“Michael Jordan was the best defensive and offensive player in the NBA”: Jerry West was amazed at just how incredibly versatile Bulls legend was in his prime

Jerry West claims Michael Jordan was the greatest defensive and offensive player in the NBA when he was playing in his prime. 

Michael Jordan, by acclamation, is the greatest player in NBA history. This is what the official website of the NBA says when trying to describe MJ. It’s quite clear that Jordan has become the gold standard of success and when people say someone is the ‘Jordan’ of something, they’re referring to that someone excelling in their field. 

6 championships, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 regular season MVPs, a DPOY, and countless All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defensive nods later; Michael Jordan has established himself in the uppermost echelon of NBA superstars, one that is occupied by him alone.

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While his accolades speak volumes, his play on the court certainly reflected them too. ‘His Airness’ was a task to deal with on both ends of the court as he would lock you down on the defensive end and get a bucket in a million different ways on the other end. 

There is no question that Michael was one of, if not, the greatest offensive talents the league has ever seen. Lakers legend Jerry West however, adds more spice to that take. 

Jerry West on Michael Jordan. 

Jerry West may have not had much luck when it came to winning NBA Finals but he certainly knows talent when he sees it. Playing in an era with guys like Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, and so many more, it’s easy to get a grasp of what talent truly looks like.

Also read: ‘Michael Jordan did it 7 times and Kobe Bryant 2 times’: Why LeBron James will always be behind the Bulls and Lakers legends in the GOAT conversation

Michael Jordan is someone who West has been enamored by for decades now, as he recently did an interview where he claimed Jordan wasn’t just the best offensive player in the league, but also the best defensive player as well.

Jordan won 10 scoring titles with the Chicago Bulls and the only 3 years he didn’t win the scoring title was in his rookie season, his sophomore season when he played 18 games, and the 1995 season when he came back from Minor League Baseball. 

MJ would also win DPOY in 1988 after averaging a league best 3.2 steals a game. He would average 2+ steals a game in his first 9 seasons in the NBA. It wasn’t just steals however as he was a genuine lockdown defender during his time, forcing turnovers when he chose to.