"But you telling stories, doesn't diminish Kevin Durant, doesn't diminish LeBron James" - Shannon Sharpe discusses why old stories about Michael Jordan don't make him more competitive than other players
Former Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest player of all time. What made Jordan so great was his ability as well as his mentality, on and off the court. "His Airness" was willing to do whatever it took to win.
In the latest episode of "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," sports media personalities Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe went at each other as the former waxed lyrical about Michael Jordan's mentality and killer instinct. Bayless shared the story of how former NBA star Dominique Wilkins talked about Jordan's frame of mind. Bayless said:
"We're talking about a cold-blooded killer. I'll tell you I'm gonna kill ya, and then I'll do it. That's what Jordan did. A lot of people competed hard. Larry Bird was pretty cold-blooded himself. But this was the ultimate competitor, because nobody did things like this."
Bayless, talking about Jordan's 61 points and 10 assists against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1986-87 season, when he trash-talked Randy Wittman in the locker room before tipoff, said:
"Jordan just kept doing things like that. Which is why he's clearly the GOAT. It's another GOAT story. And LeBron can't compete with this because LeBron has never done anything like this. "
Shannon Sharpe countered the point by saying the stories of Jordan don't undermine the greatness of modern players. Sharpe said:
" This notion that Michael was 6-0 (in NBA Finals) and everybody has these stories is somehow Michael is more competitive. That's not the case. In other words, Elon Musk has the most money, he's more competitive than Jeff Bezos. You said just because he's 6-0, he's more competitive. That's not true."
Shannon Sharpe continued:
"Michael Jordan is great. In the 80s, we know he was great. But you're telling stories; it doesn't diminish Kevin Durant, it doesn't diminish LeBron James or Steph Curry."
Dominique Wilkins recalls MJ visiting Hawks locker room to warn them before dropping 61:
"We're talking about a cold blooded killer. I'll tell you I'm gonna kill ya, and then I'll do it. That's what Jordan did." — @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/5B79xU7MMu
Michael Jordan's 1986-87 season
Jordan was at another level during the 1986-87 season for the Chicago Bulls. "His Airness" averaged a whopping 37.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting the ball better than 48% from the field and more than 85% from the free-throw line.
Jordan and Co. won 40 games during the regular season. MJ also recorded five double-doubles. Jordan played an average of 40 minutes a night.
Giannis is averaging 34.8 pts per 36 mins.
Michael Jordan won 10 scoring titles.
MJ per-36 scoring from those seasons:
1986-87: 33.4
1987-88: 31.2
1988-89: 29.1
1989-90: 31.0
1990-91: 30.6
1991-92: 27.9
1992-93: 29.8
1995-96: 29.0
1996-97: 28.2
1997-98: 26.7
By going purely by points per game scored, this was the best season of Jordan's career. While the team struggled, "His Airness" kept breaking records.
Jordan had more than 27 shots a night for that season and with that kind of usage comes incredibly high-scoring performances. Jordan scored 50 or more points eight times that season, and over 16 times he scored 45 or more points during the regular season.
These are unreal numbers only a select few in NBA history have come close to putting up. Jordan's best performance of the regular season came against the Detroit Pistons when "His Airness" dropped 61 points, collected 7 rebounds and recorded three steals and three blocks while shooting over 56%.
However, these incredible performances did not earn Michael Jordan the MVP award, which went to LA Lakers superstar Magic Johnson. Instead, "His Airness" had to settle for an All-Star selection and an All-NBA First-Team spot alongside Magic, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Hakeem Olajuwon.
The season ended in disappointment for the Chicago Bulls as they lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference First Round. Jordan averaged over 35 in that series but suffered a sweep by the Celtics.
Also Read: How much is Michael Jordan's net worth in 2021?