“Michael Jordan made you wonder if there was there any reason for the rest of us to play”: When Hall of Famer John Stockton lauded the Bulls legend and his Dream Team teammate

A basketball legend and probably the GOAT, Michael Jordan reigned over the NBA all through the course of his 13 years with the Chicago Bulls.

MJ was one of the most dominant forces the sporting world had ever seen. The 6x NBA champion ruled the roost during his tenure in the league.

Jordan 3-peated twice between 1990-1998 and didn’t let any finals go till a Game 7. Jordan won the Finals MVP in all his 6 NBA championships.

The national college player of the year defeated the likes of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and John Stockton, who went on to never win a title in their career during the era of Jordan.

Also read: “Whether we were down by 4 points or 24 points, we were going to win”: Why Michael Jordan was not worried about trailing the Utah Jazz in Game 6, 1998

Michael Jordan succeeded in all the aspects of the game during his era

The bulls legend defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in his first trip to the finals. That had the likes of Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Vlade Divac. The Bulls winning their 1st championship marked the end of the showtime Lakers.

5x NBA champion and elite point guard Magic Johnson stated that Jordan was the best player he had ever played against. Johnson even went on to say that it was time to pass him the torch.

The Bulls would go on to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns in the following years. These teams had generational talents such as Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley.

Jordan retired the following off-season owing to the tragic murder of his father and decided to switch his career to baseball. However, he could not stay far from the game of basketball and returned to the hardwood at the end of 1995.

The following consecutive season MJ won 72 regular-season games and defeated the supersonics in the NBA finals, winning his 4th ring. Jordan would continue to dominate completing his second 3-peat by beating the Jazz in two consecutive NBA finals.

Jazz legend and Hall of Famer John Stockton had this to say about the greatness of MJ:

“As long as he decides to play, you have to wonder if there’s any reason for the rest of us to play, It’s not a matter of being disheartened, but you know that as long as he’s breathing, he will not let his team lose.”

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In his 6 NBA Finals, the Bulls legend averaged 33.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, and shot 48.1% from the field.