Michael Jordan might be the GOAT for most NBA fans today but during the first half of his career, there were several criticisms leveled against the Chicago Bulls superstar. His early exits in the playoffs were a huge part of this narrative, with Jordan labeled as someone that played just to get his numbers and not to make his team better.
The other superstars of his time also happened to be players like Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas, both point guards that were excellent at playmaking, and Jordan famously didn’t get along too well with either then, even Magic. Even Larry Bird was someone that seemed to have his Celtics teams revolve around his stellar play. Doug Collins was Jordan’s coach during this era and he explained why this narrative was wrong even during MJ’s early years.
Michael Jordan played with an unrelenting focus to become the greatest player ever and the most marketable man on the planet.
And for the most part, it was a solo flight.
This is #IconsClub with Jackie MacMullan: https://t.co/NG6zO1ogJj
— The Ringer (@ringer) March 29, 2022
“Michael was always troubled early because he didn’t have the supporting cast Jackie, so all he ever heard was he didn’t make guys better. Magic made guys better, Isiah made guys better, Bird made guys better and I remember Michael saying, ‘Give me the supporting cast like that and I promise you, I will make them better,’ which he did!”
The 80s were dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics so it’s no surprise that Jordan couldn’t do much against teams that had multiple All-Stars. As soon as Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant blossomed, the Bulls started making noise in the playoffs, before eventually clinching 6 titles in 8 seasons during the 90s.
There is a lesson in this story about not judging excellent young players too early before their franchises can put the right type of supporting cast around them, something that fans and even the media often forget in the modern NBA. Players themselves develop too, something that MJ did with his playmaking as well. Between 1988 and 1993, MJ averaged 6.3 assists per game.
