Michael Jordan is very often looked at as the greatest basketball player of all time. As a result, there have been times when opposing players felt that Jordan got away with things that they wouldn’t have.
Former NBA player and a member of the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons, Joe Dumars, is someone who firmly believes Jordan used to get away with traveling calls. Dumars shared his thoughts on the same during an interview with Dan Patrick.
“Jordan got away with it, but that was Jordan,” Patrick said. “Now everybody on these stepbacks, take a couple of hops, and that kind of stuff. Remember when carrying the ball was a turnover.”
Dumars didn’t waste any time in agreeing with Patrick’s assessment of how MJ received a different treatment with traveling calls than the rest of the league.
“I do remember. I remember when three steps were traveling and carrying was called. Dan, you and I are from the same era. We saw some different things.”
(Starts at 2:53)
The more significant concern of Patrick and Dumars wasn’t the fact that Jordan got away with it. Instead, the two were critical of the fact that almost every player in the modern-day NBA is getting away with it.
The NBA has changed beyond recognition over the last few years, and a plethora of players have now added the stepback shot to their arsenals. It’s a very difficult move for referees to give a traveling call on it, and it has sometimes left fans bewildered.
Michael Jordan Had An Unique Impact On NBA Referees
During his playing days, Michael Jordan witnessed his fair share of hard fouls against him. In fact, the Detroit Pistons did everything in their power to ensure that Jordan was hurt when playing against them.
But when you look at the bigger picture, Jordan had a rare impact on even the NBA referees. One of the best examples to prove that would be when a referee called a foul, just because Jordan said so.
Sure, it may seem unfair to many that the refs may side with Jordan from time to time. But that’s just the perks that MJ had for being the greatest basketball player of all time.
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