Michael Jordan has always been supremely confident in himself and his abilities, it was part of the mentality that allowed him to become good enough to win 6 NBA titles in 8 years and claim the title of GOAT. And his desire was always to surpass the best, which for him meant overtaking the legacies of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the two players that dominated the NBA between them in the 1980s.
MJ was never shy about telling it like it is regardless of who it was that he was talking to, and even the superstars he was chasing were not immune to that. An excellent example of this was when he told Magic in 1996 that he should consider retirement because his team wasn’t what it used to be in the 80s. But even before then, MJ was known to talk the talk, as he did during the 1992 Olympics to let Bird and Magic know that their time on top of the league was over.
Johnson told the story while being interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel after Kimmel had brought up a similar story of MJ telling Magic that the league was run by the newer generation.
(question and answer at 10:25)
Jimmy Kimmel: “In that moment, here’s another quote from the documentary. Jordan says, ‘Look man, I told you in ’92, there’s new kids on the block. It’s not Magic and Larry Bird anymore. You’re on the way down, we’re on the way up’. He says this to you, your second game back after unreturning because of HIV, and this is what your friend says to you?”
Magic Johnson: “Yes, so Larry Bird and I are on the back of the bus, and he says, ‘I just want you two to know, there’s a new sheriff in town and his name is Michael Jordan’. And we had dominated the league, both Larry and I, and the Celtics and Lakers for the whole entire 80s. And so it was his turn. And he just sat back, had his cigar, and said, ‘This is my league now’. And you know what we said, Jimmy? ‘You’re right’. “
Michael Jordan was as good as his word moving forward, going on to win more championships than Johnson or Bird managed while also maintaining an unblemished 6-0 record in the NBA Finals. The confidence to say this to two of the greatest to ever do it and then to back it up with your actions is exactly the sort of thing that makes Michael Jordan the NBA’s GOAT, as per most fans.
