“Michael Jordan didn’t beat great teams, he couldn’t beat Larry Bird and the Celtics in their heyday”: Robert Parish firmly claims the Bulls legend is not the GOAT

Robert Parish believes that Michael Jordan isn’t the greatest of all time as his Chicago Bulls did not beat ‘great teams’. 

A majority of NBA fans, even with LeBron James creeping up the all-time standings in nearly every category, would say that Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA player of all time. The fact that people say, ‘He’s the Michael Jordan of so and so,’ speaks volumes to how great he was at what he did on NBA hardwood. 

Jordan won 6 championships and Finals MVPs in all six of those titles while always taking care of business before reaching a Game 7. Robert Parish however, doesn’t seem to be all too impressed with the resume Michael had built up in the league.

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Robert Parish was on the Boston Celtics for 14 seasons where he won 3 championships alongside Larry Bird, duking it out against teams like the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and of course the Los Angeles Lakers. 

According to Parish, Jordan never faced truly tough competition and had way too much help on his team to win each of those championships. 

Robert Parish on Michael Jordan not facing the best of the best. 

While talking to Elvin Hayes on ‘In the Post’ on SB Nation Radio, Robert Parish said that Michael Jordan never having faced great teams like the Celtics is what holds him back from being the ‘GOAT’.

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“Now Michael was great in his era, but you think and this: Michael didn’t beat great teams, in my opinion. When Larry, Kevin, and myself were in our heyday, he couldn’t beat us. He couldn’t get past the Pistons until Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas got old, he couldn’t beat the Lakers in their prime.” 

“When he beat Phoenix, they only had one Hall of Famer- that was Barkley. When he beat Seattle, they had one HoFer- Payton. When he beat Portland, they had one Hall of Famer- Clyde Drexler. And he played with 3 Hall of Famers: Scottie, Dennis Rodman, and himself. Don’t get me wrong, Michael was great in his era, but greatest of all time?”