"Drugs was at all-time high in the 80s and 90s" - Charles Oakley highlights the issues the NBA had to face during Michael Jordan's era
The NBA has transcended different eras, perhaps the most difficult being the Michael Jordan era in the 1980s where drug use was ridiculously high.
Right now, there are several drug testing protocols that were put in place due to the high rate of drug use in the NBA during the 80s. The league's anti-drug campaign took off in the mid-1980s, resulting in suspensions or outright dismissal from the league.
Players were easily corruptible because of the somewhat free access to these substances, but Charles Oakley talked about the league's intervention and how former teammate Jordan steered clear of it. Speaking to JJ Reddick and Tommy Alter on "The Old Man & the Three," Oakley responded to Reddick's question about how bad drug use was by saying:
"When he (Michael Jordan) got in the league, it was bad. It was bad because you can get it so easy. Drugs was at all-time high in the 80s and 90s, it was just like that. When I was growing up in the late 70s, I saw it before I ever got to College, NBA but the drugs was just like you can get it anywhere as long you had the money. Sometimes credit was good. But I think once the league got a hold of it they did a lot of smart things."
"It was just bad. These are our stars, and it was hard for kids to look up to some of these stars because there was so much bad press. Michael saw that for himself, I saw it, and he didn't want to follow their footsteps. He went the other way, he did the right thing," Oakley added.
Oakley and Jordan have remained friends since joining together in 1985 on the Chicago Bulls. The former did not hang around long enough to win a championship with the Bulls as he was traded, but his relationship with Jordan is still strong. He has come out on more than one occasion to defend Jordan against Scottie Pippen's outbursts.
Michael Jordan rose through all the adversities and won six NBA championships
You could see how one's career could have been derailed in an era where drug use was prevalent. Fortunately, Jordan stayed true to himself and it paid off dividends.
Jordan won six championships in eight years, with his first coming in 1991. Before that, he was an absolute show-stopper and was responsible for making the NBA known globally.
Over his entire basketball career, Michael Jordan played for 11 championships. He never lost:
NCAA Championship: 1-0
Olympic Gold Medals: 2-0
FIBA Gold Medals: 2-0
NBA Championships: 6-0
Jordan remains the only player in NBA history to win: MVP, FMVP, DPOTY, and ROTY #GOAT 🐐 https://t.co/JgIy8BknuN
In the eyes of many, he is the GOAT in basketball, rivaled only by LeBron James. The GOAT debate is unending, as there is not much that separates two of the greatest athletes in sports history.
However, a perfect run in the NBA Finals, ten scoring titles, and nine All-Defensive Team honors, among other accolades, should go a long way in showing how much of an outstanding player Michael Jordan was.