Michael Jordan’s game is perhaps the most well-rounded one the NBA has ever seen. Barring three-point shooting, which can be accounted for by the era he played in, MJ was a master of nearly every aspect of the game. His defense was legendary, he could clamp up anyone. And Jordan was an offensive juggernaut, a combination of skill and athleticism, taking it to the basket with ease and pulling up to drain shots from the midrange.
There is one man whose name often comes up with MJ, and that’s Hakeem Olajuwon. The Dream was drafted No. 1 overall in the 1984 draft, the very same one that Jordan was chosen 3rd in. The fact this is not viewed as a terrible pick by the Rockets speaks volumes about Olajuwon’s prowess, and he managed to win multiple championships with the Houston Rockets as well.
Olajuwon and Jordan faced each other often during the 80s and the 90s, so Hakeem got a great opportunity to observe MJ. Even though the two never met in the NBA Finals, playing the Bulls was intense enough to give Olajuwon’s teammate Vernon Maxwell nightmares. And Olajuwon would explain exactly what it was that made MJ the unstoppable force that he was.
Hakeem Olajuwon Broke Down Michael Jordan’s Inside Game, Calling Him A ‘Genius On The Low Block’
Hakeem himself wasn’t a big fan of rigid positional basketball, something he explained in a piece he did for the Player’s Tribune. And in the same space, he talked about Michael Jordan’s versatility, breaking down how he operated inside when he wasn’t draining jumpers.
“MJ wasn’t a traditional big man, but he was an everything guy. Michael was a genius on the low block. He really did jump first and decide in the air. Whenever we played the Bulls, we’d double and triple team MJ in the post as soon as he put the ball on the floor.
“Michael probably doesn’t get enough recognition for how well he passed out of the post. You could always tell when Michael was killing us inside because Will Perdue and Luc Longley’s points went way up.”
Being as dominant as MJ took a lot of different skills and attributes, so it’s no surprise that he was a master of the post-game as well. Ultimately, there was no answer to a peak MJ on offense; he was as close as any player has ever been to unstoppable. The more his peers talk about the man, the more it becomes easier to understand why Michael Jordan is still the consensus GOAT.
