Why Michael Jordan is the GOAT

If you are not watching ‘The Last Dance’ then you cannot consider yourself a serious NBA fan. The series has so far been incredible and has broken several records for a docu-series, averaging close to 6 million viewers for each episode premier.

The release of this series has re-ignited the debate on whether Michael Jordan is truly the greatest of all time. There are only a few players that can be mentioned along-side MJ in the GOAT debate; LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, that is pretty much agreed on.

Most people nowadays who say that Jordan isn’t the GOAT say it’s LeBron. They point to his superior passing skills and his more powerful physique. This is a fair point. LeBron is an all-time great passer and is probably the greatest physical specimen the world has ever known. No one in sports history has his all-around combination of size, strength, speed, quickness, agility, dexterity and longevity.

There are several other things that you can point to and say that this is evidence that LeBron is greatest. You can say that LeBron has more points, more rebounds and more assists, or that LeBron made it to 8 straight Finals. You can say a lot of things.

None of the matters.

Michael Jordan isn’t just the greatest basketball player of all time. He’s the greatest athlete to have ever lived.

Here’s why:

Stats

Talking about the stats behind Michael Jordan is the easiest factor in the GOAT debate. 

He blows everyone out of the water. 

MJ already has the high career PPG of anyone in NBA history (30.1) and if you take away those 2 throwaway years in Washington then Jordan’s career PPG would be 31.5. Jordan also has the highest Playoff PPG at 33.4, is 2nd in Finals average PPG at 33.6 and holds the record for the highest PPG in a Finals series with 41.0 in 1993.

Jordan won 6 titles with 6 Finals MVPs, 10 scoring titles including 7 straight, 5 MVPs, 3 steals titles, a Defensive Player of the Year award, 10 All-NBA 1st team selections, 9 NBA All-Defensive 1st team selections and 14 All-Star selections.

Jordan was already considered the greatest of all time before he had even won his 3rd title. The fact that he did win his 3rd in a row and then proceeded to win 3 more later on (also in a row) later on just adds separation between MJ and number 2.

The Journey

One of my favorite parts about the latest ‘Last Dance’ episodes is when it talks about MJ’s ferocity towards his teammates. Jordan expected huge things from his players and often put them through the works in practice to make sure they were ready for deep Playoff runs.

Even though Jordan was incredibly tough on guys, he never put anyone through anything that he didn’t go through himself. In the mid and late 90s, Jordan had earned that right to go after anyone because of what he had gone through himself. 

Jordan had battled against the fabled Celtics of the 80s with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson. He had fought the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons, a team that actively tried to hurt him when he was on the court. He had to endure a beating like no other player had to endure, and yet Jordan still pushed on, relentless in his pursuit of success.

People say that LeBron makes his teammates better because of playmaking ability. That is true, but Jordan made his teammates better because he raised their level of expectation in themselves as basketball players. Scottie Pippen is one of the greatest players that has ever played in the NBA, but there’s no doubt that if he had not had Michael Jordan from day 1 in his NBA career that Pippen wouldn’t have had the amazing career he worked for.

Jordan taught everyone how to push yourself to places they didn’t know were possible. If you couldn’t handle it you were shown the door. 

The Mountain Top

The biggest reason why ‘The Last Dance’ is such a success is that it isn’t really about basketball. Not deep down, not at its heart.

‘The Last Dance’ is primarily about what happens when a human reaches the true mountain top of existence, when everyone else on the planet is beneath them.

It’s about how the rest of humanity reacts when someone is able to climb the ladder to places the average person didn’t even know could exist. 

During the 90s, there was no bigger individual on Planet Earth than Michael Jordan. He was the biggest star in the world thanks to his highlight plays and success on the court. With all that success and fame came the responsibility. Jordan had to juggle being the best player in the NBA, the politics of the Chicago Bulls, the media trying to find something on him just to print a story, family life, endorsements and his own conscience as he tried to stay on top.

When you are the top dog, you have to fend off attacks from every angle as people try to tear you down. Sometimes that attacks are from places you didn’t even know existed, like when Jordan’s gambling was brought up as a possible reason for the murder of his Father and a reason for his 1st retirement. We as a species that constantly tests those at the very top, firstly to see just how far they can be pushed, and secondly because people can use other people’s success to gain for themselves.

Jordan was pushed to the very limit of human potential, and he never disappointed. This is why he is the GOAT and he most likely always will be.