Michael Jordan’s success in the NBA is close to unparalleled. While there have been players who have won more NBA championships than him, Jordan’s dominance when he was on top of the league is what truly puts him a cut above the rest.
Jordan entered the league in 1984 and immediately ascended to superstar status in the league. MJ was not at all like anything the NBA had seen in the past. His drive to succeed and desire to win was perhaps the most dangerous asset in his possession.
But on top of that, he was also extremely skilled, and could do things most players in the NBA couldn’t even dream of doing. And that talent helped him to ascend to the top of basketball world.
Jordan was absolutely fantastic, establishing himself as the best player in the NBA by some distance. But the problem was, he had no help with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan was the best player in the NBA, but the only star in Chicago.
This allowed teams to focus all of their defensive attention onto Jordan. The Detroit Pistons employed a special tactic called ‘Jordan Rules’, which allowed them to play violently with MJ in order to stop him.
Jordan had to wait several years before he had an All-Star caliber teammate. By the time Scottie Pippen ascended to All-Star status, Jordan was able to beat the Pistons and their ‘Jordan Rules’, and put them in his rear view mirror.
Michael Jordan won 3 NBA championships with Scottie Pippen, who only had 3 All-Star appearances. Legends like Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson had teammates that had accumulated 20+ All-Star appearances each.
Michael Jordan was different pic.twitter.com/NmZLrtvhuH
— The Ballfather (@StevenKelsey13) August 30, 2021
Given this information, it puts into context just how good Jordan was. He only needed one All-Star teammate in order to win.
Through the course of his career, Jordan only had 4 Hall Of Famers, as compared to LeBron James, who has way more current and future Hall Of Famers as his teammates.
Jordan getting an All-Star teammte was a long time coming. But the fact that he never stopped winning championships after Scottie’s ascension to superstardom is made even more impressive when you compare his All-Star teammates to other legendary figures.
