"Helped me establish my legacy" - Michael Jordan once fired back at haters for downplaying NBA championships
Arguably the greatest player to ever play basketball is Michael Jordan, who led the 1990s Chicago Bulls to one of the league's most dominant dynasties.
The most important achievements of MJ's career are the six championships that define his legacy and are the favorite point of Jordan apologists when defending his status as the GOAT.
Jordan fully understands the importance of winning a championship, especially in helping a player establish a legacy. When asked about this subject, he said:
"Well, for all the people who's never won one, they're always gonna say, 'It's not that big of a deal.' For all the people that have won, it's the greatest accomplishment, and you never can take that away. No matter what happens to me in life, you can never take away that I won six championships and that helped establish my legacy.
"Now, if you look at Charles (Barkley), he'll probably say he had a great career. He never won, though."
Also read: Austin Reaves channels inner Michael Jordan for In-Season Tournament after getting ill.
Which teams did Michael Jordan face for each of his championships
Michael Jordan went to the NBA Finals six times from the 1990-91 to the 97-98 season and each time he went, he left with a ring. This earns him the distinction as one of the few NBA players to have multiple trips to the finals without suffering a defeat. Here are the six teams that he faced in each finals trip.
#1, LA Lakers, 1991
Michael Jordan struggled to get through the Eastern Conference early in his career, failing to make the finals before 1991, so he was highly motivated when he got there.
In his first finals trip, he faced the LA Lakers, who had Magic Johnson, Vlade Divac, Sam Perkins and James Worthy. Despite the Lakers' star power, MJ led his squad to a 4-1 victory.
#2, Portland Trail Blazers, 1992
The Bulls' next opponent in the finals were the Portland TrailBlazers, led by Clyde Drexler. The Bulls won the series 4-2, led by MJ, who averaged 35.8 points through those six games.
#3, Phoenix Suns, 1993
In their third straight finals appearance, the Bulls faced Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. To cap off his first three-peat, Jordan averaged 41.0 ppg in the finals.
#4, Seattle SuperSonics, 1996
Michael Jordan's next trip to the Finals was against the Sonics led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. The Bulls win 4-2 with Jordan once again leading with 27.3 ppg.
#5, Utah Jazz, 1997
In the first of the Bulls' back-to-backs against the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals, MJ and the Bulls took on the duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone and won the series 4-2.
#6, Utah Jazz, 1998
Jordan's last finals appearance and the end of the Bulls' dynasty came at the expense of the Utah Jazz once again. The series went for six games one more time, and Jordan captured his sixth title and Finals MVP.