Michael Jordan‘s stats on the NBA hardwood tower over almost every single player who has played for the Association. However, Jordan’s legacy has transcended mere numbers on the sheet despite the Chicago Bulls superstar stacking 10 scoring titles on his resume. While MJ admitted that stats are important to identify the greatness of players, he claimed in an interview years ago, that he always played to win, not to stack up the stat sheet.
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Jordan’s entry into the league was a fresh breath of air for fans. He was a mid-range killer and could score baskets almost at will. 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, MJ was labeled to be a selfish player by the media. 16 years after that, Jordan cleared the air about his affinity to stats.
Michael Jordan revealed why he never chased after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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 mattered to him, he wouldn’t have retired that year. Instead, His Airness claimed that he had set a new yardstick for measuring the success of his numbers. They are only valid when they contribute to winning Championships and games for his team. Jordan said;
“Well, that never drove me. I mean the stats only add up when you put forth the effort, you don’t worry about it. You know, good things happen to the people that work hard. 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. Stats that matter to me is games that we win and rings that you collect.”
One of the chief reasons that His Airness is considered 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 demand a level of commitment and a lot of sacrifice. MJ didn’t shy away from demanding such dedication from his teammates. Jordan said in The Last Dance that he didn’t ask his teammates to do something that he wouldn’t do himself. “I wanted to win but I wanted them to win and be a part of that as well,” said MJ in the documentary.
Jordan hit back at his former teammate Bill Cartwright for false claims against him
Many NBA pundits and players have blamed Jordan for having a scorer’s mentality. He was a gifted scorer and averaged over 28 points in his rookie season. Going by his stats, MJ can very well seem like a selfish offensive player. Bill Cartwright, his former Bulls teammate, once even claimed that Jordan used to get upset about not scoring fifty points in games. MJ hit back at his teammate reminding him that the triangle offense was set to give opportunity to every player to score as many points as they could. However, if Cartwright couldn’t do it, it was his problem.
It might be true that MJ was too reluctant to pass the ball and one of the reasons for that was his immense trust in himself. Jordan worked hard on his craft, more than anybody in the league-and trusted himself to score at will. After Phil Jackson arrived in Chicago, he helped His Airness to trust his teammates and pass the ball when he found them open.
