Michael Jordan once spoke about why he never wanted to be ranked above Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain and the rest of the NBA legends that came before him
When Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls broke the NBA’s regular season record in 1996 after winning 72 out of 82 games, the six-time champion was praised for achieving a milestone that no one had ever done in the game’s history before 2016.
But instead of taking full credit for losing only 10 games in a season and letting it uplift his legacy, Mike downplayed his accomplishment and said that it still doesn’t make sense to rank him above the legends that played before him.
“I think that’s something that I can’t say really can be established. Each one of us play at different eras, different teams with different levels of success, and compare all of them and say one is better than the next,” said Jordan in his postgame presser right after winning game number 72.
Mike was always consistent about making this point
This wasn’t by all means MJ trying to be humble about his legacy. The thing about the five-time MVP is that he never liked being called the GOAT and even once said that he cringes when he’s referred to by it.
That’s because he’s always believed that it was unfair to compare one era with another, and it was moot to debate a theoretical topic that would lead to answers.
“it’s an unfair justice to the art or to the artist being the Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, and all the guys before me were the artists of this game of basketball, and we’ve all learned from them, and we improve their picture to a certain extent and to say one improvement is better than all of it, it’s unfair,” Jordan added.
What His Airness preferred doing however, was comparing where his personal achievements ranked over the other. When asked how major of an accomplishment it was to be part of a team with a 72-10 record by the end of the regular season, Mike still didn’t rank it above his championships.
“The first championship is probably the number one, then my national championship, then my Olympic 84, then my second championship, third NBA, the second gold medal then draft day and then 70 wins I guess. As you see right now, I really don’t see the importance until I step back and look back. If I win a championship right now, it’s pretty much going to be up there in the top three,” said Jordan.
Jordan gives credit to the all-time greats before him
Another reason the 10-time scoring champion never accepted being referred to as the GOAT was because he was the first to admit that without the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and all the other legends that came before him, his game wouldn’t have evolved. The legacy of those who came before MJ paved the way for him to have the stage and opportunities he got, which is why the Bulls legend feels that he can’t take all the credit.
We don’t know if MJ still feels the same way, but it’s good to know that he was humble about it when he was on top and easy to take all the credit. It goes to show how much respect Jordan had for the game and those who transcended it over time.