How many rings does Michael Jordan have? Taking a closer look at the Chicago Bulls legend's trophy cabinet
Michael Jordan is considered the greatest basketball player of all time, and for good reason. The Chicago Bulls legend never lost in the NBA Finals, going a perfect 6-0.
Jordan entered the league in 1984 and became an All-Star in his rookie season. Ever since then, he kept getting better and better and eventually earned the title of the GOAT.
In this article, we will take a look at Jordan's championships and how he became one of the greatest winners in basketball history.
Michael Jordan's early years were not amazing
Michael Jordan struggled to achieve good results in his early years, despite playing fantastic basketball, because the Bulls around him weren't any good.
Jordan led the league in scoring with 37.1 points per game in his third season, but the Bulls were swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics. He set a still-standing NBA record with 63 points against the Celtics, one of the best teams of the 1980s, at Boston Garden in an overtime loss.
Jordan was the league's top scorer for the next three years, but he was eliminated by the Detroit Pistons every season. Meanwhile, the Bad Boys Pistons won back-to-back championships.
The Pistons utilized the "Jordan Rules" to stop the league's best player by double- and triple-teaming him.
However, things changed in 1990-91, when Jordan finally defeated the Pistons.
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Jordan's championship years
In 1991, Jordan won his second MVP award and led his Bulls past the Pistons in the playoffs. Not only did Jordan beat the Pistons, but he swept them after averaging 29.8 points on 53.5% shooting.
This was the last year of the Pistons' dominance as they became irrelevant for more than a decade. Jordan, on the other hand, became the NBA champion after beating Magic Johnson and the LA Lakers in five games.
The Bulls won 67 games a year later and faced the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1992 Finals. Jordan once again took care of the business, averaging 35.8 points on 52.6% shooting.
Jordan's greatest NBA Finals performance came in 1993 as he completed his first three-peat. In six games against the Phoenix Suns, he averaged an insane 41.0 ppg. He also added 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks to his stat line.
After the series, the superstar retired for almost two years and decided to play baseball. However, it didn't take him long to re-establish his dominance over the league as he achieved another three-peat, starting in 1996.
Jordan beat the Seattle SuperSonics in 1996, while Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz fell in both 1997 and 1998.
In his last NBA Finals, the greatest basketball player of all time averaged 33.5 points per game, ending his Bulls career with a perfect 6-0 record in the finals.
Jordan was always the best player on the biggest stage, and that is why he was named the Finals MVP six times as well. In addition to this award, the guard dominated his opponents in the regular season, winning five MVP titles.
While everyone knows Jordan was a prolific scorer, his defense was also incredible. In fact, he made nine All-Defensive teams and was a Defensive Player of the Year in 1987-88.