Michael Jordan knew a thing or two about talent, as he was and still is the greatest player to play the game. His Airness always wanted to see the people surrounding him give their best, and Michael knew how to recognize when he was around somebody with a special talent and the capacity to make things happen during games.
He played against and with a lot of legendary players during his career, making him one of the best people to recognize talent. That’s how he picked his legendary Dream Team in 2007, selecting four of the best players the NBA has ever seen.
During an interview on Cigar Aficionado, His Airness had to select four players to complete his Dream Team. He had some doubts and explained why he picked certain players over others, but Jordan came up with a terrific team that would be hard to beat.
When Michael Jordan Revealed His Legendary Dream Team
Jordan admitted it was a hard task for him since he was friends with many players, while also clarifying that he didn’t play with Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell, so it was hard for him to mention them. Still, he named at least two players per position and explained why he made his final choice.
MRS: Michael, I’m now giving you the opportunity to create the Dream Team of Michael Jordan, of all players of basketball. You’re on the team, and you can name four other guys at different positions. That doesn’t mean there aren’t 20 other great guys for those positions, but you can explain your picks.
JORDAN: That’s a very good question. It’s going to be somewhat biased because I didn’t play back in the days of Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, some of the great stars prior to me. And it’s very tough because I’m friends with a lot of players today.
But if I had to pick a center, I would take Olajuwon. That leaves out Shaq, Patrick Ewing. It leaves out Wilt Chamberlain. It leaves out a lot of people. And the reason I would take Olajuwon is very simple: he is so versatile because of what he can give you from that position. It’s not just his scoring, not just his rebounding or not just his blocked shots. People don’t realize he was in the top seven in steals. He always made great decisions on the court. For all facets of the game, I have to give it to him.
Power forward: There’s James Worthy, whom I love, and he is a North Carolina guy. Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, whom I adore and is a good friend, and Charles Oakley. But in terms again of versatility, it has to be Larry Bird. The things he could provide to you all around: his demeanor, his work ethic and his versatility once again.
The idea here is I would build a versatile, multitalented team able to do so many different things. When the defense comes at you, they have to guard a lot of different areas, and that makes Larry Bird the choice for me.
Small forward: That is the toughest part because I played with one of the best small forwards, Scottie Pippen. He is as versatile as it comes. He handles the ball. He’s a good defensive rebounder. I would be hard-pressed to pick someone else at the small forward position, even though I know Dr. J [Julius Erving] is sitting right there, too, especially in terms of excitement. And there’s Dominique Wilkins, too. And you’d have to think about Elgin Baylor, even though I never saw Baylor play, or played with him. But from what I know, and what he could provide, it’s Scottie Pippen. I know that’s being biased to some degree. But I can’t help it.
Point guard: That’s easy. Magic Johnson. Because of his height, you’d have a tough time defending him. It’s a beautiful thing to see a 6-foot 9-inch guy rebound the ball and start the break.
It would be the all-time tallest team, putting me at the two guard. And coming off the bench would be Jerry West to replace me. I love Jerry West.
This team would be incredibly hard to beat. You have the leadership and playmaking of Magic Johnson at the one, Jordan’s clutchness and that killer instinct at the two, Scottie Pippen’s defense and all-around game at the three, Larry Bird’s shooting and intelligence at the four, and one of the greatest and most versatile centers in Hakeem Olajuwon to round up an incredible lineup.
Jordan knows these lineups are always complicated to create, but he did a pretty good job, putting up a Dream Team that would go 82-0 in the NBA.
