We have seen many great players in NBA history, but not a single one was greater than Michael Jordan. He won 6 NBA titles, 6 Finals MVPs, 10 scoring titles, and had a dominant 11-year span that will never be repeated by any player. Michael dominated all competitions during the 1990s and by his second season, many were already claiming that they were witnessing the best player ever. Jordan was not only the best scorer ever but also the most dominant perimeter guard, owning all aspects of the NBA game.
- Jimmy Butler
- DeMar DeRozan
- Dwyane Wade
- Len Bias
- LeBron James
- Vince Carter
- Grant Hill
- Kawhi Leonard
- Kobe Bryant
- Next
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- The NBA Players Who Have Won The Most Finals MVP Awards: Michael Jordan Is The Real GOAT With 6 Trophies
His record of being 6-0 in the Finals with 6 Finals MVPs means perfection, something Jordan brought to the NBA floor every game. The Chicago Bulls superstar also changed the game by the way fans and media perceive basketball, because his grace and style were also unprecedented. Since Jordan, the NBA has been scrambling to find a player who came closest to him in terms of impact, playing style, and grace. Luckily, we may have seen some players who certainly came close.
It is time to mention the only players who came closest to Michael Jordan in NBA history. These players never quite reached Michael’s level as a player, but their playing style and dominance on the court were indicative of the greatest player to have ever lived. Here are the 9 players who came closest to Michael Jordan since the GOAT retired from the NBA.
Jimmy Butler
Career Statistics: 17.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Jimmy Butler, hilariously, is considered to be a long-lost son of Michael Jordan. Especially when he wears an earring. Butler looks a lot like the Chicago Bulls superstar. But beyond looks, Butler has Jordan-esque qualities in terms of being a hound on defense and playing harder than most players on the floor.
Butler does not have the natural talent and ability of Jordan but is an elite perimeter defender adept at stealing the ball, being physical, and staying close to ball handlers. Making 5 All-Defensive Teams is elite, and the 6’7” perimeter player has a lot of similarities in terms of playing lockdown defense. But offensively, and when looking at mental intangibles, there are other similarities as well.
Butler has shown he can lead a team to the NBA Finals on his back and put forth fantastic performances when it matters most. Jordan always seemed to raise his level in the playoffs and Butler is one of the few players in the NBA right now that has done that consistently. His playoff numbers jump to 20.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 4.4 APG, so his clutch ability is certainly impressive.
DeMar DeRozan
Career Statistics: 20.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
DeMar DeRozan is not on the level of Michael Jordan as a player, which is quite obvious to fans and media members around the world. But DeRozan is an All-Star performer who has arguably the best mid-range game in the league, an attribute that Jordan had during his career. Both players had elite methods of scoring from the mid-range.
That similarity makes DeMar look like Jordan on some possessions because of his ability to go one-on-one, back down defenders, and spin around for an efficient jumper. At 6’6”, DeMar is built like Mike as well and has superb athleticism. We have seen the current Chicago Bulls star rise and jam over defenders, and similarities to Jordan have been there.
Of course, as DeRozan is playing for the Bulls, fans are starting to remember Mike. It all seems to be there when nitpicking Jordan’s game, whether it’s the mid-range game, athleticism, build, or the Bulls jersey. DeRozan’s game-winners last year were also comforting to old-school fans who got used to watching Jordan nailing them time after time.
Dwyane Wade
Career Statistics: 22.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Dwyane Wade has a slightly different playing style from Michael Jordan because he is not much of a shooter and is smaller in build. But in terms of attacking the rim and slashing to the basket, Wade and Jordan are close in terms of impact. Wade was an elite slasher in his prime, getting to the bucket in just a few dribbles and his speed was unparalleled. The shooting guard also won a scoring title by being such a dominant attacker of the basketball.
Jordan was known for his mid-range shot, but his slashing was just as good. Michael was quicker and more explosive than any player in the league during his prime, and he dominated the court through his athleticism when he attacked the rim. In that sense, Wade and Michael were extremely similar. Wade is also a fan-favorite in Chicago because he was born there and has deep ties to the city.
Defensively, Wade is one of the best ever from the shooting guard spot. The shooting guard averaged 1.5 SPG and almost 1.0 BPG over his career, making 3 All-Defensive Teams. Wade was a lockdown performer and the best shot-blocking guard we have ever seen while being a speedster in playing passing lanes. Jordan was an elite perimeter defender as well, so there are deep similarities in the way they approached the opposite end of the floor as well.
Len Bias
Career Statistics: N/A
The late and great Len Bias was supposed to be Michael Jordan, but he was never able to showcase his talents. For many, Bias was supposed to be “better” than Jordan, because he had elite athleticism, skill, and mental fortitude on the basketball court. In terms of raw skill, Bias was considered better than Jordan in college because he was more refined.
But Bias was unable to get his career started because of an unfortunate drug overdose. It is absolutely a shame that such a talented player destined for greatness was unable to stay focused on basketball and let loose any bad influences. Young men make mistakes, but this is a mistake that many basketball fans will never forget.
Nonetheless, even if Bias was considered to be more skilled than Jordan, he would have been a direct challenger to the GOAT. Len stood 6’8” and weighed 210 lbs, so he had the size and athleticism to be the face of the league. No one will ever know if Len Bias would have actually reached the heights expected of him, but assuming he did, it would have been amazing to witness a star player who could have actually been mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan.
LeBron James
Career Statistics: 27.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG
The LeBron James and Michael Jordan debates are becoming more intense (and more annoying) as the years are going by. It is important to first mention that there are few similarities in the way LeBron and Michael play the game because they occupied different positions and had different roles. James has always been a pass-first player, while Jordan was the player who was on the receiving end of passes.
With that out of the way, how do LeBron and Mike compare then? Firstly, their impact. James has been in the league for almost two decades and he has not lost a step in terms of being a passer and all-around star. Much like Mike, LeBron has the ability to carry a team on his back night after night and lead by example. He has also proven to be a star in becoming the face of the NBA and an absolute fan-favorite.
James is so good that it is only natural that he is compared to the GOAT. But there are some distinct differences in how both players play, mainly when it comes to late-game management skills and mental makeup. LeBron will never be the clutch performer that Michael is, but he approaches the game differently. The fact that James is such an impactful player in his own way only lends itself to comparisons to the great Michael Jordan.
Vince Carter
Career Statistics: 16.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Vince Carter never really came close to reaching the heights that Michael Jordan had reached over his illustrious career, but there were large similarities in the way they played the game. Carter, at 6’6”, looked like Mike in build and had outwardly athleticism. Very few players can compare to Jordan in the athleticism category, but Carter is one of the select few.
The man known as “Vinsanity” was an incredible leaper and dunker, placing countless victims on posters on an almost weekly basis. Carter could explode off his feet with ease at any given moment, and he placed both bigs and guards on noticed consistently. No defender was safe from Carter’s wrath when he got ahead of steam. In other words, Carter’s grace and power greatly resembled that of Jordan.
Carter will be a Hall of Famer after making 8 All-Star appearances, 2 All-NBA appearances, and winning the Rookie of the Year. His popularity and impact as a dunker and scorer made him one of the top shooting guards in the league during his prime and the style has to be placed in the same conversation with the greatest to ever do it.
Grant Hill
Career Statistics: 16.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.6 BPG
After Michael Jordan retired, Grant Hill was supposed to be the next in line to become the best player in the world. For those that remember, Hill had everything in terms of being a superstar with unstoppable athleticism. Standing 6’8” and weighing 225 lbs, Hill was a scary athlete because he could leap over defenders, explode off his feet, and had incredible quickness. His handles were also off the charts because he could beat any defender.
Sure, he did not have the shooting ability of Jordan, but he was developing it slowly and was a strong mid-range scorer. But ankle issues robbed Hill of becoming that next tier of superstar, and this hurt him from becoming the “next Michael Jordan”. Instead, he struggled through inconsistencies in his play and health before becoming a role player.
Had Hill stayed healthy, he could have been the closest player to Michael Jordan. He would have been the face of the NBA, the most spectacular perimeter athlete in the world, and the most impactful offensive player. Grant also had an elite basketball IQ, so he would have gotten better as a player as the years went by. No doubt, Hill had one of the biggest “what if” careers of all time.
Kawhi Leonard
Career Statistics: 19.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Kawhi Leonard is scarily similar to Michael Jordan, for those who are paying enough attention. Firstly, Leonard is never out of character and always has a calm demeanor with how he dominates the game. He is methodical, in complete control, and absolutely suffocating on defense. Offensively, he has one of the best mid-range games in recent memory and elite athleticism.
Much like Jordan, Leonard checks all the boxes for being a two-way superstar. Leonard was also the best player in the world during the 2019 season when he somehow guided the Toronto Raptors to the NBA championship by making clutch plays, dominating on defense, and outplaying every other superstar. During that run, Leonard did not allow anyone else to even place a finger on the championship trophy.
Leonard is not done with his career just yet, although he already has 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, and 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards. Kawhi is also one of the best perimeter defenders ever, making 7 All-Defensive Teams and having massive hands. Jordan was an elite defender, a methodical scorer, and also had massive hands. There are simply too many similarities between the two stars, but only one player truly came closest to Michael Jordan, and it isn’t Kawhi.
Kobe Bryant
Career Statistics: 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG
There will never be another player as close to Michael Jordan as Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba mimicked everything about Mike, whether it was how he walked and talked to how the game was played. Bryant took Jordan’s offensive arsenal and turned it up a notch because he could make some of the toughest shots we have ever seen.
Bryant was not quite as good as Jordan because he did not have his idol’s large hands, inhuman athleticism, or efficiency, but he had everything else. Bryant’s fadeaway jumper was close to Jordan’s, and their ability to make clutch plays was second to none. Jordan and Bryant were the two most clutch players ever, and it wasn’t close.
Both guards played superstar-level perimeter defense, led their teams to multiple championships, and scored the ball better than anyone else in history. Bryant was a photocopy of Michael in most areas, and both players stood 6’6”. Bryant is the closest to Michael Jordan, and both stars will be forever linked because of that.
