June 5, 1998; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan in game two of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY
June 5, 1998; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan in game two of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY
Michael Jordan dominated just about anyone the NBA threw at him. Hall of Famers, future superstars, entire dynasties. There is a long list of players who faced Michael Jordan and ended up unable to stop him.
But there is one matchup that Michael Jordan never got to experience, which is the matchup between him and the future generation of players. Jordan spoke with ESPN in 2010 regarding the matter of competing against players like Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.
"I mean, not that, you know, playing against Magic, Bird, Barkley, Ewing all those years wasn't fun, I think, but I'm pretty sure those guys, along with myself, wished that we could have played against the Kobe Bryant's of this era and Tim Duncan's and, obviously, we feel like we can compete," Jordan said in the ESPN interview.
Apr 10, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) acknowledges the fans as he leaves the court after the game between the Rockets and the Lakers at the Toyota Center. Bryant plays in the last road game and second to last game of his NBA career. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) acknowledges the fans as he leaves the court after the game between the Rockets and the Lakers at the Toyota Center. Bryant plays in the last road game and second to last game of his NBA career. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The confidence has substance. Jordan won six Finals MVP awards and ten scoring titles. In contrast, Bryant accumulated 33,643 career points, and Duncan received All-NBA and All-Defensive Team recognition for thirteen consecutive seasons, figures that prove how Jordan regarded both players as credible competition.
In addition, this drive towards competition has influenced Jordan's approach to the recent superteam era in basketball. Speaking at ESPN in an interview, Jordan shared his view of players working as teammates rather than against each other.
"There's no way I would have called up Larry and called up Magic and said, 'Hey, let's get together and play on one team.' But things are different. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys. I don't know if they would have been on my team," Jordan said.
It came from losing at first, when Jordan had three consecutive losses against the Detroit Pistons until he swept them in 1991 en route to his first of six championships, with not an inch of him seeking an easy way out.
It is a path that he has discussed not with arrogance but with genuine appreciation.
Michael Jordan on Why Basketball Was Always More Gift Than Grind
This view did not stop there. Jordan, in one of his interviews with Playboy magazine, talked about the significance of playing the game professionally, and the reply changed the whole discussion into one of sacrifice and privilege.
"You never know when this can be taken away from you," Jordan said in the Playboy interview.
This realization never left him, even during his most glorious moments. He topped it off with another insight that shows his true view of his profession.
"I figure I'll enjoy myself now. And every time I think about it, I have to say that this is the easiest job in America, to go out and play two hours and get paid so much. Who else can have it this easy?" Jordan said.
From a player who won six championship rings, six Finals MVPs, five regular season MVPs, and ten scoring titles, that level of humility is what set Jordan apart from just about everyone else who ever stepped onto the court.
Is Jordan's attitude the missing link in today's NBA?
Read more at Air Jordan Chronicles!
Written by
Utsav Gupta
Edited by
Utsav Gupta