As a former Chicago Bull, it’s not too surprising to see BJ Armstrong back Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time. But, the former point guard made a compelling case for the six-time champion, including why he still tops legends who have blossomed since he retired.
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Armstrong shared his criteria for what he believes the GOAT needs to be. He first stressed the importance of being able to dominate on the offensive end. The former All-Star then brought LeBron James and Kobe Bryant into the conversation, asking his host who he believed was the greatest scorer of the three.
“You can look at Michael, you look at LeBron and look at Kobe. Who dominated? Meaning you can score when you need to do it. Not because you have to do it, when you need to do it,” Armstrong emphasized. “Look at those three. You can argue that maybe Kobe’s right there. I don’t think LeBron is right there. Okay, that’s the first.”
He then pointed to who can rebound the best for their position. Armstrong understood that both LeBron and Jordan were great rebounders, but they’re hard to compare because of their different roles and positions. “But then the X-Factor to all of this is who was the most dominant defender?” he added.
Armstrong praised Bill Russell’s elite defense and winning ways, along with Wilt Chamberlain’s unbreakable scoring records, but believes Michael Jordan is the result of combining all that together. “When you add all that up, then Jordan is the most complete out of all of them,” Armstrong continued. “He’s the most complete. He’s the most dominant on the defensive end.”
Armstrong laid out MJ’s GOAT case clearly. He considers Jordan to be the best player on both sides of the ball for the majority of his career, destroying any team throughout the era who dared to threaten his championship aspirations. On the other hand, in a take that borders on hating, Armstrong may not even believe LeBron is second to his former running mate.
BJ Armstrong recently heaped praise on Tim Duncan’s career
BJ Armstrong lauded Tim Duncan for his uniqueness, longevity, and team dominance. While he wasn’t quite the exhilarating talent that Jordan was, Duncan’s San Antonio Spurs were just as dominant as MJ’s Bulls at times. Armstrong even compared the legendary big man to His Airness.
“Tim Duncan was a marvelous player,” Armstrong said. “He played the game from the four, the five position. He was one of the unique players, like a Michael Jordan, who could get to spaces on the court you couldn’t do anything about.”
“Tim Duncan, to me, is a player that is really as unique a talent as I’ve seen in the NBA.” he said, “And you’re going to have a player that’s going to counter a talent like Michael Jordan, who was utmost flawless technically in his game, Tim Duncan can do that.”
Armstrong took the opportunity to shine a light on his own era but has also made sure to acknowledge the greatness that has come after him.
