Even when Michael Jordan was an established player 6 years into his career, Wilt Frazier wasn’t sure that MJ would be able to “carry a team and make the next step”.
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“The Last Dance” gave us a good insight into the life of Michael Jordan and his teammates during Chicago Bulls’ glory days back in the 1990s. Apart from the player’s on-court as well as off-court antics, the documentary also revealed several competitors’ opinions on MJ and co.
One of the many former legends to have made comments on the His Airness was longtime New York Knicks legend, Walt Frazier. In one of the trailers of the documentary, Frazier commented about Jordan’s inability to carry a team in the NBA solely because he “was not 7 foot”. In the decades-old clip, the HOFer had stated:
“He’s not 7 foot. So he’s not going to carry a team in the NBA.”
“I wasn’t sure if Michael Jordan would be able to carry a team and make the next step after losing to the Pistons”: Walt Frazier
For 3-straight seasons, from 1988-90, the Pistons got the better of Jordan and his Bulls, eliminating them in the postseason. It was during this time when Jordan was crying and blaming GM Jerry Krause for the team’s failures, that Frazier thought that Mike didn’t have what it took to carry a team and make the next step.
“He broke his foot (his second season), I was like, I don’t know,” Frazier recalled. “And he was having trouble and complaining because he couldn’t beat the Pistons (1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90). He was crying he thought the general manager didn’t know what he was doing. That was when I still wasn’t sure if he’d be able to carry a team and make the next step. Then all of a sudden it happened.”
Winning 6 NBA championships, 6 finals MVPs, 5 MVPs, among a ridiculous list of several other accolades, it is pretty safe to say that MJ managed to prove Walt extremely wrong.
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However, to date, the former 2-time champ doesn’t believe that MJ is the GOAT.
“I always ask what’s the criteria when you say the greatest ever,’’ Frazier said. “If it’s Superman, it’s Wilt Chamberlain. I have (Kareem) Abdul-Jabbar as a career-leading scorer. Versatility is Oscar Robertson. Winning is Bill Russell. Those are the four guys. Actually I’d say Wilt Chamberlain because when we played in the ’70s and flied commercial, you go through the airport and people would say either ‘Are you a Globetrotter or Wilt Chamberlain?’ That’s all the people knew.’’
“I would find it hard to say Mike. Mike is right there with those guys, but if I had to pick, it would be Chamberlain.’’
