No. 2 – Michael Jordan, SG, Chicago Bulls
Chief Accolades – 6x NBA Champion, 6x NBA Finals MVP, 5x NBA MVP, 14x NBA All-Star, 10x All-NBA First m, NBA DPOY, 10x NBA Scoring Champ, 9x NBA All-Defensive First Team
Stats – 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 118 ORTG, 103 DRTG, 214.0 Total Win Shares, 104.4 VORP
Another former proclaimed ‘GOAT’ has also recently taken a hit to his ranking. Like my good friend Skip Bayless once said: “Jordan has the most pristine resume ever”.
Well, actually I lied, Bayless isn’t my friend. In all actuality, I’m not sure if he knows I exist. While all that is true, Jordan’s résumé is pristine, he just doesn’t have the accomplishments my new number one has – but back to MJ’s greatness.
Jordan, like Kareem, was a transitional player for the NBA. Jordan was the NBA’s first megastar when sports media was barely taking off. At the peak of his days as an NBA star, that’s when outlets like ESPN were really starting to shine – so Jordan did as well.
I feel like that is also one reason Jordan’s blemishes are really never talked about, but that’s a different topic for another day. Michael Jordan very well still has a case at No. 1, and so does Kareem. Jordan is great, he might even personify greatness, but my No. 1? Well, he is greatness defined.
Next: The King