Michael Jordan was an extremely efficient offensive player in the paint, but Wilt Chamberlain once said the Bulls GOAT wouldn’t be as effective in his era.
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Michael Jordan is easily one of the greatest players the league has ever witnessed. Apart from being one of the most impactful players, Mike was considered a basketball god. Till today, fans rave about his insane gameplay and achievements.
It was because of Michael that the Chicago Bulls franchise is one of the greatest dynasties in history. Of course, with the help of stars like Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, MJ helped the Bulls be the most dominant team in the 1990s. Winning two successful three-peats, and finishing a season with a flawless 72-10 record, there was virtually nothing that the Bulls hadn’t achieved because of their leader.
With 14 All-Star appearances, 10 Scoring titles, 11 All-NBA selections, 6 NBA championships, 6 Finals MVPs, and 5 league MVPs under his belt, MJ has one of the most decorated resumes in NBA history to rightfully claim the GOAT title.
Also Read: NBA Twitter busts the myth of the Chicago Bulls GOAT being “only a scorer”
“Michael Jordan would be fine as long as he does his fancy things outside the paint”: Wilt Chamberlain on MJ playing in his era
It didn’t take Mike long enough to dominate the league when he stepped on the hardwood. In fact, in only his first season, as a young 21-year-old, His Airness torched the league night in and night out, averaging a staggering 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists.
Now, Jordan has been one of the most effective players in the paint we’ve ever seen. Despite being surrounded by giants, the 6-foot-6 guard scored the ball with great efficiency.
Some of his buckets in the paint were fancy and acrobatic finishes and even dunks on 7-footers.
However, despite being an incredible interior player in the “tougher” era of the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain believes that MJ wouldn’t have stood a chance against the big man of the Lakers legend’s playing days.
In an old interview, Wilt the Stilt explained how unwise it would’ve been for Mike to enter the paint of his generation. The former 13-time All-Star explained:
“He’s 6’7” and like 197 pounds. Coming into what we call our domain, the paint for us big guys, we would’ve not been very wise of Michael if he was playing during our time. We would say, Michael, as long as you do all your fancy things outside of where we are, that’s fine.”
Well, we would never know what the Wilt-Jordan battle in the paint would look like, but surely, we can imagine it to be as entertaining as it gets.
Also Read: Bulls legend had one of the worst games of his career against Raptors but still won
