There is a view taken by NBA pundits and analysts aside that availability and durability are the greatest assets a player can have. With recent availability concerns surrounding major players becoming a topic of conversation, the issue has further come to light.
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In the past, the toughness and hard-nosed nature of the league were often cited as hallmarks. Modern players are often judged against the toughness of their predecessors while comparisons are debated.
And when it comes to toughness, there aren’t many spoken of in the same light as Michael Jordan. The former Chicago Bulls superstar was the epitome of solidity and toughness. Fighting through the pain, asserting his dominance, and braving all challenges are part of Jordan’s legacy in the league.
His Airness set an example with his performance and his hard-nosed nature. Even after his second retirement and subsequent return to the NBA, MJ wasn’t taking any liberties. Jordan did not sit out a single game in his final season, aged 39! “Load Management” wasn’t a concern for the high-flying guard.
How many games did Michael Jordan play as a 39 year old?
The former Chicago Bulls superstar appeared in all 82 games of the regular season during his last season. He was 39 years old Michael Jordan was a part of the Washington Wizards during his final stint post his second retirement.
At this point in time, efficiency concerns were raised around Jordan’s game. However, durability was never a concern with “The Black Cat”.
MJ averaged 37 minutes while playing every single game in the league. For context, that matches the highest minutes per game in the NBA 2022-23 season so far. O G Anunoby, Jayson Tatum, and Luka Doncic, the current leaders in minutes per game all average only as much as 39-year-old Michael Jordan did.
Jordan wasn’t just playing his minutes. He averaged over 20 points, albeit in a relatively poor team. Offense, defense, durability, what more can one ask for from an NBA player? His Airness was clearly as complete as a player could be in the big leagues.
Was Michael Jordan’s durability highlighted only during his age-39 season?
Durability wasn’t something Michael Jordan added to his skill set along the way. Although an injury kept him out for the majority of his sophomore season, aside from that, Jordan missed only 3 games across his first 8 seasons in the league.
Across his two separate three-peats, all MJ missed was 4 games. The second three-peat even featured Michael Jordan in 100% of all regular season games.
Jordan also averaged less than 37 minutes a game in all but two of his NBA seasons. The Black Cat even scaled the 40-minute mark on two instances, in 1987-88 and 1988-89.
Incredible durability indeed for someone who regularly dueled against physically grueling defenses.
We praise LeBron James for his longevity in his 20th season, however, there is a noticeable decline in his minutes, and injuries are a major concern to the superstar. Is his durability overrated?
