Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever. In the history of the NBA. Now, if you aren’t a fan of his personal choices (gambling, his yellow eyes, or his decision to ruin the Charlotte Hornets) or even his perceived lack of social activism (which is fine despite not being true), that’s certainly acceptable, but keep in mind, we know Jordan for one major thing, and that’s basketball. At the game of basketball, there was no one better at the game, and while we sat and tried to compare players of this era to Jordan, there was really nothing to compare. Jordan is head and shoulders above all. There is an argument to be made for Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but as a player who was well over 7 foot, playing on the Los Angeles Lakers during the stacked Showtime era, it is hard to rank Kareem over Jordan. Sure, Kareem had the record for most points ever (now LeBron), as well as leading the league in blocks and 6 MVP awards, but those are stats amassed over a 20 year career compared to a 12 year run in Chicago for Jordan where he amassed 5 MVP awards (should have been 7), 6 Titles and Finals MVPs, and 10 scoring titles, including 7 in a row. Today, we take a moment to look back at the success and the accolades of Jordan to put those talks and debates to rest… or at least attempt to. Let’s take a look at Jordan and his accolades. There are so many to cover, so we’ll cover the most important.

Playing point guard

Remember that one of the arguments for LeBron being better than Jordan is that he could do more on the court? Well, a smaller sample size was given to the world once we got a glimpse of Jordan running the point, and with that, Jordan would show exactly what he can do, by posting gaudy numbers and leading the Bulls to victories. This is an accolade to me because truth be told, the biggest discussion against Jordan was that perhaps he wasn’t as well rounded as say Magic, LeBron, or some other players. For one, Jordan in his prime was an excellent defender, one of the greatest ever, and that separates him from the pack out the gate, but the fact that Jordan playing point guard led him to a promised land of stats (and more importantly victories) showcases that he could do everything on the court at all times. He would put up 7 straight triple doubles during the 1988-1989 season, earning praise for the Bulls putting the ball in his hands more, which is essentially what they needed to do from the start.

During his time playing point guard (24 games), Jordan would average 30.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 10.7 APG to go along with 2.4 SPG, which is insane. As much as we marvel at what Russell Westbrook and LeBron James can do in this era of inflated stats, to pull this off in the handcheck era was amazing.He would finish the entire season with 32.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 8.0 APG, and 2.9 SPG on 54% shooting from the field (tied for his highest percentage). Those are unreal numbers in any era. If anyone tells you that Jordan that couldn’t rebound and pass quite like another player that they want to put over him, direct them to this season, and watch them shut up. This is one of his greatest feats, LOL.

5 MVP AWARDS

One could argue that Jordan should be a 7-time MVP. I don’t mean that in the sense like some fans think LeBron should be the MVP, I mean that Jordan should have actually won MVP and there are some years to support that, namely 1989, 1993, and even 1997. I’ll allow 1993 to pass because of the Suns and Barkley having the best record and Jordan falling short of the best record in the East for the first time in two years, but I think he deserved the MVP award in either 1989 or 1990 and 1997 for sure. Regardless, Jordan got his MVP wins off to an amazing start with the 1987-1988 award, which might be the greatest individual season of all time. He would win a scoring title, DPOY, be named an All Star, of course, he made the All-NBA and All-Defense as well. It was the way Jordan did it that makes this season so special, and the same could be said for his second MVP from the 1990-1991 season. He won a scoring title, shot his best shooting percentage from the field, won his first NBA Title and Finals MVP, and of course, he would be named to the All-NBA and All-Defense teams yet again. Continuing his greatness, Jordan would win back to back MVPs with another award in the 1991-1992 season, as he led the Bulls to a 67-15 record, another NBA championship, won yet another scoring title, and of course all of the other accolades followed. It was his third MVP in five seasons, with the other two given to Magic Johnson (and one could argue one of those belonged to Jordan rightfully). We were firmly in the Jordan era, and he was collecting trophies at a fast rate. He finished the season with amazing numbers as always, putting up 30.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 6.1 APG, and 2.3 SPG, on 52% from the field. Jordan was owning the era like he wanted, and as a result, those three MVPs came with no problem.

His final two MVPs were more team based IMO, but Jordan was far and away the best player on the team trading in gaudy stats for a smarter game and more precision on the court, something very few players have mastered as they continue to get older. We witnessed his greatness return after the two year retirement, and then he would embark on one of the greatest team journeys ever with perhaps the greatest threat in NBA history. During that time, he would win two MVPs (he should have won all three), and the first one was a no-brainer. With the Bulls in rare form, they would win a record 72 games, going 72-10 on the regular season and winning another scoring title, while still playing elite defense, making the All-NBA team and putting up excellent numbers with 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 4.3 APG on 50% from the field. His final MVP came in his last official season in Chicago, and you could see the toll all of those years began to take on Jordan. Now, he was still elite defensively and offensively, but his numbers were less gaudy, which was once again a product of having the team structured differently. Jordan, however, was still the focal point, carrying the load as always, leading the Bulls to yet another 60-win season and winning another scoring title. His fifth MVP might have been his most impressive in terms of age, ability to control the game, and how he managed to still play great on both ends of the floor. When all was said and done, Jordan was a 5 time MVP, putting his name in the lights next to Kareem as the regular season GOAT.

where I got my facts from:https://basketballmuseumofillinois.com/15-fun-facts-about-his-airness-basketball-legend-michael-jordan

more ➡️https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/10-fascinating-facts-about-michael-jordan.htm

who should I do next 67 kid or LeBron James?