There has been a lot of speculation about who the greatest basketball player of all time is from this generation and previous generations. In my opinion, LeBron James is the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.), and he has shown this to be true on numerous accounts. On February 7, 2023, he surpassed the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) previous leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. LeBron James also won the 2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, is a 4x NBA Champion, 4x NBA Finals MVP, 4x MVP, 17x All-Star, 17x All-NBA Team, 6x All-Defensive Team, and is a Future Hall of Famer. Yet if you were to type in “Who is the greatest basketball player ever?” into Google, Michael Jordan is the first person to pop up.
If you don’t know who Michael Jordan, also known as MJ, is, he is a former NBA and Major League Baseball (MLB) player. Michael Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984, and wore the number 23 throughout most of his career. After winning three championships and three MVPs, Michael Jordan retired at what most may say was his “peak” in 1993. It is rumored that this was due to Jordan’s supposed gambling issues, although the former commissioner of the NBA, David Stern, denied these allegations. Jordan would then go on to play in the MLB playing for minor league clubs. Jordan stated this decision was influenced by the murder of his father, who loved the game of baseball.
Throughout his MLB career, he wore the number 35 as an outfielder for the Scottsdale Scorpions, but wore the number 45 while playing the same position for the Birmingham Barons. Michael Jordan unretired and made his late return in the 1995 season for the Chicago Bulls, wearing the number 45 for only 22 games. Jordan would play for the Bulls until 1998 winning three more championships, and would retire after game six of the NBA Finals. Jordan’s last moment as a Bull was hitting a game winner against the Jazz, giving the Bulls their second repeat. In 2000, Jordan would become a part-time owner, and the president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. The next year, Jordan would unretire, and play for the Wizards. Jordan also would donate his salary for that season for 9/11 relief efforts. Jordan would play for the team from 2001-2003, making the all-star team each season he played for the Wizards. Jordan announced that the 2002-2003 season would be his last. Jordan played all 82 games that season, and played his last game against the Philadelphia 76ers, scoring 15 points. Jordan is now the owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, he bought a stake in the team in 2006, and became the majority owner in 2010.
During all that, MJ managed to become Rookie of the Year, a 5x NBA MVP, 6x NBA Champion, 6x NBA Finals MVP, 10x All-NBA First Team, 9x NBA All-Defensive First Team, 1x Defensive Player of the Year 14x NBA All-Star, 3x NBA All-Star MVP, 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, 75th Anniversary Team. Jordan led the NBA in scoring 10 times, and tied an NBA record, leading the league in scoring seven consecutive seasons, matching Wilt Chamberlain. Jordan also averaged 30.1 points per game, which is tied for Wilt Chamberlain as the most over a career. Don’t get me wrong, LeBron James is an amazing athlete; his stats and gameplay prove that, but from my perspective, MJ is better. Even though I’m a part of the new generation and love today’s NBA style of play doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy the Michael Jordan the older generation knows and loves dearly. I strongly believe from previous highlights of Michael Jordan that his style would be incredible to watch today as well as to see LeBron play back in MJ’s era. Although I would’ve enjoyed seeing the Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and Scottie Pippen trio in action, I came somewhat close to seeing a remake of that between LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, when the three played for the Miami Heat.
