Ever since he took the NBA by storm in 1984, Michael Jordan has been considered by most fans, pundits, analysts, and statheads as the greatest player of all time, even ahead of other legends like Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, or LeBron James.
Jordan's accomplishments and accolades surely put him on top of plenty of people's list, while the eye test also gives him the nod more often than not. Then again, everybody's entitled to his own opinion.
However, Michael Jordan doesn't agree with that GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) distinction most people give him, as he told Marvin R. Shanken in an interview with Cigar Aficionado that there shouldn't even be a debate about it.
Michael Jordan Shuts Down The GOAT Debate
“First of all you’re never going to say who’s the greatest of all time. To me that’s more for PR and more for selling stories and getting hype,” Jordan started, claiming that you can't compare players from different eras.
“I never played against Wilt Chamberlain. I never played against Jerry West. To now say that one’s greater than the other is being a little bit unfair. I think when you can see the similarities and you understand if this is one way you can judge the two. How much impact did each change or evolve the game," MJ added.
“I won six championships. Bill Russell won eleven. Does that make Bill Russell better than me and make me better than him? No. Because we played in different eras. So when you try to equate who’s the greatest of all time, it’s an unfair parallel, it’s an unfair choice," Jordan concluded.
Michael has a strong point here. It's unfair to compare different eras with different rules, styles, and ways to conceive the game. Instead, we should just try and enjoy greatness while we still can.
