(Translator's note: The Athletic author Jon Greenberg, the content of this article does not represent the translator's views)
Welcome to the NBA 75, The Athletic's one-by-one inventory of NBA's biggest stars to mark the league's 75th anniversary, with The Athletic's NBA staff panel selecting the greatest player of NBA history, Michael Jordan.
For the past decade, the mansion built by Michael Jordan has been vacant.
The man's mansion, which uses the drive the lane as a major scoring streak and has a career total of 32,292 points, is located at 2700 Highland Park, Illinois, and its door is engraved with the "23" logo. The mansion is still waiting for its new owner to move in.
By March, it will be on sale for 10 years, and even though it is now priced at almost half of what it was when it first went public — $14.855 million — it's still unnoticed.
The house doesn't overlook Lake Michigan like the Glencoe Mansion, nor is it as close to downtown Chicago as the residential areas in Lincoln Park, nor is it as historic as the mansions on both sides of the Gold Coast.
Jordan's mansion sits just off a busy suburban highway, and anyone can take a picture in front of his gate with the Magic number. It's an empty, 32,683-square-foot Wayne Manor, but there's no bat cave, but a gym and a casino.
No wonder this house has not been taken care of until now. Jordan left behind something daunting, and even his house could not find a "legal heir".
Another "house" that belongs to Jordan, built for its extraordinary success. It is located at 1901 Madison Street, Chicago. When it's game night, it gets bustling.
The idea of a statue for Jordan came into practice during Jordan's brief retirement in the mid-1990s. Now, Jordan's statue is located in the atrium near the Bulls' home arena. Fans lined up to take photos with the statue, while Demar DeRozan scored high marks in recent games, taking over the fourth quarter several times and nearly breaking jordan's record. His excellent performance can't help but remind fans of the god of basketball.
The United Center was completed in 1994. At first, Jordan didn't like the arena, and he was still playing baseball. But then he won three more championships in that arena. The championship flag he won for the team hangs high above the stadium, and his statue remains a major tourist attraction. Tickets to each game for the Bulls are also sold out. "Sirius" is also played in the arena to welcome players in. Even as memories fade, the light of Jordan's time is still shining.
"You have to be there." Steve Schanwald, a former bull marketing executive, said, "If you weren't around there at the time, or if you weren't someone who lived in that era, I wouldn't be able to describe to you the pomp and circumstance [of Jordan's time]." ”
Last summer, DeRozan signed with the Bulls as a free agent. He was proud to play in Jordan's arena and play under numerous championship flags and retired jerseys. DeRozan was only 7 years old when Jordan won his last championship trophy for the Bulls, but he still remembers that moment vividly. At the time, his father Frank let him watch Jordan play, and nearly 25 years later, he is paying tribute to "Jordan's legacy" with his performance.
"It was fun [playing in the same arena as Jordan] because earlier this season I watched The Last Dance again." DeRozan said after a recent 38-point match, "My daughter walked into the room and saw me watching the game and she asked me why my dad didn't play. I watched footage of a game from the 1990s when I was just a kid and my daughter only saw the stadium that was exactly the same as it is now. ”
Interestingly, the name "Jordan" doesn't seem obsolete to this day. The popularity of "Jordan" never ends, which is exactly proof that his charm is as good as ever.
Today, Jordan doesn't have a good relationship with the Bulls and the city of Chicago itself. He rarely made public appearances there.
Shortly after his second retirement, Jordan first served as an executive for the Washington Wizards before announcing a comeback to play for the Wizards. And now he's the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. His career after retiring from the Bulls has been unmatched by his performance on the court, except that his namesake sneaker brand still dominates the market.
And the Bulls have also been chasing the highlights of the post-Jordan era.
Since Jordan made the perfect "last shot" on Byron Russell's head on June 13, 1998, the Bulls have never returned to the NBA Finals.
This ranking is indisputable.
Jordan is the first person who deserves it, and it's something everyone is happy to admit. We need to applaud him and take off our hats to salute him. The selection of the first person is just a formality.
The sky is blue. The earth is round. Also uncontroversially, Michael Jordan is the top 75 stars in NBA history selected by The Athletic. He is the greatest player in NBA's 75-year history. There is no other possibility.
There is no next first person, only the only first person, and that is Jordan.
Sam Smith, a well-known Bulls reporter and writer who has long been responsible for documenting Jordan's events large and small, once said: "Jordan meets all the conditions [to become the first person], and no one else meets these conditions." ”
This is nothing new to him. In fact, Smith once wrote a book about Jordan called No Next Jordan. He also wrote an influential book in 1992, The Jordan's Law, which was published in the early days of Jordan's first triple crown to tell readers not to worship Jordan as a god, and that he was just an ordinary man.
There was a long gap between the publication of Jordan's Law and the release of The Last Dance, a documentary about Jordan's career. When it was released in the spring of 2020, it attracted the attention of people across the United States.
Because "The Last Dance" was released not long ago, everyone's memory of Jordan is still alive, so I feel that the article about Jordan that I am writing now is a bit redundant. After this 10-episode documentary gives Jordan the opportunity to make a final assessment of his career, what else do I have to say?
"Jordan is the greatest player of all time." Smith said in an email to me, "You can quote me. ”
We don't have to memorize the data to prove Jordan's place on this list. But these are real data, too many to ignore.
Jordan's score (32,292) is fifth on the NBA's all-time overall scoring list, but he is the highest in both scoring per game (30.1) and PER value. He ranks 99th in history for regular season appearances (1,072) and 32nd in all-time appearances (41,011 minutes).
Importantly, he has the second-highest total playoff score (5,987) and the highest-ever playoff score per game (33.4). On his six Trip to the Finals, he never played a snatch seven.
In the third season of his career, he scored a total of 3,041 points. With the exception of Jordan, only Chamberlain scored 3,000+ points in a single season (Which Chamberlain achieved in three consecutive seasons in the early 60s last season). After Jordan, no one else could do that.
From 1986-87 to 1992-93, Jordan was the league's leading scorer every season. After a brief baseball career, the comeback Jordan was the league's top scorer every season during his second triple-game winning streak for the Bulls (1996-1998).
Jordan still holds the playoff single-game scoring record (63 points). Although the record was set in a 1986 loss to the Celtics, Jordan's astonishing performance led Bird to praise "God playing in the number 23 jersey."
But Jordan isn't just a scorer, he's the best defensive player in the league (well, if you ask Scotty Pippen, he'll say Jordan is just the second-best defender, he's the best). He is third in history with 2,514 steals. Imagine if Tom Brady played centre-back.
Jordan has won two dunk contests, including the one he won at home in 1988 against Dominique Wilkins. It was this pin-to-pin dunk duel against Mai Mang that created a legend - Jordan's free throw line dunk. It seems that Jordan is also a "trapeze artist", isn't it?
Jordan has too many classic moments, including "The Shot" in Cleveland, "The Switch" and "The Shrug" at the Chicagoa Colt, and "The Dagger" in Utah. He also won two Olympic gold medals, one in 1984 while in college and the other after becoming the most famous basketball player on earth in 1992. Even before entering the NBA, Jordan, as a freshman at the University of North Carolina, was ready to play in the NBA spotlight. Because of the video technology already in place at that time, Jordan's classic moments were handed down. Unlike his predecessors, you can still see his match highlights now.
Jordan earned the respect of his peers and elders early on with his talent, but it wasn't until he won his first NBA championship that he was truly accepted. At the same time, he also needed to be recognized by fans of the old powerhouses like the Celtics and pistons at the time. As it turns out, he did.
In 1991, he won the leading scorer, his second regular season MVP and his first overall title. In the season's Finals, the Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers led by Magic Johnson 4-1 on aggregate. Once he found the rhythm to win, he couldn't stop. But winning wasn't Jordan's alone, Phil Jackson, Pippen, and everyone else contributed. But the spotlight has always been on Jordan, who has lived up to expectations since 1991.
This is almost always the case.
While the disruption of his basketball career, the loss of the playoff round between the two three-year championships, and his performance after joining the Wizards all show that Jordan is not invincible, this does not affect his great achievements. This is not to say that his last two seasons — and the only one of his entire career that didn't lead a team to the playoffs — have been forgotten. But perhaps it is these things that reveal some other thing behind the myths and statistics of this man (and god also has times when he goes down).
"He was never afraid to fail." Smith said, "He's a good and confident guy who will take on any challenge. ”
From the late 1980s to his second retirement in 1999, Jordan was the most famous athlete in the world, and no one could match him. Not just as an athlete, but at the time he was probably even the most famous person in the world. Wherever you go in the world, you'll find people wearing Nike shoes, drinking Coca-Cola, or bulls T-shirts.
In addition to making money by playing ball, Jordan also gained a lot of wealth through endorsements. In the "image is everything" era, other players did not support the practice of making money through advertising endorsements as Jordan did. He has pioneered a new world in both sports marketing and creating sports myths.
"In tennis, golf, boxing, legends are personal." Jordan's agent, David Falk, told Henry Louis Gates Jr. in an article in The New York, "But in basketball, no matter how great Bill Russell and Bob Cousy are, the legend of the Celtic dynasty always belongs to the whole team." But Jordan changed that on his own. ”
Jordan created a team of his own, which occasionally annoyed his teammates.
Jordan influenced pop culture and made athletes the best spokespeople for the product. Is it just because he wears different shoes than others? Or did the man create this style?
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird wear Converse. Jordan was wearing an AJ.
"There can't be anyone else who can have such a big impact on society as Jordan." "I think that's why his figure, his name, his presence has always attracted people's attention," Smith said. The rest of us just went with the flow. ”
Gates published an article in the New Yorker in which Jordan said of his fame: "It may be a matter of timing, I became famous because society at that time just wanted to tap into something positive." It may also be that when the sport of basketball is gradually entering the world, I am at my peak. ”
"In addition, at that time, I also established partnerships with American companies, starting with the endorsement of Coca-Cola, and then I endorsed the internationally renowned company Nike. (Asked why I became famous), I really really can't give you a definitive answer. ”
Jordan once thought that Nike made him a perfect character, but the truth is that he was born to be a star. He was adored by men, women and children and was the perfect example of an athlete. As soon as he appeared, all the shots were aimed at him.
Years ago, at the Jordan Photography Exhibition at the Chicago Museum, Walter Iooss Jr., resident photographer for Sports Illustrated, said in an interview with reporters: "How could you possibly get a bad picture of him?" Completely impossible. I almost never took a bad picture of him. Because when the camera is close to him, he never flinchs, because he knows that no matter when, wherever, everyone is watching him. ”
Steve Kerr won three championships alongside Jordan, two more championships from the player era with David Robinson and Tim Duncan, and three more championships as Warriors head coach. Cole has been playing with and/or coaching the best players in the league since the 1980s.
During the 2017 playoffs, he jokingly talked about the "back to my time" theory, comparing past championship teams to current teams, arguing that some of today's teams don't deserve championships.
"As time went on, the game got more and more ugly." He said, "The players are not as talented as they used to be. The guys of the 1950s put players who could blow up the entire league now. It's strange that human evolution is reversed in the world of sports. The players are not as strong as before, they are shorter in height, and even their technique has become rougher. I don't know why. I can't explain why. ”
The Warriors Kerr coached transformed the NBA and propelled it forward. Compared to today's games, the NBA's game pace was a little slower. That's the rhythm of a basketball game.
But that doesn't mean Jordan can't get a foothold in today's NBA. His size, technique and spirit are still as strong today as they were 25 years ago.
Jordan made a total of 1,778 three-point shots in his career, while James made 6,061 shots (still in the count) and Bryant made 5,546 shots. If, like the current game, a seven-foot-tall man could play like a defender, what kind of height would Jordan reach?
"Assuming he's playing in the league right now and he's at his peak, there's no doubt he's going to shoot 1 million three-pointers in training, he's going to be a better three-point shooter, and he's going to hit more three-pointers in his career." "Other than that, he'll still be dominant emotionally, physically, and mentally, just as he was then," Cole said. ”
Former Bulls teammate Stacey King added: "Jordan's game will eventually evolve into what it is now because as he gets older, he becomes a better three-point shooter. Before, his athleticism was very dominant, and as soon as he jumped up, no one could stop him. He was also much faster than the others. He's also more explosive. So at the time he didn't have to rely on three-pointers at all. But I can guarantee that Jordan will definitely improve in the current game. ”
Jordan was a "spokesperson" for the league, bringing incredible wealth to the league, turning NBA players into "360-degree stars." It is because of his existence that the NBA has developed to the extent it is today. But you can imagine what it would be like if he played in today's league.
"I think Jordan would have scored 100 points if he had played in this day and age." King said, "Because Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, then Jordan can score 100 points." ”
In terms of physical condition, Jordan is also a miracle. But the reason no one, not even the great players, can match him is not just his shots.
"I mean, he's the greatest player of all time, so there's a reason most people agree with that." "The fans don't just like him because he can hit those shots, he's got a likable everything," Kerr said. He has extraordinary skills, knowledge and experience. All of this contributed to the fans' love for him. So far, he's better than everyone else. ”
Everyone remembers his dunks, back-up jumpers, and steals. But he can do much more than that.
"I think one of the most underrated aspects of Michael's game is his emotional dominance on the pitch every night." Cole said, "I've never seen that from anyone else yet. ”
Chicagoan Kendall Gill entered the NBA in 1990, and before that, he played Jordan in that year's Summer League. He called Jordan's emotional dominance on the court the "the Mike Tyson effect."
"Mike Tyson used to beat his opponents before the last game." Gill said, "Similarly, Jordan has beaten a lot of people this way. ”
Cole has played alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. He also witnessed how the Splash Brothers intimidated everyone with three-pointers.
But Jordan's frightening mystery is more like an innate one.
'Everybody in the stadium has that feeling, the opponents, the coaching staff, the referees and the fans have this feeling, that he's stronger than everybody else and he's going to rule the game.' Cole said, "He's invincible. It's not just because of his technique, competitiveness on the field, stature, speed, and footwork better than others, but also because he has emotional dominance. It was as if he had cast a spell on every game. ”
Current Nets head coach Steve Nash (who entered the league in 1996-97) added: "In a sense, it's a scary thing to play against him as an opponent because you just sit there and watch him win and win. His dominance was so strong that he became a player that everyone feared. ”
Gill, who has always been a stout guard in the NBA, said he would be happy to play against Jordan. At least in most cases, it is willing.
In the 1998 Nets vs. Bulls playoff first round G1, Gill hit a layup on Jordan's defense and decided to spray some trash on Jordan.
"When we came back, I said ' Yo, I'm the strongest guy in Tim Grover training camp' because it was a powerful shot. Gill spoke of the Chicago-area trainer, who was known in the league for making Jordan a power guard.
"So later in that game, I'm sure you saw it too, he made the steal and I struggled to defend, but he still dunked the ball in and caused a foul. Then he walked up to the free throw line and I was waiting to grab the rebound and he said to me, 'Hey, KG, that's retribution, isn't it?' I didn't say anything after listening, but I was angry because that nasty guy made a dunk on my head in front of my family, in front of all the fans at The United Center, in the national live broadcast game. ”
Tim Hardaway entered the NBA in 1989 when he wasn't afraid of any opponent. Growing up as a point guard in Chicago, he had everything he needed to be a great player. Chicago is home to attacking defenders, whose offensive tactics are honed in the playgrounds and gymnasiums of Chicago's South and West Ends. In this sense, Hardaway said, Jordan is like a typical example of growing up in an urban basketball environment.
Hardaway said: "He's like a player who grew up in Chicago. The way he plays and the way he focuses on things is 'Chicago'. ”
Speaking about Jordan's mental deterrence, Hardaway said he saw the other defenders lose under Jordan's strong pressure (Wilkins and Sam Smith said "he's like a demon" when talking about Jordan's competitiveness on the court). But Hardaway, as a native of Chicago, was not afraid.
"I grew up in Chicago basketball, where you got the ball and did it, and you played to beat the opponent." Hardaway said, "So, I'm not afraid of Jordan at all, because I grew up in that terrible environment." ”
Charles Oakley was Jordan's first enforcer in Chicago and remains Jordan's close friend today. Jordan even wrote a foreword to his recently published novel. But Oakley had to experience the pain of losing to Jordan and the Bulls during his career, and his Knicks were eliminated by the Bulls in the playoffs in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1996.
In that era of confrontation, Oakley played for the Knicks at the time, the most physically demanding team in the league. Their "nasty" style of play scares a lot of teams, with the exception of the Bulls.
In 1995, the season when Jordan first announced his comeback, in a Knicks home game against the Bulls, Jordan slashed 55 points at Madison Square Garden Arena, which is the famous "double-nickel" battle, and the maximum speed limit on the road in the United States at that time was 55 mph, and the 55 mph bill was also called "double nickel", so Jordan's 55 points was called "double nickel". double-nickel”）。 As Oakley writes in his new book, "The LastEnforcer," Jordan's performance shocked the Knicks across the team: "It was the amazing ending to a night of madness, and I think it would have left some players panicking in the locker room." Jordan is back and maybe some players will feel like we can never beat him. ”
"Jordan shattered a lot of people's dreams of winning." Oakley said, "Like the Knicks players. There's also the Jazz's Carl Malone, John Stockton and the Trail Blazers' players. He also forced (Charles) Buckley to go west. I mean, if there's no Jordan in the NBA, a lot of teams will probably have a chance to win a championship. But the truth is, Jordan is right there and you have to beat him, it's too hard. ”
Teammates with Jordan aren't easy either. He wasn't always a favorite teammate because he was strict with everyone around him. But as Jordan himself said, he never asked his teammates to do anything he didn't. No one works harder than he does, and no one wins more often than he does.
"Victory comes at a price." In an interview on "The Last Dance," he said excitedly, "Being a leader also comes at a price. So when my teammates want to be lazy, I push them. When they are satisfied with the status quo, I challenge them. I have that right because I am their predecessor. They didn't go through everything I went through. So, once you join our team, I'll demand you by the standards I'm asking of myself and won't have any indulgence in you. ”
What is it like to play in the shadow of Michael Jordan? You can't even win him out in the parking lot.
"I owned a Ferrari 456GT and my girlfriend loved it." Gill said, "(I was going to drive to the game and got to the Union Center) I stopped the car and the stadium staff helped me park in the parking lot, and then we walked towards the pitch. Jordan and Pippen also parked their cars inside the Union Center. Jordan's Ferrari was parked there, a brand new 550 Maranello. My girlfriend saw it and said 'Hey, I prefer that one, can you buy one?' I muttered 'fuck', it was the latest Ferrari. I thought to myself , 'Even in this respect, I still can't beat that guy'. ”
Then I had to feel at ease and get ready to start the game.
In his new book, Oakley mentions the topic of "Michael or LeBron," but admits that it was just to elicit a conversation below.
"That's why I'm bringing this topic up so that people can talk about themselves." Oakley said, "But Jordan raised the bar too high. I think LeBron surpassed Bryant, but he didn't overtake Jordan. The two of them are like cornflakes and corn flakes (Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes) as a metaphor for James and Jordan, though great, but Jordan is even greater). ”
Oakley is a native of Cleveland and is a fan of James. After graduating from high school, James entered the NBA as a champion, and his unsatisfactory performance surprised Oakley. Now that James is 37 years old and this year is his 19th season in the NBA, he has been carrying expectations of him from high school to the present.
Bryant wants to mold himself into a second Jordan, pushing beyond mental and physical limits and chasing Jordan's "legacy." But it is impossible for James and Bryant to surpass Jordan, because many of their professional and public image descriptions are based on Jordan. Jordan is the front runner, and they are just the catchers.
Jordan's previous great players, including Abdul-Abbas, Chamberlain and Russell, were all miracles in the history of the NBA, but they didn't have Jordan's diverse skills. There is always something flawed in their technology.
James's size, versatility, and long career made him a man close to God. But while James is widely regarded as the greatest player of his time, he has committed the sin that ordinary superstars do: losing the Finals. Also, although the players respect him, will they be afraid of him at the most critical moments of the game?
"In the discussion of 'Michael or LeBron,' people are free to speak." Kerr said, "I think most people would say that Jordan and LeBron are two of the greatest players in history. ”
James has reached the Finals for eight consecutive years (nine times in 10 years), a record that even Jordan has never come close to (because he retired to play baseball). But the difference between the two is that James lost five Finals in the Heat and Cavaliers. In the 2020 Park Playoffs, James won his fourth championship ring.
In this age of sports debate, James' "chaotic" Finals experience was enough to discredit him. Jordan reached the finals six times and won six championships, and these six championships were neatly divided into two triple crowns. Over time, this feat has become even more significant.
"Whatever happens, as long as he starts to do it, he can complete it." Smith said, "It's always the case. ”
And apart from winning and emotional dominance, no one has been able to achieve the pop culture position he consolidated during the boom in advertising and marketing in the 1990s.
How many people have said "Be like Mike" since Jordan's Gatorade commercial first aired? Are you still singing this advertising slogan to yourself?
"I mean, the message of this ad is that the only way you want to be like Michael is to drink Gatorade." "But I think the most popular of these is the phrase 'Sometimes I dream that he is me, I'd like to see that's how I dream to be', because a lot of kids sit in the backyard or on the playground and pretend to be Jordan,' according to Bernie Pitzel, the ad's creator. This advertising slogan resonated. It's that simple. ”
Smith added: "He has a consistent love of competition, he has a special love of competition and competition. He's our ultimate competitor, and we want to be him if we can. ”
Sometimes we fantasize, but all we can do is fantasize.
"My passion on the pitch should have been contagious." Jordan says at the end of The Last Dance, "Because that's how I play." It starts with hope. We went from a bad team to the best dynasty team in history. All you need is a match to ignite the whole flame. ”
As the last dance says, despite the passage of time, no one can threaten Jordan's achievements. Even if James can win two more championships and tie Jordan, it doesn't matter.
25 years later, when everyone ranks players again on the centenary of the league's founding, Jordan will still be at the top of the list. Abdul-Jabbar is currently the highest-scoring player in NBA history, and James has the potential to overtake him before retiring, but that doesn't matter either. New great players will enter the NBA. There will also be other players who will use their abilities to catch our eye. But Jordan will still be GOAT.
"Over time, people forget something." Smith said, "If you haven't witnessed something, you don't boil it down to something as great as what you've witnessed." Things will change. But 'Jordan' endured. ”
When it comes to player rankings, no one puts anyone other than Jordan at the top. He will always be at the top. Jordan is Jordan, the greatest player in history, now and in the future.
Jordan NBA career statistics:
In 1,072 games, he averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, shot 49.7 percent from the field, 83.5 percent from the free throws, contributed 214.0 to victories, and 27.9 percent per per game
Jordan NBA Career Achievements:
Regular Season MVP (1988, 91, 92, 96, 98), 11 NBA All-Star, 15 All-Star, NBA Championship (1991, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98), Finals MVP (1991, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98), Rookie of the Year (1985), Leading Scorer (1987, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98), Steals King (1988, 90, 93) , Best Defensive Player (1988), Inducted into the Hall of Fame (1995), Olympic Gold Medal (1984, 92), NBA Top 50 Star (1996), NBA 75 Star (2021)
Written by Jon Greenberg
Compilation: Can't hold the basket at all