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“Julius Erving is a grumpy old man!”: Skip Bayless says Dr. J is out of his mind for leaving out Michael Jordan from his All-Time NBA First team

Samir Mehdi
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“Julius Erving is a grumpy old man!”: Skip Bayless says Dr. J is out of his mind for leaving out Michael Jordan from his All-Time NBA First team

Skip Bayless rips Julius Erving to shreds for leaving out Michael Jordan from his All-Time NBA First team; says he’s a grumpy old man. 

Much can be said about whether the NBA is trending in the right direction in terms of the way the game is being played. Legends from the Michael Jordan and Julius Erving era of basketball swear by ‘old school defense’ and stars now believe the NBA is at a better place due to the analytical revolution and the spacing that’s been provided as every team is now equipped with shooters. 

The aforementioned Julius Erving certainly isn’t bashful about his preferences when it comes to the talent distribution of players across the 70+ years of the NBA. He recently released his list of 10 players he would divide into his all-time first and second teams. 

Shockingly enough, the list is comprised of players that have all been drafted before the 90s had even began, with his first team having legends that dominated 50 years ago. 

Also Read: “Knicks crafted a custom Sopranos episode for LeBron James”: When the 2-time MVP snubbed New York in favor of Miami Heat in 2010

Though he did have stars from a slightly more modern era in his second team with Michael Jordan and Karl Malone making the cut, Skip Bayless was having none of it. 

Skip Bayless goes off on Julius Erving listing Michael Jordan as a second team All-Time player 

Skip Bayless, an avid Michael Jordan fanatic, looked almost appalled at the fact that Dr. J had left out the ‘GOAT’ from his all-time first team. “The Dr is out of his mind! Any list that has Michael Jordan on the 2nd team is disqualified!”

There have been a plethora of reactions to this list as the fact that LeBron James, Shaq, nor Kobe Bryant weren’t anywhere to be seen on these two teams raised some eyebrows. Also, bringing it back to what Skip Bayless said, any team that doesn’t have Michael Jordan as one of the 5 best players should not be given much attention to. 

Also Read: Derrick Rose was not happy with the Chicago Bulls keeping mum about their recruiting process of LeBron James: “Should I have to say that I recruited?”

ThrowbackHoops on Instagram released their own all-time NBA First team which featured LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Kevin Durant, and Michael Jordan, claiming it would absolutely own Dr. J’s mish-mash of dated stars from more than a half-century ago. 

It’s clear that Julius Erving is trying to push the agenda of the NBA being better and more talented back in his hay-day, which is certainly not true. It’s important to give props to the legends that paved the way for future star; but to say that Jerry West would be taken over LeBron James in an all-time setting, is ludicrous. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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