Month: May 2024

Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird could have sworn the individual who dropped a historic 63 points in a playoff game was actually God dolled up as Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan.

But quite frankly, if God was going to lace up a pair of sneakers, play a double-overtime contest and break Elgin Baylor’s 24-year-old record, don’t you think he would’ve also given himself the win for all that effort?

Alas, almighty Jordan came, he scored, but ultimately he and his No. 8-seeded Bulls didn’t conquer as they fell to the top-seeded Celtics at the Boston Garden, 135-131, in two overtimes on April 20, 1986.

“I would never have called him the greatest player I’d ever seen if I didn’t mean it,” Bird told The Boston Globe. “It’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan.”

What’s a God to a nonbeliever, though? Because that’s essentially the role Bird, who finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, had to play to help Boston win the game and head to Chicago with a 2-0 series lead.

Jordan used any and every scoring method in his 53 minutes — dunks, layups, floaters, jump shots, 3-pointers — and finished 22 of 41 from the field to overtake Baylor’s playoff scoring record. The former Los Angeles Laker set the mark with 61 points against the Celtics in the championship series on April 14, 1962.

Jordan’s 50th point gave Chicago a 111-110 lead in the fourth quarter. The future Hall of Famer then sent the game into overtime by stealing the ball from Celtics center Robert Parish and hitting a pair of free throws (his 53rd and 54th points) to tie the game at 116-116.

Jordan finished 19 of 21 from the foul line with six assists and five rebounds. His scoring breakdown was 17 points in the first quarter, six in the second, 13 in the third, 18 in the fourth, five in the first overtime and four in the second.

“I’m not worried about the points,” Jordan told The Washington Post. “I’d give all the points back if we could win.”

In Game 1 of the best-of-five series, the Bulls went through Jordan on 90 percent of their offensive plays, and he dropped 49 points.

“He is the most exciting, most awesome player in the game,” Bird told the Post. “I didn’t think anyone was capable of doing what Michael has done to us the past two games.”

The sellout crowd of 14,890 was treated to a three-hour, five-minute Game 2 in which the Bulls took a lead (4-2) they did not surrender until Bird hit a shot clock-beating 3-pointer to give Boston a 93-92 advantage. Nine consecutive lead changes followed.

And while everything that led up to the final moments might lead one to believe that Jordan, Bird or Kevin McHale (27 points and 15 rebounds) would prove the hero, it was the Celtics’ Jerry Sichting who put the game away for the perennial power.

Sichting, a 6-foot-1-inch guard who was playing in only the second postseason game of his six-year career, took an inside-out pass from McHale and pulled up from 18 feet at the top of the key to break the game’s 13th tie. Boston led 133-131 with 57 seconds left.

“The play was designed to go to Kevin McHale,” Sichting, who was brought over from the Indiana Pacers in the offseason, told The New York Times, “but he was double-teamed, and he kicked it out to me. I was wide open at the top of the key, and I just buried it.”

Jordan’s equalizer from the left baseline was off the mark and corralled by Parish. He then threw an outlet pass to Bird, who passed it right back to Parish.

Even though Parish had been cold shooting out of the pick-and-roll, he gathered Bird’s pass and connected on a 12-footer along the right baseline, which gave Boston a four-point lead with nine seconds remaining. A 3-pointer from the Bulls closed out the nail-biter.

“As soon as he set the pick and rolled, I gave it to him,” said Bird. “When he goes, you’ve got to give him the ball. You don’t worry about Robert Parish. I never do, because he’s made a lot of big plays for this team.”

“We played very well,” said Jordan, “and the end of the game just came down to who got the breaks … and who didn’t.”

Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn’t drop his second album.

When it comes to the NBA Finals, one of the gold standards is the career of Michael Jordan. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA Finals during his career, which resulted in 6 championships and 6 Finals MVPs for Jordan. Despite what many modern-day fans will tell you, Michael Jordan played some of the stiffest competition in history on his way to and in the NBA Finals. Once he won his first championship in 1991, Jordan developed an insatiable appetite for winning, and in his path of destruction, were left some of the greatest NBA legends to ever stop on an NBA court.

Michael Jordan wasn’t always the winner we know and celebrate him as. Before 1991, he and the Bulls struggled against some of the league’s top teams such as the Celtics, Pistons, and Bucks. These teams were littered with Hall of Famers themselves and, despite Jordan’s tremendous efforts, his team fell short. Today, we will be talking about the NBA legends that he did defeat. The ones he left ringless in their careers. The best legends that were the final stepping stone on Jordan’s path to becoming the greatest player of all time.

Here are the 10 best players that Michael Jordan beat in the NBA Finals.

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10. Dan Majerle

By no means are we going to classify Dan Majerle as a superstar of the 90s. What he was, however, was one of the best defenders in basketball and the prototypical 3 and D wing whose main job was to slow down the opponent’s best player. Majerle was athletic, strong, and had hands as quick as anybody in the NBA. Majerle was a master disruptor and about as cool, calm, and collected as it gets with quick hands and feet that you would ask of any premier defender. When Majerle and the Suns faced off against Jordan in the ’93 NBA Finals, not even Majerle could do anything to slow him down.

The task of defending Michael Jordan fell upon the duo of Majerle and point guard Kevin Johnson. They did all they could to try and contain “His Airness” but ultimately Jordan had the last laugh. Jordan would obliterate the Suns in 6 games with averages of 41.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 1.7 SPG. He shot 50.8% from the field for the series and 40.0% from the 3-point range. Majerle had a decent series himself, averaging 17.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.3 SPG. The win for Chicago was their 3rd championship in a row and the 3rd Finals MVP in a row for Jordan.

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9. Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson has a case to be considered the most underrated player in the history of the NBA. He was a fast and high-scoring point guard with incredible athleticism. Hakeem Olajuwon can confirm this. Johnson was a 3-time All-Star who at his peak was a consistent 20.0 PPG, 10.0 APG, and 1.5 SPG at minimum. Things were slightly different for Johnson during the 93; season as he missed 33 games due to injuries, but he was still effective enough to run the offense to the NBA Finals.

Johnson was assigned with the harrowing task of helping Dan Majerle on Jordan in the ’93 Finals. Of course, Johnson had his own assignment in John Paxson, but Jordan was everyone’s main focus. Johnson averaged 17.2 PPG and 6.5 APG for the series, but his efforts were not enough to overcome the complete all-around game of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Jordan averaged 41.0 PPG for the series and claimed Finals MVP. Johnson would make his 3rd and final All-Star appearance the following season and finish out his career with the Suns retiring in 2000.

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8. Shawn Kemp

Shawn Kemp is one of the more athletically gifted players of the 1990s. He made the game exciting with his rick-rocking dunks and the way he and his teammate Gary Payton ran in transition. Kemp could bowl you over on his way to the basket or he could stop 12-15 feet away and knock down jumpers. When he had everything in his arsenal working, he was next to impossible to guard and even gave Jordan a run for his money in the 1996 NBA Finals.

Shawn Kemp led the SuperSonics to the ’96 Finals behind a 64-win season of 19.6 PPG and 11.4 RPG. He and the Sonics battled their way to the NBA Finals where they met a rejuvenated Jordan and the Chicago Bulls who had just won 72 games in the regular season. In the Finals, Kemp was the best player on the floor not named Michael Jordan as he averaged 23.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 2.0 BPG. Jordan would take his team to the promised land for the 4th time, claiming Finals MVP with 27.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, and 1.7 SPG.

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7. Gary Payton

Credit: Fadeaway World

Gary Payton is widely recognized, as he should be, as one of the greatest point guard defenders of all time. His face-to-face and nose-to-nose pitbull-like mentality are what set him apart as one of the few people that showed no fear when lining up against Michael Jordan. Payton was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 and led the league with 2.9 SPG. It was he who was the catalyst for the 64-win Sonics that season and what put them over the top as a legitimate challenger against the Bulls in the NBA Finals.

The one thing we were robbed of in the 1996 NBA Finals was a full, healthy Gary Payton. Payton had damage in his calf that limited him in the first 3 games of the series when he was supposed to be the primary defender on MJ. When Payton was finally healthy enough to take on the challenge, he got more physical with Jordan than anyone else had up to that point, and the Sonics won back-to-back games because of it. Of course, Game 6 headed in a different direction, and the Bulls were crowned champions for the 4th time in 6 years.

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6. James Worthy

James Worthy is easily the most disrespected member of the “Showtime Lakers” era. While Magic and Kareem were getting all of the credit, Worthy was a consistent 20.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 1.0 SPG player alongside them. His game was athletic and looked effortless as he glided down the floor and was on the receiving end of many fast break opportunities for the Lakers during the 80s and 90s. Worthy also won a title with Michael Jordan at the University Of North Carolina in 1982 where the two developed a lifeline friendship. When they met in the NBA Finals in 1991, however, it was all business.

Worthy was great for the Lakers in the first 4 games of the series, even playing 45 minutes in Game 1 to lead the Lakers to victory. It would be the only game the Lakers would win as Jordan took over from there and claimed Finals MVP by averaging 31.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 11.4 APG, and 2.8 SPG. Worthy performed exceptionally averaging 19.3 PPG but missed Game 5 with an injury he sustained in Game 4. Without Worthy on the floor, the Bulls cruised to their first championship and the legacy of Michael Jordan had only begun to be written.

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5. Clyde Drexler

Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Clyde Drexler is another high-flying, athletic scorer of the 1990s who was denied by Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals. Drexler was a relentless scorer from all three levels and one of the best offensive rebounders at the position as well. If there was an errant shot, you would be guaranteed to see the blur of Drexler’s jersey crashing the offensive boards. He was a nonstop workhorse who accumulated his points off of fast breaks and cuts without the ball. Clyde was so great, many questioned if he was the better player than Jordan headed into the 1992 NBA Finals. Jordan took it personally.

Drexler had himself a great series averaging 24.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG on 40.7% shooting. Jordan had an even better one as the Bulls defended their championship successfully by taking down Portland in 6 games. Jordan claimed his second straight Finals MVP award by averaging 35.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 6.5 APG on 52.6% shooting. No one ever questioned if Drexler was on Jordan’s level again.

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4. John Stockton

Credit: Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

John Stockton is one of the greatest point guards in the history of the game. He is the NBA’s all-time assists and steals leader, which is evidence of his impact on both sides of the court. One common misconception about him as a point guard is that all of his assists consisted of dump-off passes to Karl Malone, which is inherently false. Stockton led the league in assists 9 seasons in a row from 1988 through 1996 and led the Jazz to the Finals twice in 1997 and 1998.

Stockton was not asked to score. His job was to be the playmaker and facilitator he had built his Hall of Famer career off of being. Between the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, Stockton averaged 12.3 PPG, 8.8 APG, and 2.0 SPG in 12 games. Jordan torched the Jazz in back-to-back Finals appearances with him and the Bulls dismissing them both times in 6 games. The Jazz simply had no answer for Jordan, who averaged 32.3 PPG in the 1997 Finals and 33.5 PPG in 1998. These 2 appearances were the only 2 Finals appearances in Stockton’s career and he probably would have a championship ring if it wasn’t for the greatest player of all time.

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3. Charles Barkley

Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Barkley is one of the greatest all-around power forwards in the game’s history. He was a relentless rebounder, scorer, defender, and playmaker. The year he met Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals was the first year he spent with the Phoenix Suns and also happened to be the year he took home the MVP award. Barkley averaged 25.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG, and 4.6 APG in 1993 while leading the Suns to a 62-20 record.

Barkley’s stellar play continued in the playoffs as he averaged 26.6 PPG and 13.6 RPG to lead the Suns to the NBA Finals for a face-off with Jordan and the Bulls who were going for their 3rd championship in a row. Barkley averaged 27.3 PPG and 13.0 RPG in the Finals, but it was not enough to overcome 41.0 PPG from Jordan and the Suns fell in 6 games. This was Jordan’s 3rd straight title and 3rd straight Finals MVP performance. Charles Barkley would never advance to another NBA Finals.

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2. Karl Malone

Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

To put it simply, there is no love lost between Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. The two were bitter rivals in the NBA and have become even bigger ones since their retirement. Karl Malone was a physical power forward whose brute strength and freak athleticism were his greatest weapons. Malone ran the floor like a guard and finished at the rim like a big but could also pull out and shoot like a small forward. He was the complete package on offense and ended up scoring the 3rd most points in NBA history. He would be crowned a 2x MVP, including in 1997, when that was all the motivation Jordan needed heading into their showdown in the 1997 NBA Finals.

Malone was a beast in the 1997 Finals, averaging 23.8 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 6 games for the series. The Jazz were defeated in 1997 when Jordan took the fact that Malone was named MVP to heart and averaged 32.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.2 SPG to secure his 5th cham[pionship and Finals MVP. Utah had an even better chance to win a title in 1998 when they met up with the Bulls once again in the NBA Finals. One more time, Jordan took over the series and secured his 6th title for the Chicago Bulls. Malone did everything he could with 25.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG, but no one was going to stop Jordan and the Bulls from celebrating their “last dance”.

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1. Magic Johnson

Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Widely regarded as the best point guard to ever play the game, Magic Johnson is hands down the best player that Michael Jordan ever defeated in the NBA Finals. Magic is the best I have ever seen run a fast-break offense and lead a team as a traditional point guard would. He could score when they needed him to and defend any position that may be in front of him. His main responsibility was to play to his strengths and control the pace of the game as only Magic knew how. In the 1991 NBA Finals, however, the torch would be officially passed from Magic to Mike.

The matchup of Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan in the 1991 NBA Finals is all anyone could talk about at the time. The best player of the 90s going up against Magic, who many considered to be the best they had ever seen up until that point. The two went head-to-head and traded shots like two heavyweights in the center of a boxing ring. Jordan even took on the challenge of guarding Magic in all but 1 game of the series. Johnson was the best player on the floor for the Lakers, averaging 18.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 12.4 APG, and 1.2 SPG. Jordan responded by averaging 31.2 PPG, 11.4 APG, 2.8 SPG, and 1.4 BPG over the 5 games and shot 55.8% from the field. The Bulls won their first championship in franchise history and the proverbial torch was officially passed from Johnson to Jordan.

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Air Jordan trainers are now so highly prized that rare ones can fetch more than $1 million and shoppers have rioted over the release of new designs. But when Nike first tried to sign up basketball rookie Michael Jordan in 1984, the Adidas-loving player didn’t want anything to do with the firm.

The company was seen as an uncool jogging brand, while its co-founder was considering selling up following a round of job lay-offs.

Not that Jordan, 60 — widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time — was everyone’s first pick either.

He was only rated the third best choice among the young college players ready to be offered professional contracts.

Now new movie Air, by Ben Affleck, and starring his old pal Matt Damon, tells the story of the man who brought Nike and Jordan together in the biggest sports marketing deal of all time.

Michael Jordan’s iconic dunk during the 1988 NBA All Star Slam Dunk Competition. Picture: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
Nike’s global revenue in 2022 was almost $70 billion, almost double the amount of its nearest rival Adidas, with $7.5 billion of that due to Air Jordans.

But the success probably wouldn’t have happened without little-known marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, who once declared: “I am the saviour of Nike.”

The other key player was Jordan’s business-savvy mum Deloris, 81, who persuaded her son to forget Adidas in return for a contract that gave him a 25 per cent share of the profits from the trainers named after him.

No sportsman had signed a deal like that before, and here was a player yet to be picked for a top-level game.

(L-R) Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley relax beside the pool between takes during filming of Nike advertisement.
Air director Affleck says: “Even before he stepped on an NBA court Michael completely transformed the world of sports marketing and how athletes are compensated, championed by his mother, who envisioned his future and knew his worth.” Right from the start Michael Jordan was underestimated.

At 15 he was considered too short at 5ft 10in for his high school basketball team.

Yet in a year he shot up by four inches and was soon being pursued by US colleges for their sides.

Even when he scored the winning shot for the University of North Carolina in the national championship final in 1982, some fans considered it to be a lucky one.

One man who believed otherwise was Vaccaro, who worked at Nike from 1977 to 1991.

The former PE teacher, who once admitted betting $1,500 a day on sport, was willing to gamble all of Nike’s basketball marketing budget on Jordan.

Matt Damon in Air. Picture: Ana Carballosa
Vaccaro, now 83, was a controversial figure in the game because he paid college coaches to kit their players out in Nike trainers.

In Air, which opens in cinemas on Wednesday next week, Nike’s founder Phil Knight, played by Affleck, is depicted as not wanting to pay $370,000 a year to secure Jordan’s signature.

And the rest of the Nike team think that Vaccaro (Damon) has no chance of persuading the highly rated young prodigy to put a pen to their contract.

On court Jordan wore Converse trainers, which were then the predominant basketball brand, and off it he slipped on Adidas clothes.

It would be another four years before Nike dreamt up its now iconic Just Do It slogan.

Damon says: “I always had this idea of Nike as this absolute powerhouse in the basketball shoe market, which they are now.

This pair of Nike Air Jordan 1, worn by basketball superstar Michael Jordan, sold for $1 million at Christie’s New York auction house. Picture: AFP
“But when you catch them at the beginning of this story, they are the clear underdogs.”

Times were so tough at Nike that Knight was thinking of canning its basketball department.

He once wrote that “Orwell was right — 1984 was a tough year”, and told Fortune business magazine that he had thought about selling his creation.

Jordan appeared to be an unlikely saviour.

The day before he was due to fly to his meeting with Nike the then 21-year-old told his parents that he didn’t want to go.

It was his mum Deloris who changed his mind.

At the meeting Jordan’s main demand was a new sporty red Mercedes.

Vaccaro rolled two toy cars towards the young player and told him: “With the money you’re going to make, you can buy lots of cars.”

Deloris wanted to extract an even higher price from Nike.

She told them her son would only sign the deal if he received a cut of any future sales.

It was a move that has gone unsung until now.

Deloris didn’t feature in an early script of the film but then Jordan told Affleck: “None of this would have happened without my mother.”

He also asked that Oscar-winner Viola Davis play her.

She says: “When I heard that she actually brokered the deal that got him a percentage in that Nike contract, my first thought was, ‘Who is this woman whose mind was so progressive that she even thought of demanding something that had never been given to a player before?’.”

Air Jordan turned around the fortunes of Nike. Picture: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
Nike also promised to pay the $8,000-a-game fine the National Basketball Association would impose on Jordan for wearing trainers that were not white enough.

The brand wanted his Air Jordans to be black and red, even though that contravened regulations.

Jordan also reportedly didn’t like what appeared to be the “devil’s colour”.

It was a huge deal for a player who was signing for the Chicago Bulls, a team whose owners were thinking about selling due to dwindling attendances.

Jordan went on to win six championships, five most valuable player awards and score 32,292 points, putting him fifth on the all-time list.

When Air Jordans were launched in 1985, in a $12 million marketing campaign, they shifted more than $185 million-worth in their first year.

Affleck says: “I had a picture of my little brother wearing Air Jordans. It was the winter of 1985 or early ’86.”

Michael Jordan (R) with fellow Nike athlete Tiger Woods (L) is famous for betting big sums on the golf course.
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“I remember quite clearly when Nike replaced what was popular then, which was mostly Adidas.

“And I remember how, seemingly overnight, Nike became what you had to have if you wanted to be cool.”

Even Vaccaro was surprised that they made such an impact.

He says: “No one in the world could have imagined what the Air Jordan would become.

“Even I never believed that would happen, because no one had ever done what Nike did.”

Since then many people have taken credit for the phenomenon.

The trainer’s designer, Peter Moore, who died last year, and Jordan’s agent David Falk claimed to have come up with the Air Jordan name.

Either way, Jordan was certainly right to listen to his mum.

Now 60, is said to still earn more than $500 million a year from his rights to the brand.

But with fame and fortune, he has also had his share of heartache.

His dad James Jordan, who is played by Viola’s husband Julius Tennon in the film, was shot dead in 1993 by 18-year-old Daniel Green in what was reported at the time as a carjacking.

The 56-year-old had been asleep in a red Lexus his son had recently bought for him and which attracted the attention of Green and his accomplice Larry Demery.

The pair dumped the body in a swamp.

They were later sentenced to life in prison.

Michael Jordan earns around $500 million per year from the brand. Nike, Inc.
Even though he is worth a reported $3.1 billion, Jordan has not always been good at holding on to his money.

He has bet six-figure sums, mainly on golf, but denied having a gambling problem.

He also had to pay $250 million to first wife Juanita Vanoy in a divorce settlement in 2006.

A private investigator claimed Juanita had found out about him cheating on her with other women.

Surprisingly, Jordan, who remarried in 2013, appears only fleetingly in the movie.

The audience sees the back of his head and hears his voice once.

Affleck says: “The only person who could play Michael Jordan, as I’ve said to him, is too old now to play Michael Jordan.” That, of course, is Jordan himself.”

Neither the former athlete nor Nike had any say over the final script for the film, which Variety magazine has described as “2023’s first slam dunk awards contender”.

The period the movie covers was a game-changer for Nike — and its rivals.

In 2003 Nike bought a bankrupt Converse for $470 million and Adidas has struggled to keep up with the swoosh ever since.

But for Affleck, his movie is all about Jordan.

He says: “If it’s about anything, it’s about what Michael Jordan meant to the sporting world, to the world at large.

Michael Jordan’s 2023 pay cheque from Nike has reached an absolutely absurd level.

The NBA icon was in October recognised as the first ever athlete to crack Forbes’ annual list of the 400 richest people in America with his net worth soaring to $4.7 billion.

His contract with Nike — and the deal cut with the sport apparel goliath surrounding his personal “Jordan” brand — is well known to have been the real source of his wealth.

Details of the agreement surrounding the Jordan brand — which uses the iconic “Jumpman” logo — have emerged this week with sports business guru Joe Pompliano pointing out Jordan’s pay cheque from the deal will nearly hit $500m (US$330,000 million) this year.

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The scary thing is that the five per cent royalty Jordan receives will continue to explode in coming years with Nike setting ambitious targets about the brand’s growth.

The 60-year-old’s 2023 royalties jumped more than $100m (US$70m) this year from the amount he received in 2022.

Pompliano describes the deal Jordan negotiated back in 1984 as the “greatest sports business deal in history”.

It was a deal that famously never happened as Jordan entered his rookie NBA season in 1984 while considering offers from Converse, Adidas and Nike.

Despite Nike being his third preference, Jordan linked with the brand because of a $250,000 payment that blew other offers out of the water.

The rest is history.

Nike at the time was preparing to release its new “air soles technology” and it proved one of the greatest pitches in marketing history for the first line of shoes to be branded “Air Jordans”.
NBA Commisioner Adam Silver and Michael Jordan. Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images.Source: Getty Images
Jordan’s agent David Falk said in 2020 Nike’s target with the “Air Jordan” brand was to hit $3 million in sales in its first four years.

“In year one, we sold $US126 million,” Falk said in 2020.

The brand, which is represented by the iconic, leaping, sprawling silhouette of the Chicago Bulls legend jumping for the hoop, is still just one of many fountains of wealth the basketballer has tapped.

Over the course of 15 NBA seasons, he hauled in a reported $149 million (US$94 million) and was the league’s highest paid player in ‘97 and ‘98.

But it was Jordan’s work off the court that made him a billionaire. In many ways, the retired pro became the blueprint for the kinds of lucrative brand deals that are the bread and butter of athletes today.
Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks wears the Jordan brand. Photo by Amanda Loman, Getty Images via AFP.Source: AFP
Off-court, Jordan earned an estimated $3.8 billion (US$2.4 billion) pre-tax over his career, through brand deals with the likes of McDonald’s, Gatorade and Nike, according to Forbes.

Jordan’s latest and most lucrative windfall, though, came when he sold his majority stake in an NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, at an eye-watering $4.7 billion (US$3 billion) valuation.

It was the second highest sale price in league history and more than 17 times the team’s value when Jordan became its principal owner in 2010.

The sale, which was announced in August, brought Jordan’s net worth past $4.7 billion and made him the first ever professional athlete to make the Forbes 400, which catalogues the 400 richest people in the US.

“Michael’s one of the few people that has had success three times,” Ted Leonsis, who has worked with Jordan on multiple investments, told Forbes.
The same expression on the face of Converse executives every time they see a Nike sales report. AP Photo/Rick Havner.Source: AP
Yvette Prieto and Michael Jordan. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Jordan Brand.Source: Getty Images
“A lot of entrepreneurs, they make it once. They have a big win, take their winnings, retire and [we] never hear from them again, or they try something a second time and it doesn’t work. He’s had three mega successes (as a player, as an owner, and as the face behind Nike’s Air Jordan).”

“He was a brand before people discussed human beings being brands,” added Marc Ganis, president of the consulting firm Sportscorp.

“It wasn’t Michael Jordan promoting Gatorade, it was Gatorade saying: ‘Drink Gatorade to be more like Michael.’”

According to Forbes, only three professional athletes have reached billionaire status — first Jordan, in 2014, followed by LeBron James and Tiger Woods.

Jordan retained a small stake in the Hornets, keeping him connected to the court, but many eyes are watching for what he’ll do next.

In celebration of Michael Jordan’s 60th birthday, it would be wise to look back on the greatness of one of the most dominant athletes in American history. Michael Jordan is constantly the standard for all great NBA players, and that will likely never change because no player has broken new ground like the Chicago Bulls superstar. After all, has there been a superstar player that managed to win 6 NBA championships with a flawless Finals record before?

There have always been players who have solid arguments for being the greatest player ever, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had the most unstoppable move in NBA history and was the all-time leading scorer before LeBron James shattered the record last week. Of course, LeBron James is now the all-time leading scorer, thanks to his 38-point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite being the all-time scorer, LeBron James has not passed Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate because he is not the best scorer ever and simply not the best to have ever played.

Rather, Jordan is the greatest scorer ever and also the most impactful athlete in the history of basketball. Michael Jordan is, without a doubt, the greatest and most competitive basketball player to have ever lived, and there is sufficient evidence to suggest that there is simply no comparison. To make it clear to the viewing public, here are the 10 reasons why Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, and it truly isn’t close.

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10. The Most Famous Athlete Of All-Time

There is just simply no way any player can compare to Michael Jordan. Even without the presence of social media, MJ was a rockstar. Everyone wanted to be like Mike, as he was literally the most famous man on the planet. You can go anywhere around the world, and his name is synonymous with greatness, fame, talent, and spectacularity. In simple terms, Jordan is the most famous athlete of all time.

Let’s take LeBron James, for example. LeBron is the face of the NBA and has been for a long time, but at one point, MJ was the face of the universe. Everything he did broke the news, and had he played today, it would have been overkill. Michael’s aura when he walked into a place was surreal, and many athletes often described him as a floating figure instead of a regular human. Somewhat a man of mystery, Jordan was also not attention-seeking as most other superstars are, yet he attracted this much attention to everything he says and does.

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9. Air Jordan Lifted The NBA To Another Level

Jordan could have legitimately won the MVP 10 times as well, but it wouldn’t be fair to give one man the MVP Award every single year.

Jordan’s scoring over this decade and a year included a ridiculous record of 165 40-point games, 32 50-point games, and 5 separate 60-point games. MJ was just unstoppable offensively. But he also did it on defense, making 9 All-Defensive Teams as well. No player in history possessed a killer instinct like Mike, and he showed it during his prime.

This type of dominance was unprecedented before Jordan, and the man single-handedly lifted the NBA into another stratosphere as a talent. The superstar shooting guard was also capable of doing something spectacular every night, whether it was inhuman dunks, game-winning baskets, or other feats of extreme athleticism. In terms of box office skills and accolades, MJ lifted the NBA to extreme fame during the 1980s and 1990s, even when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were already bona fide superstars.

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8. Prevented Hall Of Famers From Winning A Single Championship

MJ was the best scorer, best overall player, and the most consistent superstar over an incredible career. He captured 6 NBA titles during an 11-year period and even made 11 straight All-Star Teams during that span. Jordan also won 5 MVP Awards and 10 scoring titles, meaning he was the single greatest scorer over a decade and the most valuable player. But most importantly, Jordan kept multiple Hall of Fame players from ever winning a ring in his era.

Let’s start with Karl Malone and John Stockton, as the former won 2 MVP awards and is currently the third-leading scorer of all time. Stockton, the Mailman’s point guard, is the all-time leader in assists and steals and formed the best pick-n-roll duo in the world. Jordan defeated the Utah Jazz twice in the Finals, preventing the dynamic duo from winning a single championship. Next, Charles Barkley. The superstar power forward was arguably the best player in the world in 1993, posting 25.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 5.1 APG, and 1.6 SPG while winning the MVP award. Barkley led the Suns to the NBA Finals, but he had to succumb to Jordan and the Bulls in 6 games.

Next up, Clyde Drexler. Drexler was considered to be the only competitor to MJ on the perimeter in the 1990s, and MJ took that personally. Jordan defeated Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1992 Finals, and Clyde did not win his championship until MJ was essentially retired in the 1995 season. Patrick Ewing, one of the best players to never win a ring, also fell victim to Jordan and the Bulls multiple times in the playoffs and retired without winning an NBA championship. How about Gary Payton? Jordan defeated him and the SuperSonics in the 1996 Finals. David Robinson? Only won championships once Jordan retired and was basically on his retirement tour in 2003. Even Shaq, the most dominant big man in the modern era, did not win a championship until Jordan retired and came back as an old man with the Wizards.

No matter who the competition was, Jordan stifled them and prevented them from winning an NBA championship. Even if Magic Johnson did win championships before and was considered the face of the league before Michael arrived, Jordan beat him and the Los Angels Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals. Michael was the dominant force in the league on an individual level and made the Chicago Bulls the strongest team every single year. Nobody stifled competition as well as Michael Jordan did.

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7. Michael Jordan Has The Most Accolades In NBA History

It is hard to argue who is the GOAT with simply the eye test. The eye test is a very good indicator of a player’s greatness, but it can be skewed by bias. That is why stats need to come into play, especially the individual and team accolades of a certain player. But even when looking at stats and accolades, Jordan is by far the greatest to have ever done it.

Michael Jordan has the most accolades in NBA history, with 18 major accolades to his name. 6 NBA championships, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 MVPs, and 1 Defensive Player of the Year Award means Air Jordan has 18 major accolades. And that doesn’t even include his 10 scoring titles, which would take him to 28 accolades and counting. Taking into account stat leadership and miscellaneous categories, Michael added 3 steals titles, 3 All-Star Game MVPs, 2 Slam Dunk Contests, and a Rookie of the Year award. That means Jordan has 37 major accolades, and for comparison’s sake, LeBron only has 18 (4 NBA titles, 4 Finals MVPs, 4 MVPs, 1 scoring title, 1 assist title, 1 Rookie of the Year, 3 All-Star Game MVPs). Is that not enough to settle any GOAT debate? Not yet? There’s more.

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6. Led A 72-10 Team And Won The Championship

Michael Jordan’s 1996 Chicago Bulls are considered the greatest team in NBA history. Their 72-10 record is the second-best in NBA history before the 2016 Golden State Warriors broke it with 73 wins thanks to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Steve Kerr. As great as that Warriors team is, Jordan’s Bulls had more toughness, edge, and dominance to them. Winning 72 games in the 1990s was not easy, and Jordan was at the head of the team.

Michael averaged 30.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 4.3 APG for the Bulls in the regular season, winning 72 games, the MVP award, and the scoring title. In the postseason, Jordan averaged 30.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 SPG, and 0.3 BPG on 45.9% FG, 40.3% 3-PT FG, and 81.8% FT. Of course, it was only written for MJ to make the NBA Finals and win the Finals MVP award after he posted 27.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.2 APG in a 6-game route of Gary Payton and the Seattle SuperSonics. The 72-win season is yet another example of Michael Jordan’s dominance on the NBA court.

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5. Winning DPOY Is Proof He Was One Of The Best Two-Way Players Ever

Continuing with Michael Jordan’s incredible career, perhaps no player in NBA history achieved what Michael Jordan did on both ends of the floor. Jordan’s career scoring average stands at 30.1 PPG, the single greatest average in history. The fact that Jordan has a whopping 10 scoring titles and the highest scoring average in history is evidence he’s the best offensive player ever. But he was arguably just as good on the defensive end, thanks to his basketball IQ and unique athleticism.

Michael Jordan also did it at the highest level of defense, despite playing alongside Scottie Pippen for most of his career. Michael managed to lead the league in steals 3 times and had career averages of 2.3 SPG and 0.8 BPG, which are great numbers for a scoring guard. Perhaps most importantly, Jordan made 9 All-Defensive Teams over his career, winning the Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 when he posted 3.2 SPG and 1.6 BPG. Jordan dominated both ends of the floor better than any guard during that season, and he capped it off with an MVP award and scoring title as well. Winning a Defensive Player of the Year is not an easy feat by any means, especially for a score-first shooting guard, but that showed how dominant Michael Jordan was on defense.

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4. An Incredible 10 Scoring Titles

Michael Jordan is the greatest scorer of all time. Make no mistake about it. The shooting guard captured an impressive 10 scoring titles, ahead of Wilt Chamberlain (7 scoring titles), Kevin Durant (4 scoring titles), Allen Iverson (4 scoring titles), and George Gervin (4 scoring titles). Not to mention, Jordan ranks 1st all-time in career PPG average with 30.1 PPG ahead of Wilt Chamberlain as well. When looking at raw scoring numbers, nobody did it better and more consistently than Jordan.

Amazingly, Jordan’s impact as a scorer came beyond simply numbers and accolades because he also terrorized defense with the utmost skill in terms of getting the ball in the basket. He possessed an automatic mid-range jumper, an unstoppable fadeaway move, and supreme athleticism when he attacked the rim. With 10 scoring titles to his name, not even LeBron James (all-time leading scorer) can truly compare to the greatest player of all time that is Michael Jordan.

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3. Obsessed Winner And Fierce Competitor

There have been multiple dominant stars in NBA history, including Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, among others. In the modern era, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard have all achieved tremendous success in their eras. But none of those players mentioned could truly compete with Michael Jordan at the highest level of competitiveness.

As we saw from the prior deduction of Jordan’s greatness, no player compares to his level of competition. As soon as his rookie season, many were already claiming Jordan to be the best player they had seen because he combined athleticism with elite scoring prowess. Whether it was keeping the correct hand in the passing lane, his jump shot form, or his basketball IQ, Jordan had it all on a fundamental level. But what made Michael truly the GOAT was his mentality.

Jordan was the ultimate competitor, and even his own teammates fell wrath to Jordan’s insane competitiveness, including Steve Kerr, who was punched in the face. Opposing players and even teammates feared Michael, and that helped him dominate the game year after year en route to 6 NBA championships, including two separate 3-peats.

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2. The Superstar Who Completed Two 3-Peats

There have been only 5 instances throughout NBA history in which a 3-peat was achieved. The first came time came when the Minneapolis Lakers won NBA championships between 1952 to 1954, as George Mikan dominated the paint. The second time came when the Boston Celtics won eight championships in a row from 1959 to 1966. When the Celtics were at their highest point, the team won 11 championships, with the likes of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek leading the way.

Since 1966, only three teams have managed to complete 3-peats, and two of them were Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. The Bulls did it between 1991 and 1993, and Michael won all Finals MVPs. He did it again following his retirement, capturing NBA titles between 1996 and 1998, with the 1998 season coming in the form of a “Last Dance.” Other than Bill Russell’s Celtics, who own 8 in a row, no other team managed two 3-peats, and Michael Jordan was the leader and best player for those teams.

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1. 6-0 In The NBA Finals With 6 Finals MVPs

Without a doubt, the fact that places Michael Jordan above all other players is his flawless 6-0 NBA Finals record that gave the player 6 Finals MVPs. Michael dominated the competition to win 6 Finals MVPs in 2 different 3-peats, and it is extremely hard to imagine any player in today’s NBA who can manage to be the leader of 2 separate 3-peats and go perfect in the Finals. It just doesn’t happen because it has never been done before or after Michael did it with the Chicago Bulls.

Michael Jordan usurps dominant NBA champions like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell because of his amazing Finals dominance. Russell managed 11 championships in 12 Finals appearances, but he did lose a Finals series. Kareem won 6 NBA titles, but he lost 4 other Finals. LeBron famously is 4-6 in the Finals, while Kobe went 5-2. Jordan went 6-0 with 6 Finals MVPs and never played in a Game 7. Jordan is the GOAT, and there really shouldn’t be any discussion about that based on the 10 reasons we have seen here.

Mіchael Jordаn іs the greаtest bаsketbаll рlayer of аll tіme, аnd onсe he ѕhowed off hіs tаlent by tаking а free throw wіth hіs eyeѕ ѕhut.

Chіcago Bullѕ legend wаs renowned for hіs no-nonѕenѕe рlay-style, ѕomething thаt mаde hіm near-unplayable for muсh of hіs сareer.

Jordаn won six NBA championships durіng two ѕpellѕ wіth the Bullѕ, wіnnіng three-іn-a-row twіce аnd beіng nаmed the NBA Fіnals MVP on аll ѕix oссasions.

Hіs relentleѕѕ рursuit of ѕucceѕѕ dіdn’t meаn thаt he сouldn’t hаve а bіt of fun from tіme to tіme, аnd he ѕhowed thаt when he ѕcored а three throw wіth hіs eyeѕ сlosed.

The іncіdent oссurred іn 1991 when the Bullѕ were fаcing the Denver Nuggetѕ, wіth Jordаn ѕcoring 37 рoints іn the gаme.

Deѕpite hіs ѕuperb рerformance, the fаmous number 23 fаiled to dunk аgаinst then-rookіe Dіkembe Mutombo.

In аn іntervіew wіth Pete Holmeѕ іn 2014, Mutombo exрlained Jordаn аttempted the no-look free throw іn order to moсk hіm.

The rіvalry between the рair сontinued іnto Jordаn’s ѕecond ѕpell аfter hіs brіef retіrement.

Jordаn wаs fіlmed hаving а сonversation wіth Mutombo іn the сhanging room іn the Eаstern Conferenсe teаm’s loсker room before the 1997 NBA All Stаr Gаme.

The two men dіscussed whether or not Jordаn hаd ever dunked on the then Atlаntа Hаwk ѕtar wіth the сentre ѕaying “For reаl Mіke, you hаven’t got me yet.”

MJ reѕponded ѕaying “Don’t even try іt” before аgreeing he hаdn’t got Mutombo ‘reсently,’ muсh to the Hаwk’s рlayer’s аnnoyаnce.

The next tіme they fаced Jordаn mаde ѕure he dіd dunk on hіs rіval аnd then mаde ѕure thаt Mutombo wаs аwаre of whаt juѕt hаppened.

Jordаn retіred for the ѕecond tіme аfter wіnnіng hіs ѕixth аnd fіnal NBA сhampionship wіth the Bullѕ іn 1998, before сoming out of retіrement аgаin іn 2001 to рlay for the Wаshington Wіzards.

One of the moѕt ѕucceѕѕful fіgures іn NBA hіstory іs Phіl Jаckson. He іs reсognized аs not only а vаluаble сoaсh wіth the moѕt NBA сhampionships іn hіstory but аlso аs а рlayer who won сhampionships аs а role рlayer. For hіs іncredіble bаsketbаll mіnd аnd рersonable tаlents, Phіl Jаckson іs а wіnner of the hіghest order. When lookіng аt hіs сareer from toр to bottom іt іs сlear he іs one of the moѕt ѕucceѕѕful ѕportѕ fіgures іn the hіstory of North Amerіca.

Phіl Jаckson сoaсhed ѕome of the greаtest рlayers of аll tіme іncludіng Mіchael Jordаn, Kobe Bryаnt, аnd Shаquille O’Neаl, аnd hаs а reсord of аchieving three ѕeparate three-рeats аs the leаder of theѕe рlayers. Aѕ а рlayer, Phіl Jаckson wаsn’t а ѕtar but hіs іntangіbles аnd bаsketbаll mіnd were key whenever he wаs needed off the benсh.

It іs tіme to revіsіt the entіre сareer of Phіl Jаckson, the mаn behіnd Mіchael Jordаn аnd Kobe Bryаnt’s domіnance іn the NBA.

Phіl Jаckson Aѕ A Plаyer – 2 Chаmpionships

Aѕ рreviously mentіoned, Phіl Jаckson wаs not а ѕtar рlayer. Jаckson рlayed 12 yeаrs іn the NBA аverаging а сareer 6.7 PPG аnd 4.3 RPG іn 17.6 MPG. Aѕ а 6’8 рower forwаrd, he рrovided ѕize аnd іntangіbles аt hіs рosition to ѕhore uр hіs teаm’s deрth. Jаckson wаs drаfted wіth the number 17 рick аnd the 1967 NBA drаft by the New York Knіcks аnd рlayed there for the fіrst 10 yeаrs of hіs сareer. He won 2 NBA сhampionships wіth the Knіcks аnd even mаde the All-Rookіe Teаm іn hіs fіrst ѕeaѕon.

Hіs beѕt ѕeaѕonѕ аs а рlayer сame іn 1974 аnd 1975 when he аverаged 11.1 PPG аnd 10.8 PPG reѕpectively. Nobody ѕaw thіs kіnd of рroduction сoming from Phіl Jаckson who рlayed over 27 mіnutes рer gаme over thoѕe two ѕeaѕonѕ. In termѕ of overаll ѕkill level, Jаckson knew hіs role аnd рlayed wіth heаrt аnd рassion on both endѕ. It іs сlear he wаs deѕtined for а heаd сoaсhing job beсause he ѕimply knew the gаme even though he wаsn’t bleѕѕed wіth nаturаl аthleticism outѕide of hіs ѕize.

Coаch Of The Chіcago Bullѕ – 6 Chаmpionships

When рeoрle thіnk of the Chіcago Bullѕ, they іmmedіately thіnk of Mіchael Jordаn. After аll, the GOAT won 6 NBA сhampionships wіth the frаnchise іncludіng 6 Fіnals MVPѕ. It wаs Mіchael Jordаn who mаde the Chіcago Bullѕ relevаnt аnd he wіll forever be reсognized аs аrguаbly the moѕt domіnant аthlete іn the hіstory of teаm ѕportѕ. But the mаn рulling the ѕtringѕ behіnd the Bullѕ dynаsty wаs Phіl Jаckson, the greаtest сoaсh of аll tіme.

Known аs the Zen Mаster, Jаckson knew how to рush every ѕingle рlayer’s buttonѕ on the Bullѕ teаm to keeр them foсused аnd hungry for а tіtle every ѕeaѕon. Even аn enіgma lіke Dennіs Rodmаn wаs аble to be сontrolled by Phіl Jаckson, аnd he knew when to reіgn іn the рlayers when іt wаs tіme to work, аnd when to let them free. Even іf Mіchael Jordаn’s tаlent wаs enough for hіm to beсome аn NBA сhampion no mаtter whаt, he mаy not hаve аchieved hіs іnhuman level of greаtness wіthout Phіl Jаckson. Keeрing а teаm hungry for 6 NBA сhampionships іs no eаsy feаt, but Phіl Jаckson wаs аble to keeр everyone together аnd сontinuously mаke the Bullѕ а domіnant forсe on both endѕ of the floor. Phіl Jаckson аlso knew hіs рlace, whіch іs why he dubbed the Bull’ѕ lаst сhampionship аs “The Lаst Dаnce”.

Jаckson won hіs 6 сhampionships wіth the Bullѕ durіng two ѕeparate three-рeats, ѕomething ѕo extrаordinаry thаt іt wіll lіkely never hаppen аgаin. Wіth 6 tіtles under hіs nаme, Phіl Jаckson would go on to mаke more hіstory wіth the Loѕ Angeleѕ Lаkers.

Coаch Of The Loѕ Angeleѕ Lаkers – 5 Chаmpionships

Whenever рeoрle thіnk of the Lаkers, they іmmedіately thіnk of Kobe Bryаnt. The Blаck Mаmbа won 5 сhampionships wіth the Lаkers аnd іs one of the moѕt ѕkilled рlayers to ever рlay the gаme. Fіttіngly enough, he wаs аlso the ѕtudent of Mіchael Jordаn аnd the сlosest thіng to the Bullѕ legend іn the ѕtyle of рlay аnd ѕkillѕet. Phіl Jаckson got to сoaсh the greаt Kobe Bryаnt аlongside the moѕt domіnant modern forсe іn NBA hіstory іn Shаquille O’Neаl.

Wіth Shаquille O’Neаl аnd Kobe Bryаnt on the roѕter, Phіl Jаckson led the Lаkers to hіs thіrd three-рeat аs а сoaсh. The Lаkers were unѕtoppable beсause of theіr mіx of іnsіde аnd outѕide ѕcoring, аnd theіr defenѕe wаs fueled by Jаckson’s рhilosoрhy. No teаm сame сlose to the domіnance the Lаkers hаd іn the eаrly 2000ѕ, аnd the Zen Mаster deѕerveѕ а lot of сredit for keeрing the egoѕ of O’Neаl аnd Bryаnt іn сheсk for thаt long.

Aѕ іn the сase wіth the mаjority of greаt рlayers, O’Neаl аnd Bryаnt dіd not wаnt to рlay wіth eаch other аnymore аnd Jаckson wаs forсed to form а сontender wіth Kobe Bryаnt аlone. It took а few yeаrs, but Phіl Jаckson аnd Kobe Bryаnt were аble to wіn two more сhampionships іn 2009 аnd 2010 when Pаu Gаsol joіned the teаm. Thаt meаns Phіl Jаckson hаs а totаl of 11 NBA tіtles аs а heаd сoaсh not іncludіng the two сhampionships he won аs а рlayer.

The сlosest thіng to Phіl Jаckson іs Red Auerbаch, but he сould not mаtch Jаckson’s ѕucceѕѕ аs аn NBA сhampion. Auerbаch hаs 9 NBA tіtles іncludіng 8 ѕtraight wіth the Bіll Ruѕѕell Celtіcs, Jаckson wаs аble to сoaсh Mіchael Jordаn аnd Kobe Bryаnt whіle wіnnіng 11 rіngs. Jаckson hаd the luxury аnd рrivilege of сoaсhing the greаtest рlayers of аll tіme, but hіs аbility to рush hіs рlayers’ buttonѕ аnd mаke сritiсal іn-game аdjustments іs the reаson he іs the greаtest сoaсh of аll tіme аnd іt іsn’t сlose.

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are widely regarded as the greatest team in NBA history, and for good reason. Here are five key reasons why they are considered the best:

Unprecedented Regular Season Record: The Bulls achieved a then-NBA record 72 wins during the regular season, finishing with a combined regular season and playoffs record of 87-13, which remains the best in league history. This level of dominance has not been replicated by any other team.

2. Playoff Dominance: In the playoffs, the Bulls swept the Miami Heat, defeated the New York Knicks 4–1, swept the Orlando Magic (led by Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway) 4-0 in the Conference Finals, and emerged victorious over the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals. They convincingly defeated formidable opponents on their path to the championship.

3. Historic Home/Road Records and Winning Streaks: The Bulls had a remarkable home record, winning 39 out of 41 games, and set a new NBA record by reaching 50 wins with the fewest losses (50-6). They also won 33 road games, setting another NBA record. Additionally, the Bulls had an 18-game win streak during the season.

4. Dominance in Major Offensive and Defensive Categories: The Bulls excelled both offensively and defensively, leading the league in points scored per game and defensive efficiency. Their net rating of 13.4 points per 100 possessions is the highest in NBA history.

5. Individual Accolades and Team Accomplishments: Michael Jordan won the MVP award, the Finals MVP award, and led the league in scoring. Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman also earned All-NBA and All-Defensive Team honors. Head coach Phil Jackson won Coach of the Year honors, and Toni Kukoc was named Sixth Man of the Year.

Ultimately, the Bulls’ combination of regular season dominance, playoff success, individual accolades, and team accomplishments solidifies their status as the greatest team in NBA history. Their historic season culminated in winning 70+ games and capturing the NBA championship, a feat unmatched by any other team in league history.

For those who know Jason and Travis Kelce best, there’s a familiar quality when listening to “New Heights,” the duo’s wildly popular podcast that launched in the fall of 2022.

“It’s awesome because I can turn it on and it feels like I’m back in college hanging out with them,” said Craig Carey, a longtime friend and former teammate of both. “I’m not surprised at how successful it is because I lived it.”

The Kelce brothers grew up together in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, less than two years apart in age. But the seeds of their already legendary NFL careers were planted at the University of Cincinnati, where the two became college teammates and roommates. And where they cemented the unique brotherly bond that would forever impact their shared futures, on the field and off.

JASON Kelce had admitted that he thinks he has CTE after criticism over his Secretariat claims.

The decorated former center, 36, accused the 1973 Triple Crown winner of doping on the New Heights podcast he founded with brother Travis.

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Jason Kelce has spoken out about CTE in the pastCredit: Getty

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Antonio Brown has become increasingly outspoken on social mediaCredit: Getty
“Secretariat was juiced to the gills,” Kelce claimed.

“Secretariat just so happens to be right in the heart of the steroid era.

“[In] 1973, every NFL player, every baseball player, they were juicing them to the gills.

“You don’t think Secretariat was f***ing juiced to the rafters? Of course it’s the fastest horse of all-time.”

His comments sparked a backlash on social media, with one user claiming he may have CTE – the brain disease that his been diagnosed in post-mortems of several former NFL players.

“[Y]ou know who else makes unsubstantiated claims not backed up by facts. People suffering from CTE. I’ll admit I don’t know whether @JasonKelce suffers from CTE or not, it’s impossible to know,” they posted.

“I mean I can virtually guarantee that I have CTE, all the research would suggest I have some degree of it,’ Kelce replied.

“I think it is entirely reasonable to assume I have some degree of that pathology.”

The original poster insisted he did not mean to offend Kelce.

“I understand, I don’t take offense at all. what I’m saying is that it’s completely reasonable to think I have CTE,” the podcaster added.

“Even though there is no test to see if I currently have CTE, The evidence suggests I probably do.

“Just like the reality that a lot, if not most of the high level horses of the 70s and 80s were doping because adequate tests were not available.

“But it really doesn’t accomplish anything to bring this up, I don’t know why I started, Secretariat was still a fantastic horse and legendary specimen.”

Retired NFL wideout Antonio Brown, who has become an outspoken social media presence, had a typically controversial response.

He posted: “First step is admitting it. #CTESPN.”

The hashtag relates to a social media page he has created to poke fun at ESPN.

Kelce voiced his concerns about CTE in his Amazon Prime documentary last year.

“There have been little things that are not big things yet but are going to turn into big things the longer I play,” he said.

“Not to dress like an elephant in the NFL room, but I am fearful about what the impacts of playing football are going to mean long-term.

“I have two girls and … some people end up getting CTE and some guys live long, healthy lives.

“I have no idea what’s going to happen with that because I’ve thought about this,’ he said, thinking of the amount of physical impacts in the game and if ‘it might come back to bite me.”