Michael Jordan: The undisputed GOAT across all sporting codes

Michael Jordan is the GOAT for singlehandedly changing the face of the NBA and modern basketball in the 1990s.

Michael Jordan’s legacy will live for eternity

Sure, LeBron James recently became the highest-scoring NBA player in history but make no mistake, MJ is the greatest ever to play the sport. He had it all. Ferocious drive, ridiculous athleticism and the skill set and fundamentals to be the best. But he wouldn’t have been MJ without that ridiculous hunger for success.

Michael Jordan took the Chicago Bulls from an irrelevant, failing franchise to the top of the world. He made basketball popular around the globe. For that, he is not only the greatest basketball player to have ever lived, he is the greatest sportsperson of all time. Since Jordan hit the perfect farewell shot over Bryon Russell on June 13th, 1998, the Chicago Bulls haven’t returned to the NBA Finals. That says something. It says a whole lot.

When it mattered most and push came to shove, MJ is second all-time in playoff points (5,987) and first in playoff scoring average (33.4). In six trips to the NBA Finals, he never experienced a Game 7. The Bulls relied on the great man whenever the big occasions rolled around and he always seemed to deliver.

The jewel in the crown of an iconic team

The Chicago Bulls pulled off the three-peat repeat with two separate strings of three consecutive NBA Championship wins in the 90s. Jordan was the centre-piece and global superstar of this sensational team, but he had some incredible individuals around him too.

“Most people live in fear because we project the past into the future. Michael’s a mystic – he was never anywhere else.” ~ Rare Air author Mark Vancil

A pioneering global sports superstar

Off the court, ripples of Jordan’s influence continue to be felt in the sneaker industry and street culture. Not ripples so much as tidal waves that wouldn’t look out of place in Nazaré on Portugal’s West coast. Jordan would probably be good at big wave surfing too.

The Last Dance

If you haven’t watched “The Last Dance” on Netflix, make that a priority. Fittingly, a tell-all sports documentary about the greatest athlete of our time is also one of the best shows you’ll see, in any genre. It wasn’t all plain sailing for MJ, as the Last Dance will show, but it was a wild, beautiful and emotional ride.

Even LeBron knows that MJ is the GOAT.

Who’s your favourite basketballer of all time?

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