Michael Jordan: the Greatest of All Time (Essay Sample)

📌Category: Basketball, Sports
📌Words: 1184
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 18 June 2022

It is 1993. The NBA is at its peak, and the face of the league is none other than Michael Jordan. The way he flew to the hoop, and how he made every kid watching feel invincible is just just one of the reasons Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Michael Jordan won many awards throughout his career. He won 22 total career trophies, more than any other player who has been considered the greatest of all time. The league was also forever changed by his presence and accomplishments, which he was able to do in less amount of time than other players. As a result of critics trying to prove that Michael Jordan played in a weaker league than another candidate, LeBron James, the discussion is unsettled. However, Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time because he has more awards and impacted the league faster than any other player.

Michael Jordan has the most career awards in NBA history. With trophies in four different categories, “Jordan felt omnipresent in a way that is really no longer possible. If you were watching sports television, you were seeing Mike, his sneakers, his swagger, and all those wins (Rogers).” To NBA fans, Jordan made them enjoy the game because of the superhuman feel he had. When Jordan won another award, it just seemed to add to this feeling that made people support him. According to Jordan Greer, Jordan’s collection includes ten NBA scoring titles, six championships, five most valuable player awards, and a defensive player of the year award (Greer). The reason awards have relevance to this argument is that it shows how Jordan covered all areas of the league, and how no one else was better. These awards add to Jordan’s argument not only because they outnumber his opposing title contenders, but also because of the impact they had on the league. Michael Jordan dominated the league and achieved these feats because he changed the way the league ran. Michael Jordan was the face of the NBA and the awards he won show just how dominant he was on the court. The way he leads the league is a factor that separates him from other superstar-caliber players, providing a tough argument to debate.

To further evince the greatness of Michael Jordan beyond trophies, Michael also did more in his career. Michael Jordan played for 15 seasons, going to the finals 6 times, and was selected as an all-star in his second season in the NBA. According to ESPN, Jordan ranks first all-time in player efficiency rating. His score is 27.91 and for reference, an average NBA player's efficiency rating is 15.00 (ESPN). Player efficiency rating shows the skill of a player by taking their statistics in every category of the game. Michael used his time in the NBA to become the best player in every category. This is important because it shows the major difference between him and other players. Jordan achieved success faster because of his drive to be the best he could be. Jordan is also the only player to win 3 championships in a row twice (Rogers.) This is another fact that divides Jordan’s Career from other influential players.  Jordan Winning three championships in a row are one of the most impressive things a player can do. It takes work to get to the top and stay there, and Jordan did it twice. It is because of his hustle and determination to be great that Jordan could win more championships and more awards in his career.

Although Jordan has solidified his reputation as one of the most influential players ever, the main argument experts produce is that Michael Jordan played in a weaker era than LeBron James. However, one could say that LeBron chose to play in a weaker conference, providing an easier path directly to the finals. The article, Michael Jordan Versus LeBron James: Who Is the GOAT? by Jesse Unk, goes over the league that Jordan played in and shows that during Michael’s career, the NBA was expanding, bringing in six teams to the Franchise. This meant that Jordan played against inexperienced franchises that were still trying to figure out how to run a professional basketball team. This made it easier for Jordan to defeat these teams and reach the Finals where he won his six championships (Unk). However, Lebron also played against weak opponents in the East conference. According to Unk, in the 14 seasons that LeBron had played in the East conference, the West has won 13 seasons in most total games won against the two conferences. This brings validity because when the playoffs arrive, you only play against your conference, meaning it was easier for LeBron to beat the weaker teams and find his path to the NBA Finals where he lost six out of ten times (Unk). Lebron chose to play where he could win, Jordan did not. Instead of trying to improve his situation, Jordan improved himself to become the best. As a result of this, Jordan won more championships than Lebron. Jordan may have played in a new league that was still trying to find its footing, but LeBron played in a conference that gave him a better chance of becoming a finalist for most of his career.

Michael is also better compared to the next biggest candidate, LeBron James. Michael Jordan only had 15 NBA seasons, with a season off for a minor league baseball career. LeBron, on the other hand, has played 19 seasons so far and hasn’t announced a retirement yet. For an even perspective on Jordan’s 1,072 career games, Jordan has a player efficiency rating of 27.91, higher than Lebron’s rating, 27.65, on his 1,072 games (ESPN). By looking at an equal side-by-side take on their careers, the stats show that Michael Jordan is the best player. His career statistics show better results and LeBron also has had more chances with more seasons to become better and hasn’t. This is why most experts, “still have Jordan No. 1, and LeBron No. 2. Jordan dominated the NBA like LeBron hasn't. MJ had two 3-peats in 7 years. Everyone else who has stepped on the planet has one 3-peat in 54 years. Jordan does not have a weakness (Rogers).” Jordan covers more important player categories than Lebron. That makes him a better player who has a larger argument to become the greatest of all time. From a statistical standpoint, Jordan tops LeBron, and that not only proves him a better player than LeBron but the best player.

There are many ways to argue for either side of the greatest of all time, but Michael Jordan is just simply the better candidate for the greatest of all time because he received more accolades, and changed the way the game is played in fewer seasons. He may have played in a watered-down league, but LeBron had less of a struggle during the playoffs to defeat his conference opponents. What separates Michael from others is that, “Jordan was so good that he was the best player even though the league at that time was set up for bigs to be the best players. He was so good that he overcame the gravitational forces yanking on every other perimeter player (Hollinger).” Michael Jordan might never be officially stated as the greatest of all time, and there will always be arguments against him, but no one can ever top the greatness that came from Jordan’s style and hard work. If anybody ever needs a reminder of just how Jordan made people feel, just close your eyes and think about sitting in front of the television watching Jordan fly.

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