Widely regarded as the greatest player to play the game of basketball, Michael Jordan was known for his incredible athleticism and an insatiable desire to always win. Former NBA players privileged to play in that era talk about his greatness at length. Recently, JJ Redick and Tim Legler discussed how defending against Jordan differed from any other player he has played against.
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Jordan entered the league as a rookie in 1984 as the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. It was clear from the jump that he was no ordinary player. He impacted the game on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. His presence on the court was legendary, and his aura emanated around the sporting world.
Michael achieved great success in the league winning six championships, five MVPs, six finals MVPs, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. He led the league in scoring 11 times, winning 10 scoring titles in the process too.
Michael Jordan was different than any other Hall of Famer
JJ Redick recently invited former Warriors guard Tim Legler on his podcast – ‘The Old Man and the Three‘ to discuss the game and more. Legler played in the league for ten years and competed against elite players like Clyde Drexler and Reggie Miller. According to him, none of them compared to Michael. Here is what he said:
Legler describes how Jordan was different than players like Reggie Miller, who you could chase around until someone else got the assignment. Michael was relentless. He goes on to talk about how Michael made the life of the opposition difficult and quotes:
“You could never ever relax because the guy just wanted to relentlessly go at you and that’s what spearated him from anybody I played against.”
Former NBA players talk about Guarding Michael Jordan
Throughout his career, Michael has taken a toll on many NBA players through his offensive prowess. Many former players have been asked about guarding Jordan, and all had their own version of ‘impossible’. In a video compiled by Uncut Hoops, Reggie Miller had this to say:
“We had to guard him in 35-40 mins of the game. He was the Shaq of Shooting Guards. Because there is no way you were going to move him of the post, he was cat quick and on top of that he was going to embarass you in front of your friends and family.”
One of Jordan’s biggest nemesis on the court – Isiah Thomas, also described what it was like defending him:
“We couldn’t stop Jordan. Every single time we double teamed Jordan down court, but he still averaged 37.5 against the Pistons and then some nights he would get hot. We were double teaming him every single time and he gave a 60-63.”
Players have gone on record saying that Jordan put fear in the hearts of the opposition and listening to his peers, it doesn’t seem like an exaggeration.
