Stephen A. Smith has picked Michael Jordan’s first three-peat as the best one in the player’s career. MJ won two three-peats during his career, collecting six titles with the Chicago Bulls back in the 90s. As usual, people tend to compare which one was better, with some saying the first or the second one.
During Tuesday’s edition of ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. claimed the first three-peat of MJ was the best. While receiving questions from fans on Twitter, the analyst said:
“The first one, in my estimation. It was definitely the first one to me, Smith said. “First of all, the first championship, you beat Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers with James Worthy and Byron Scott. Secondly, you annihilated Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers. …Then, I’m thinking about the third title, the three-peat. He beat Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and the crew. He had a three-game stretch where he had 42, 44, then dropped 55 in Game 5. The brother was all-world, a career 30 points per game in the regular season, 33.5 in the NBA playoffs and the NBA Finals.
“I know that he beat Seattle with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, I know he beat Utah twice, Karl Malone and John Stockton, but what he did with L.A., then after that Portland, then after that Phoenix, and remember, before that first title, he finally beat the Detroit Pistons. I think the route that he took to those first three titles, especially with the New York Knicks with Anthony Mason and Oakley and Ewin and all of that, it was crazy. Bottom line is that route right there and what he accomplished, that first three-peat, as impressive as he was coming back after retirement, those first three titles are more impressive to me than the second three-peat.”
There you go. MJ had a terrific career full of titles and individual accolades, but all of that really started the moment he won his first title. You can always have a favorite, but for Smith, Michael’s first three-peat is unmatchable.
