"Mike was so athletic, he didn't care if a double team was coming" - 5x champ and former DPOY on why Michael Jordan is so hard to defend, names his three toughest players to guard
Michael Jordan is one of the best offensive players in NBA history. It's no surprise that many legendary defenders call him the toughest player they ever guarded. For a former Defensive Player of the Year and five-time NBA champion with the LA Lakers, Jordan is in his top three.
On a recent episode of the "Vintage Ballers" podcast, Michael Cooper was asked about Larry Bird's comments on him. Bird called him the best defender he has faced in a 2002 interview with USA Today. In return, Cooper called the Boston Celtics legend as the toughest guy he has ever guarded.
"The toughest guy I've ever had to face is Larry Bird," Cooper said. "I don't say that because of what he said to me that I was one of the toughest guys to guard him. I said that even before he made that statement."
"Larry was in constant motion. He was setting a back pick for somebody. He's going to get offensive rebounds. He was diving out of bounds for lose balls. That's why you have to pay attention to him though the whole offensive possession.
In addition to Bird, Michael Cooper put Michael Jordan and an underrated player in his top three. He faced Jordan during his younger days and praised his athletic ability. MJ was a pure scorer in the 1980s, winning three scoring titles in the decade.
"At the time I played him, Mike was so athletic, he didn't care if the double team was coming," Cooper explained. "He'd back you down, jump up in the air and he's over everybody."
The other player on Cooper's list is Philadelphia 76ers legend Andrew Toney. He played eight seasons in Philly, wherein he was named an All-Star twice and won a championship in 1983. His career was cut short due to a chronic foot injury that started in his sixth year with the Sixers.
"Andrew Toney. People, don't forget about this guy," Cooper said. "This guy was labeled as the 'Boston Strangler' because he could definitely kill them when Philly and Boston played. Andrew was acting up and going crazy on Boston."
"Andrew was a real hard physical player that could post up, take you off the dribble. One bounce dribble, but he was very, very good."
Who was the best player to defend Michael Jordan?
Michael Jordan won 10 scoring titles, which meant that he was very tough to stop. The Detroit Pistons had the most success defending Jordan, especially in the postseason. MJ and the Bulls got over the hump in 1991, winning six of the next eight championships.
When Jordan was a member of the Washington Wizards, he was interviewed by ESPN for "Relatively Speaking: Joe Dumars." The six-time champ complimented Dumars, who he called the best defender he ever faced.
"He thought well, he was very smart about his defense," Jordan said. "I think he approaches the game as trying to dissect his opponents. Try to find weaknesses or try to force them to do things they didn't feel comfortable doing. He introduced certain tricks to make me expand on my talents as an offensive player. That is why I consider him the best."