Long Before “Air Jordan” and “His Airness”, Michael Jordan was Popularly Nicknamed “Captain Marvel”

Michael Jordan has some of the most iconic nicknames in the history of the league, however, we are sure you weren’t aware of this nickname he was once given.

Unquestionably, Michael Jordan is one of the game’s greatest. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard completely transformed how the NBA was perceived and played a large factor in making the association as successful as it is today.

Considered to be a basketball god by many enthusiasts from around the world, Mike has one of the most illustrious resumes we’ve ever seen. Over the span of a 15-year career, the Bulls legend has made 14 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA selections, won 10 scoring titles, 1 DPOY, 5 MVPs, 6 championships, and 6 Finals MVPs, among several others.

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Apart from having one of the most stacked trophy cabinets we’ve ever seen, MJ has some of the most iconic nicknames in the history of the game.

“The Black Jesus”, “The Black Cat”, “Air Jordan”, and “His Airness” are merely some of the cool ones. There was one nickname that Jordan was called by during his initial days in the league, and we’re sure you probably weren’t aware of it.

“It didn’t seem right because captain sounded like I am at the top”: Michael Jordan on being called “Captain Marvel”

When Michael entered the league in the mid-1980s, he wasn’t referred to as “The Black Jesus” or “Air Jordan” just yet.

Across the league, Jordan would be referred to as “Captain Marvel”. Yes, the Marvel superhero.

However, MJ wasn’t all excited about this nickname. According to the former Carolina Tar Heel, Jordan considered himself at the “bottom at that time”, and didn’t think it was right to call him so. In an interview with Ahmad Rashad, the Hall-Of-Famer spoke about the nickname:

“It just didn’t seem right because captain sounded like I am at the top of the league and I consider myself the bottom at that time. I’m walking into the arena playing against Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and you call out Captain Marvel which means you are putting a big dot in my back. So I said no, you need to come back with something else.”

“Captain Marvel” is surely a pretty great nickname. However, to be fair, it isn’t close to being as cool as “The Black Jesus”, “The Black Cat”, “Air Jordan”, and “His Airness” are.

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