Just imagine somebody being so great at their craft that most of his build-up gets ignored for the end product he presented us with. Michael Jordan was the man, and the characteristics of ‘His Airness’ that we often overlook are his ball handling and dribbling skills.
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For perspective, MJ averaged a usage rate of 33% throughout his career and led the league in more than half of his 15 years, yet, the man has the highest career player efficiency rating (PER) in the game (27.9).
One cannot do that without being near perfect on the court. We all knew how perfect Jordan was on both ends of the court, but he was as good at taking care of the ball as some of the greatest to do it.
Also read: “Michael Jordan Was a Killer LeBron James Isn’t”: When Floyd Mayweather Chose His GOAT in the NBA
And so, some of what he could do seemed illegal, that’s what Reggie Miller said when he got the chance back in the day.
“Michael Jordan did a lot of things illegal”: Reggie Miller
In an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, the former face of the Indiana Pacers and one of the NBA’s greatest shooters of all time, Reggie Miller, was talking about the cross-overs of some brilliant players like Allen Iverson and Tim Hardaway.
That’s when Reggie himself brought MJ into the conversation and said he is also one of the best cross-overs. But when Dan asked him whether Jordan carried the ball during his cross-over move, Miller had something hilarious to say. Watch it in the following embed.
“Michael did a lot of things illegal,” Miller said and then went on to show off those Jordan 2s he was wearing while saying he was just kidding.
Miller and Jordan had one of the best rivalries
Reggie Miller was among those legendary superstars that didn’t win a championship because their prime came in the era where MJ-led Bulls won 6 championships. And yet, Miller, like those other legends, never shies away to give Jordan his flowers.
However, back in the day, there was bad blood between the two as Miller was the only player, who came close to beating Jordan in a 7-game series between 1991 and 1998.
Miller never even had a 1-B like Scottie Pippen to help him get past some giant teams in the late 90s, yet he gave everyone a fight like none other.