Los Angeles Lakers’ famed point guard Magic Johnson bullied Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan on post-up contests
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Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest player of all time. He ruled the game of basketball for almost 15 years. And he has ruled the minds of basketball fans for over three decades.
But what made him so great, what made him better than anyone before him?
Stats and championships? Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.2 points for an entire season. The best MJ could do was 37.1 in 86-87. To be honest, 37.1 points per game is quite impressive too but nowhere near 50.2.
Bill Russell won 11 championships in his playing career, 5 more than ‘His Airness.’ So Jordan’s greatness isn’t really about his stats or championships. Of course, those help, but they weren’t the deciding factor.
What made Jordan so great was the ‘way’ he played. His creativity, his swagger, his style, they were so impeccable, so beautiful. Jordan was the personification of basketball gracefulness. He embodied everyone’s vision of what would make a great player.
He was nimble as the small point guard and yet, he could jump with the biggest of them. His airtime combined with his fakes to this date is part of local Chicago legends.
People who saw him play live, talk of him to this day. And people who couldn’t see him play live, wish they had. He is by far one of the most entertaining players to watch and in addition, he was a winner throughout.
The perfect product for the league. The perfect star for fans to follow. And the perfect player for young kids to idolize.
That being said, even someone as great and famous as Jordan had rivals who he feared. One such rival was the Los Angeles Lakers legend – Magic Johnson.
Michael Jordan clashed with Magic Johnson under the post and lost
In 1990-91, Jordan, who currently has a net worth of $2.2 billion, was en route to becoming a living legend. He had already overtaken the league as a pure genius who was, simply put, better than everyone else.
But the era of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson was still alive. The two weren’t ready to give away their seat to anybody else, not even to the proclaimed king.
Especially the $620 million Johnson. As a Laker, he was a 5-time NBA champ and no new kid was going to show him up just yet. So, when the Lakers met Bulls in a game, Johnson went straight for Jordan.
The 6’9″ point guard posted MJ and beat him near the rim to cash in easy buckets. He would, again and again, post up Jordan and sneakily whiz past him using his speed, spin move, or just pure strength to score for his team.
Despite his superior post-up game, Chicago Bulls humiliated the Magic-led Lakers in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan and Co. asserted their dominance and superiority in 91 to beat the LA Lakers 4-1 in the Finals.
Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in the following off-season. He did not play another game for 4 consecutive seasons. And by the time he came back, Magic was way past his prime, and Jordan was already on his way to his fourth championship.
