Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, played 15 dominating seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2003. Throughout his remarkable professional career, the Chicago Bulls legend entertained his fans by showcasing exceptional skills on the court for years.
Jordan, who was recently criticized by a former NBA player, won his first NBA championship in 1991 with averages of 31.5 points, 5.5 assists, and six rebounds per game. However, a former NBA player believes that Jordan was considered an NBA great even before winning his first championship.
During a recent appearance on the “Above the Rim With DH 12” podcast, Gilbert Arenas explained how Jordan was labeled “The GOAT” before his first-ever NBA championship. Arenas mentioned that people started calling Jordan the GOAT in 1989-1990, while they didn’t consider Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird in the GOAT debate.
“They gave Jordan the GOAT in ’89-’90 with not one championship. You broke the code and said, ‘None of this s**t matters,’ so stop using it then because you didn’t use it when you removed Kareem, you didn’t use it when Bill Russell got moved, you didn’t use that s**t against Magic Johnson and Bird.” Arenas said.
Jordan won six NBA championships, five NBA MVPs, and six NBA finals MVP awards throughout his career. However, Arenas believes calling him the GOAT before these milestones is unfair.
Jordan’s Legacy Redefines The Standards For Legends
Arenas further argues that the Bulls legend was declared the greatest player of all time so early in the debate, while other all-time greats like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have different standards to meet when evaluating their legacies.
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“You remove these dudes from the GOAT debate because of how Jordan looked. So you cannot use it against Kobe, LeBron, and all these guys. You can’t use six championships; you can’t use that because you read this n***a’s accolades, and you gave it to somebody who didn’t have any of this yet.” Arenas added.
Before winning his first championship, Jordan showcased his remarkable talent to his fans. The Bulls legend earned his first NBA MVP award in 1988 and also received the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award in the same season.
In addition, Jordan won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest twice, was a five-time NBA All-Star, and was a three-time NBA scoring champion before securing his first title.
