NBA Legends Explain Why Michael Jordan Was Better Than Everybody 

Basically MJ's career comes down to: -"I didn't get drafted 1st overall, so I took that personally."

G.O.A.T. look it up, MJ's picture is right there.

MJ the GOAT. If he played today he would be unstoppable.

Michael Jordan wasn’t a player, he was a force. In my day, everyone wanted to be like MJ

I feel lucky that I was able to watch Jordan throughout his career. It’s great to watch reruns, but it was even better back in the day when it seemed like literally the entire country was talking about him. Those were fun NBA days.

The man was just a perfect blend of athleticism, skills, basketball IQ and desire.

Steve Kerr say practice was like a game 7 that's all i needed!

Kenny Smith is absolutely on point about MJ. His fundamentals were second to none.

As much as everyone here hates Bill Laimbeer.....he did admitted one thing... "Michael is the ultimate test for our defense." That's respect.

Jordan is and will always be the goat, his ridiculous talent, iq, athleticism, versatility plus the tough era he played in says it all

Jordan is the best I've ever seen.

I have to agree with Kenny Smith take on Jordan. Look at the way he moves his feet, his release of the ball when he shoots. I would like to add. He was one of the most coachable superstar ever. He really loved the game. He maximized all of his physical gifts. He also knew how to sacrifice for the game. He never had to be the highest paid player in his prime, that is why they were able to keep the right talent around him. He knew he had the nike money.

When Shaq said that MJ told him to Never help anyone up, while he was on the ground!!!!, That fired me up. As big as Shaq was, MJ was on the ground still teaching him.

Video made me cry 😢 literally if you were born in the early 80s this man was Godlike to us all there will never be anything close to that type of greatness on the court

That play against the Nets is still the most unbelievable play I think I've seen.. "AIR"

Lets sum this up!! Magic and Bird saved and revolutionized the NBA, Jordan took it to it's peak and set a bar that no one has matched since and have been trying to reach ever since

D-Wade: "He played basketball at the excitement level." This is something the LeBum stat-nerd kids can't seem to wrap their heads around....Jordan was must-see TV. I don't know anyone who rearrange their schedules to watch LeFlop stiff-arm to the basket.

MJ was like a real life superhero. Growing up watching him lose to the Pistons, then concurring the Pistons… Then beating Magic…. Then Beating Ewing…. Then Drexler… then Payton & Kemp…. Taking a break… Coming back and losing to Shaq…. Then destroying Shaq the next year… beating Barkley… beating Stockton and Malone.. ending his Career with a game winner to win his 6th ring…. It was unbelievable…. Even as an old man with the Wizards he hit the game winning shot to win the all star game… but somebody screwed that up….

Watching a Bulls game always felt like something incredible could happen any second. Michael Jordan was always exciting and he drew you into the game unlike any other player.

Jordan was the perfect storm. He was the most fundamentally sound like Smith said. He also was the greatest scorer and offensive player averaging 30.1 in the regular season even though he took 1.5 years off in his prime and then played into his 40s. His playoff avg. was 33.4. He arguably was the best defender in history making 1st team all defense 9 times and actually winning POY on defense once. He's the best closer of all time. He's the most competitive. He also had the most heart. He's the greatest athlete to ever play any sport.

The Nets’ bench lost it on that reverse in the intro! That might be THE greatest layup in NBA history imho.

Jordan is the best player that ever lived bar none in his prime unbeatable he is the goat

First! And yes, the GOAT debate is over. ❤️ His Airness forever! MJ23

TO ALL THE YOUNG FELLAS YOU REALLY HAD TO SEE IT TO UNDERSTAND....MIKE WAS THE BEST EVER

49 then 63 against the World Champion Celtics....in the playoffs as a 2nd year player is still unbelievable 👏

"Old School Basketball". This means when DEFENSE was played in basketball.

I watched the 63-point, OT game against Boston on CBS back in '86.... I've STILL never seen a better individual performance in Basketball.

That Shaq story was beautiful 🥲LeFlop would never

His mentality was something. Great skills, athleticism, knowledge, but what's always fascinated me is his mind. His ability to all out strive to dominate. Not just win, not just be great, but to obliterate anything in front of him. Unparalleled combination of determination and certainty.

Sweetest mid range and fadeaway jumper ever. The form the English goat got on the ball. Just beautiful.

Not before him not since his retirement have we witnessed a individual do what he was capable of doing on the court and the way he elevated the game of basketball and contributed so much ,never to take away from anyone before him but the game had to change and thanks so much Micheal Jordan for everything we got the honor to bare witness a man that had no weaknesses could beat you in anyway way and could walk on air for just a little while..

I write this all the time: "I never get tired of Michael Jordan highlights and stories."

impressive interview collection! I liked how Joe Dumars revealed how much respect he had for MJ!

I'm so glad RU-vid exists, I love being able to watch this stuff. MJ was special. I got to see him live twice in the 95/96 season where the Bulls went 86-13 I think with regular season, playoffs & Finals. Sonics were good that yr too an won both the games I saw live against the Bulls. It was a great time to be a NBA fan back then, they played hard an the league allowed tough D. Today's game isn't as fun I don't think.

everytime he stepped on the court he was filled with the spirit of a warrior, ready to erupt in emotion, and he will do anything to prevent you from stopping him. he took it personally.

Kenny's comment on Jordan's fundamentals is insightful. The other thing about MJ, and the one to me that really sets him apart is the fact that in most games, he was the most talented scorer AND the most determined and effective defender. Nine years he won the scoring title AND was Defensive First Team.

I miss the 90s era basketball games.

MJ will always be the best. He was an absolute killer.

Of course, he had athleticism and speed over the competition. Jordan was ahead of his time. It was like he was from the future.

Michael Jordan's arrival in the NBA could not have been placed any better. He perfected his craft in the late 1980s and by the time the golden age of professional basketball arrived in the 1990s he was in his prime while superstars like Magic and Bird were aging out of the game, their best days in the rearview mirror. Indeed the NBA was at the height of its popularity the 1990s and Michael Jordan was the larger than life superstar who embodied the excitement that surrounded the league during that wonderful era. I'm so glad I was around and got to see Jordan play in the moment. I was there for all 6 championships, watching from home on tv of course. The greatness he was exists now only in the captured images that make up highlight reels. Seeing images of him is ok but it's nothing like being alive in the era during the time he was a player in the NBA. When you could tune into a Bulls game broadcast and see him on the court alongside his sidekick Scottie Pippen. It's like how the current generation can tune in and see Steph Curry and the Warriors. To them, Jordan is a historic figure from the past like Babe Ruth. They can't fully appreciate how great he was and that's why you get people saying Lebron James is the GOAT. I missed Babe Ruth. I missed Jerry West. I missed Wilt Chamberlain. I missed Jackie Robinson. I saw Michael Jordan. The greatest basketball player that ever lived. No disrespect to any of the athletes I missed but Jordan was on another level. What he did is the stuff of mythical legends. His skills were too good to be true and without the video evidence that we are fortunate to have some people would not believe how great he was.

I miss watching him play in real time- brought much joy to my childhood

A man amongst boys that just happen to be the best in the world! Greatest Talent + Most Prepared + Most Competitive = MJ

I am not a basketball guy, but I enjoyed this video, I was in my teens when MJ was dominating. 👍

"You show other players R.E.S.P.E.C.T. by showing them.... NONE." - Pat Riley (via Shaq)

9 seconds in and you already realize the dude could literally float like a Boeing 747 in the air🤣 absolute unreal hops

That opening shot...absolutely the most unreal, video game, superhuman shot I've ever seen!!! The oppents bench makes me laugh every time!! MJ FOREVER THE GOAT!!

37 points per game without being a center ,in the 80s and 90s . In your second complete season in the NBA ? Excuse me ! .....goddamn

The man, the legend, the myth. Truly mythological.

Great video! Michael Jordan inspired me to pursue excellence always in my own life. How blessed I was to be alive as a kid to appreciate him and be touched by his greatness in some way. There will never be another Michael Jordan.

I'm surprised no one mention his monster defensive skills. I was there when Shaq took his first shot in the stadium. Jordan circled around from the top of the key to block Shaq from behind. Welcome to Mike's world!

There is no doubt Jordan was the most talented player of his generation. The thing many old school casual fans and today's average fan fail in their argument for some players is that a player's individual talent has to be match with team success to transcend because it is a team sport. It is not golf nor tennis. The 90s is when michael went from being the most talented player of his generation to being the GOAT.

I've just finished a conversation on Facebook with a guy who claimed that in the 1980s was weak defense and poor shooters. He was laughing that there were almost no three-pointers, he praised spacing in today's game, and hated one-on-one defence. He blaimed that such players as Mark Eaton or Manute Bol were actually weak players used only to stand in a paint. I know that many players today are versatile guys but let me be clear. , Hakeem and Moses Malone would find a solution for Jokić. Karl Malone and Charles Barkley for LeBron James, Isiah Thomas for Steph Curry, Jordan and Rodman for Doncič and Kawhi. They wouldn't let them to make as many open shots as today.

Kenny the jet smith wasn’t the best basketball player, but he was good. But his basketball knowledge is up there

I remember watching the game when Jordan scored 63 against the Celtics. I believe it was a first-round playoff game that went to overtime...although it's been a while and I could be wrong. What I know for sure is that watching MJ do that to the Celtics I thought the game had changed. We hadn't seen anyone play like this in my lifetime. Also, I'd love to see a video on the Philly 76ers the first year they brought in Dr. J from the ABA. He was my favorite. I think 1976 is the year Philly got him and they had an array of high scorers including George McGinnis, World B Free and to a lesser extent Doug Collins. They also had the backboard smashing Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins. That was a fun team!

Tom Tolbert , who played with him on the bulls was asked about Jordan and he said one thing that people don’t understand about Jordan was that he had the best hands in the game. When he went to the bucket, he was going to finish.

Man, there ain't never gonna be any great nba players as good as him.

D-Wade was spot on, Jordan WAS like a super hero!

I love listening to Bird, Dumar and the greats talk about his matchups with MJ

Jordan videos are why I watch RU-vid. Great Video, Sean! Many thanks from Australia 🇦🇺

I can say I saw him plenty in his prime, and no one has been better since then. Physically, mentally, and skill set wise no one could match him.

I stopped watching the NBA when Jordan retired He was the greatest player ever I’m 65 and I can’t watch the NBA any longer

Jordan made you wanna lace up and go hoop right after watching a game. 🐐

Bless each and every person who uploaded a VHS to RU-vid♥️♥️ #BlessYouForever

Bird is classy and will always be part of my favorite 5 because he played in the Era when the NBA had people who could play in it!! Black, white, what ever you had to be able to hold your own!! He knew MJ was showing the quickness and finesse of the game was going up a notch. He helped there brand grow!! You have to have competition that wants to shine challenge what is for Growth!! King James hasn't had that consistently. Thats why the many trips to the finals. You say Jordan 6 trips in the 90's or Bird, Magic, Thomas? During that time you had young players coming in that wanted to be good but didn't have it but dame they played the best they could!! Blood, sweet, tears came behind scenes. They fought!! Today no fight, who cares, I'm paid no matter. I don't think they understand how they make money or the league!! Everything today the products you buy and service is like this poor quality!! Shameful!!

And people keep comparing LeBron to Jordan...it's just insanely blind to do so. Jordan is living on a planet by himself...it happened he came down to earth to play basketball with us.

Jordan is also a 'Poetry in motion.'

I loved Joe Dumars from way back then. Look at how humble he is. And gave MJ the hardest time of anybody else, excluding just a very few.

Larry Bird is a GOAT, who ever trash talked & played a team with the opposite hand 50+pts... doubt anyone else did that. A fearless dangerous trash talker ever!!! Bird rulez!!

How I feel about MJ is how I felt about watching Breaking Bad for the first time - it wasn't just a series. It was an experience. It was beyond the terrestrial. It transcended description. MJ was in such a class by himself, was such an inscrutable force, that he was almost un-rankable. He will never be eclipsed. Which makes all the people considering LBJ (and in Nick Wright's case, both LBJ and Kareem) ahead of him incomprehensible and woefully ignorant. If every LBJ fan spent all day watching videos like these, they might catch a glimpse of what he was like.

Hearing it from all these greats just confirms what I’ve seen of him since I followed this whole career. I don’t think anyone will ever be better

Always want to go play after watching your vids. Especially with Jordan. Like you I can't do the NBA today but you bring back a lot of great memories and with RU-vid we can revisit a time when it was great to be a kid with sports and music and movies and tv shows and culture in general. Fun times. Thanks again man

Thank you so much for this channel. I haven't watched any basketball since the Sonics were ripped away. Watching this reminds me of how badass the game was back then, and how much I loved it.

Look I’m a nyc Staten Island guy born 81. My friend family grew up watching the knicks. Ewing getting drafted the whole 9 and man Jordan was just different. Not like any other man ever to play the game. We hated him. He was a MONSTER!

What kenny smith was saying is true because dean taught him and kenny all that

This makes me miss Kobe. They're so similar in the way they approached not just basketball but life in general and the fact that post nba Kobe was involved in film production I really think we missed out on insights on sickness levels of competitiveness and I mean that in the most respectful way. Something that could be relatable and applied to the average individual. Not that we cant learn from the GOTA MJ but Kobe seemed more willing to put it out there for us to consume.

Isiah Thomas was born and raised in Chi Town and always wanted Chicago’s love and when Chicago embraced MJ as their own he became jealous. Ever since then he has been envious and petty. Joe Dumars was an underrated defender and even MJ use to say he was the best defender against him. Joe Dumars has always been a class act, even though his Bad Boy Piston’s teammates were classless.

Love your channel. You dig up the best interviews and highlights. Sean, if you were NBA commissioner, what rule changes would you make to bring back the game to its peak? I'd love to see the return of the center and PG's making sweet passes to get other guys involved.

3:33 He got closer like the seat was getting hot “I REALLY need you to understand…😳”🤣🤣🤣🤣💙

Man, I love NBA players. They have so much respect for each other and are so articulate and smart. I'm so impressed with Joe Dumars and Isiah and Steph Curry and Clay Tompson. I love them all. I respect thdm!

What people don’t understand is that Jordan is literally the perfect player at his peak. Lebron is bigger, but his offensive skillset still isn’t top 15 in NBA History Kobe is sleeker, but Jordan’s hands, shoulder width and bone structure just made Jordan superior to Kobe Wilt is the greater athlete by far, but he was ultimately a gentle giant compared to Jordan. Jordan wanted to taste your blood. Wilt wanted to avoid looking like a bully

dude this is an amazingly well edited video of Great material and interviews i havnt seen before. i appreciate it man. im gonna ring the bell too if these videos are done this well. nice and compact. keep rockin!

Jordan was great to watch. I lost interest in the NBA after the Bulls team was broken up in 1990's. He was the NBA to me. Doncic and the Dallas Mavs team have brought me back. I am a bigger fan now than ever.

Always enjoy your videos! Thank you for sharing!

Wins vs 50+ win teams in the playoffs..Jordan 20-7..Kobe 25-10, LeBron 10-9..Wins vs 60+ win teams in the playoffs..Jordan 7-2..LBJ 3-4..Kobe 2-5( Shaq with a 4-4 record is second all time) Jordan played better against the best teams and players..when others would have folded..right LBJ.

Yeah. The Real Man's basketball where players get up, dust themselves up like nothing happened after getting leveled. Today's so called flagrant foul is seen back then as just a little slap on the wrist. It was an era where true rivalries exist,where fans passionately root for their teams.

I was fortunate to witness that shot at the 9:05 mark, which won Game 1 of the 1997 Finals against Utah (the game where just prior in a tied game with seconds to go league MVP Moses Malone had missed two free throws after Scottie Pippen famously had said to him “The Mailman doesn’t deliver on Sunday.”). It was the one and only time I had been able to see Michael play in Chicago, and it was a magical night.

Love this channel! Keeping this nostalgia alive!

Dude was a pop culture icon for the 90s.

2:53 love Joe D; aside from John Starks, always admired how he guarded Jordan when they matched up and nice guy Joe *NEVER* backed down, not even for a possession. He’s actually a great player to watch in learning how to defend but in the end, a good offensive arsenal always beats good defense. Shaq what he said at 7’1 just under 300 (as a rookie) was very poignant as well. How many can we point to at/around 6’6 that commanded that level of respect before or since?

"He had the perfect smile" that's when you know you are a true fan :-D

Pelé do Basquetebol !!! Com certeza não verei outro igual a ele..... Saudades ! 🙏

Mj was the ulimate package

Imagine they called fouls with today’s rules in the late 80s and if MJ hadn’t retired. How many rings…?

I love your presentations. You always have great content and positive energy. God bless!

MJ was fun to watch even if you liked other team, Dream Team(Greatest team ever).

The Celtics were lucky Jordan was on a really bad team in the mid 80s. He was playing them 1v5.

Does KD, Gianni's or Kawhi feel LeBron is a better player than them? 🤔 NOP.

Excellent Video! Keep Up the Incredible Work!!

How any of these young fans can watch Jordan play and say the players now are more athletic are just delusional. 4.37 40 at 6'6 with a 48 inch vertical. Could generate maximum explosion with very little run up. Also add the hand size to easily hold onto the ball with one hand where others needed 2. Then add his defense and work ethic. No comparison, he is the gold standard!

Michael Jordan was the best, but I believe that Wilt Chamberlain was a very close second, but I could be wrong in that order !