line there isn’t really an argument for anyone but Michael Jordan to have the ball in their hands. What is going to be nearly impossible for any future or current player to amass, is the amount of clutch shots and significant moments that will forever be cemented into NBA fans’ brains.
Jordan The Mogul
One of the most interesting parts of the The Last Dance was seeing how Michael became the multi-billionaire tycoon we know today. Jordan earned roughly $100 million from NBA game checks, but built his $2.1 billion fortune virtually all off the court. Jordan’s net worth is higher than LeBron James, Shaquielle O’ Neal, Kevin Garnett, Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant…COMBINED. From his first meeting with a small start-up by the name of Nike to the behind the scenes Space Jam footage, it was fascinating to watch how the richest athlete in history came to be.
The late 80’s and early 90’s were the primordial “Big Bang” of sports marketing, and Jordan was right at the heart of it. From McDonald’s commercials to Hanes ads, you couldn’t turn on your television for 15 minutes without seeing his face pop up on screen in the 1990’s. In the words of Jay-Z, “he wasn’t just a businessman, he was a business, man”. The Jordan brand is still the most iconic shoe company in the world, and the Jordan 1’s are still the most coveted shoe of all-time. Air Jordans were the first basketball shoe that really had style and they forever changed the shoe industry. In The Last Dance they mention how before the 80’s, sneakers were viewed as just a functional product. It wasn’t until Jordan and Nike came around that basketball shoes became a fashion statement, and now a multi-billion dollar industry. Jordans are also an integral part of pop culture and have inspired songs everywhere like Wings by Macklemore to making appearances in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. Virtually every player today has one, if not several signature shoes, but the Kobes, the LeBrons, the Kyries can never compare to the monopoly that Jordan has in the American shoe market. The Jumpman logo will forever be the most iconic symbol in basketball and Jordan truly created the “sneakerhead”. And to think, his bank account is ten figures long all by being good at putting a little orange ball through a ring.
Jordan’s Trophy Case
You can’t discuss a player’s position in basketball history without looking at their hardware, and Jordan’s trophy room is bigger than anyone who has ever stepped foot onto the NBA hardwood. Going over Jordan’s awards and honors seems like an exercise in futility, but let’s check it out just for shits and gigs.
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National College Player of the Year: ✅
NCAA Champion: ✅
Rookie of the Year: ✅
Gold Medalist: ✅
Defensive Player of the Year: ✅
2x Slam Dunk Champion: ✅
3x All-Star Game MVP: ✅
5x MVP: ✅
6x NBA Champion: ✅
6x Finals MVP: ✅
The only awards missing from his mantle are Sixth Man of the Year and Coach of the Year, both of which he is extremely overqualified for. Looking at the GOAT’s resume, it is completely inconceivable for any current or future player to check every single box like Air Jordan did. It’s just not going to happen. Along with the actual tangible awards Jordan owns, he is also a 14x All-Star, 10x All-NBA First Team, 10x scoring champion, 9x All-Defensive First Team, 3x Steals leader, and the NBA’s all-time leader in PPG, Win Shares per 48 Minutes, PER, and Playoff PER. The resume is simply incredible. What’s truly amazing about all the rings, trophies, and accolades Michael has accumulated is that he took off five years of playing time during his career until he finally hung ’em up in 2003. As the years go on, it’s looking more and more unlikely that LeBron can ever match Jordan’s hardware, and James already has 7,500 more career minutes than him. LeBron will almost certainly go down as the all-time scoring leader because he will probably play 22-24 seasons. The only thing LeBron really has on MJ is longevity and durability.
The one aspect that is never discussed about Jordan’s incredible Finals record and overall resume, is the saturation of talent in today’s NBA and how it will look in the future. The amount of superstars and game-changing players in the game right now is at an all-time high. Every team has at least one, if not multiple franchise players. Giannis, LeBron, KD, Kyrie, Lillard, Steph, Klay, Zion, Luka, Simmons, Siakam, Embiid, Tatum, Jimmy Butler, KAT, Harden, Westbrook, Kawhi, Paul George, Anthony Davis etc. etc. It isn’t rocket science, but with this plethora of talented players they in turn take away titles, all star appearances, and MVPs away from eachother. Another big reason for the NBA’s talent boom recently is the popularity of the game overseas, which MJ had a huge part in. Pre-2000s, the amount of foreign talent in the NBA was virtually non-existant. Now thanks to players like Jordan, Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, and Luka Doncic the game of basketball is a global sport, and we are going to see more and more overseas talent take over the NBA in the coming years. There are going to be some crazy playoff battles in the next decade and it’ll be interesting to see who owns the 2020’s.
6 – 0
Basketball is widely regarded as the ultimate team sport, but when we judge a player’s legacy in basketball, the conversation always seems to start with rings. Out of the four major US sports, we critique and determine a player’s place in history based on championships in basketball more than any other…by far. When talking about the legacies of Randy Moss, Ted Williams, Ken Griffey Jr., Larry Fitzgerald, Ichiro, Adrian Peterson, Barry Sanders titles never seem to come up. However when we discuss the careers of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Paul, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Elgin Baylor the first thing that’s mentioned is, “Oh, well he never won a ring”. I’m not breaking new ground here by any means, unfortunately that’s probably how NBA players will be discussed until end of time. This unfair conversation in sports has led to Kevin Durant joining Golden State, Karl Malone heading to Los Angeles, Barkley going to Houston, even LeBron teaming up with the Heatles.
Out of all the numbers that define Jordan’s career, the 14 all-star appearances, the 69 point game, the 10 scoring titles, the 5 MVP trophies, the number 0 is the one that reigns supreme. Jordan’s zero losses in the Finals is what defines his career as a basketball player. No player has ever got the chance to hold up the metaphorical trophy fish next to them and say, “I beat Michael Jordan in an NBA Finals”. Looking at the legends of the game, every single one besides Jordan has lost to another all-time great in the Finals, even Bill Russell.
Career Finals Record
LeBron James 3-6
Kevin Durant 2-2
Steph Curry 3-2
Kobe Bryant  5-2
Magic Johnson 5-4
Elgin Baylor 0-7
Julius Erving 1-3
Shaquielle O’Neal 4-2
Jerry West 1-8
Dwyane Wade 3-2
Tim Duncan 5-1
Isiah Thomas 2-1
Wilt Chamberlain 2-4
Larry Bird 3-2
Kareem Abdul Jabaar 6-4
Bill Russell 11-1
Unfortunately, we will never truly know how many titles he could have won if not for the aforementioned premature retirements. Aside from every player from the 60’s Boston teams, a league that barely boasted double-digit franchises, and Robert Horry somehow finding his way on to seven championship teams, no player in NBA history has more rings than Jordan and nobody has less Finals losses than him either, he was a perfect 6 for 6.
Was Jordan’s career perfect? No. Did he have a gambling problem? Yes. Was he an asshole to friends and teammates? Yes. Did he retire in those horrible ugly Wizards jerseys? Also yes. But, it would be nearly impossible to write a better basketball story than Michael Jordan’s, from winning the NCAA championship with a last second jumper to his last career shot as a Bull being a game-winner for his second three-peat in eight years. He impacted the game of basketball more than any player in history. He made #23 famous, he took the NBA global, and he will forever be remembered as the Greatest. Of. All. Time.
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