Skip Bayless believes MVP trophy should forever have Michael Jordan's name on it
Michael Jordan was recently honored by the NBA as the organization named its MVP award after the former player. With Jordan's name being associated with one of the NBA's most prestigious awards, analyst Skip Bayless chimed in to highlight Jordan's greatness.
Michael Jordan is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Considering the sheer impact he had on the league with the Chicago Bulls, this notion is justified in many ways as well.
As one of the most complete players to play the game, Jordan found ways to dominate. In his rookie season itself, Jordan put the league on notice as he set himself head and shoulders above the veterans in his team.
Although he didn't achieve much success in the playoffs early on, Michael Jordan was undoubtedly one of the best in the game.
Over the course of his career, Jordan accumulated a significant amount of silverware. While this included six NBA titles and six NBA Finals MVPs to go with several All-Star selections, MJ was also a five-time NBA MVP.
Winning the MVP award is no easy task. But winning it four times is a mark of greatness in every right. When the NBA made the decision to honor the legends by naming significant trophies after them, Jordan was practically immortalized with the MVP award being named after him.
As mentioned earlier, the award itself is of significant value. However, with MJ's name being associated with it, it may be even more significant. In this regard, Bayless was among the first to comment on the NBA's latest decision.
As a die-hard Jordan fan, Bayless had nothing but praise for the NBA legend. He tweeted his thoughts on the award being named after the former basketball player as well. Practically worshiping Jordan in his tweet, he said:
"Michael Jordan could've - should've - won MVP every season he played after his rookie year. The MVP Award should forever have his name on it. Please don't give me Kareem won one more MVP than MJ. Look at how Kareem struggled with the Lakers until Magic arrived and took over. MJ!"
Michael Jordan could've - should've - won MVP every season he played after his rookie year. The MVP Award should forever have his name on it. Please don't give me Kareem won one more MVP than MJ. Look at how Kareem struggled with the Lakers until Magic arrived and took over. MJ!
Bayless comments have garnered a fair amount of attention. Although he was right in praising Jordan, he wasn't very accurate when he brought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar into the discussion.
Kareem is one of the most decorated athletes to play in the NBA. With a record six NBA MVP awards under his belt, Bayless was wrong in denying "Cap" his flowers.
Unfortunately, considering Bayless' reputation as an ardent and passionate fan, there isn't a lot that can be said about his approach to such matters.
Read: 5 key features of the new Michael Jordan trophy for the Kia NBA MVP
Michael Jordan's impressive NBA career
Michael Jordan's career with the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards has been graced with some unrealistic numbers and accolades.
As mentioned earlier, Jordan made an impact immediately upon joining Chicago. This saw him gain his first All-Star selection as well. Building upon this, MJ was an All-Star in almost every season he was active. The one outlier being the year he came back from retirement to play in the last 17 games of the regular season.
As a five-time MVP, Jordan established himself as one of the best. However, his 10x scoring titles, three-time steals champion award and one DPOY award also highlighted how he was the most complete player in the game.
Paired with Scottie Pippen and later Dennis Rodman, Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA titles, making them one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.
Jordan's status as the greatest of all-time is often a topic of debate. However, given his stellar career, it is hard to fault the NBA for naming the MVP award after him.