Michael Jordan‘s stats on the NBA hardwood in most categories tower over almost every single player who has ever played for the Association. However, Jordan’s legacy has transcended mere numbers on the sheet because of the Bulls’ dominance in the 90s against great teams. While MJ has admitted that stats are important to identify the greatness of players, he once claimed in an interview years ago, that he always played to win, not to stack up the stat sheet.
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In the 1986-87 season, MJ averaged 37.1 points per game. It was before the triangle offense was finally put in place by Phil Jackson for the team to follow. Since the Bulls were not winning Championships despite their superstar’s exploits on the court, MJ was labeled to be a selfish player by the media and a stat-padder. Years after that, Jordan cleared the air about his affinity for individual stats.
In a 2003 interview, Jordan was asked about his views on stacking the stat sheet in the NBA. He immediately admitted that statistics never really drove him.
Pointing to his first retirement in 1993, Jordan said that if numbers really mattered to him, he wouldn’t have retired that year. Instead, MJ claimed that he had set a new yardstick for measuring the success of his numbers. They were only valid for him when they contributed to winning Championships for his team.
During the interview, Jordan said;
“If I had played for the stats, I would have never retired in 93, or I still would be chasing Wilt Chamberlain All-time or Kareem Abdul Jabbar all-time scoring lead. I mean that doesn’t drive me. Sure it defines to some extent for people who don’t know me…other than that it’s all about winning championships and winning.”
One of the chief reasons why His Airness is considered to be the GOAT by many is his unbelievable success on the NBA Finals stage. He won six NBA championships (two three-peats) and six NBA finals MVPs, amid recording some wild playoff stats. Jordan and Co. built a dynasty for a decade in Chicago.
Winning Championships as a team demands a certain level of commitment and a lot of sacrifice. MJ held that in high regard above individual records. Therefore, he never aspired to break the NBA’s All-Time scoring record or similar feats.
This may put LeBron James breaking the NBA’s All-Time Scoring record into some new perspective. Many analysts have declared that this incredible feat makes King James a frontrunner in the GOAT debate. However, the fact that MJ never cared for such a record prompts us to think whether such individual stats should be used to measure the greatness of the best athletes of all time.
