“There will never be another Michael Jordan”: When the Bulls legend spoke about him, Dr. J, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird being the standard measurement for comparisons in the NBA

Arjun Julka | 17/12/2021
"There will never be another Michael Jordan": When the Bulls legend spoke about him, Dr. J, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird being the standard measurement for comparisons in the NBA

NBA legend Michael Jordan talks about comparisons in the league and why they won’t be a player like him.

In many ways, Michael Jordan is considered the yardstick when it comes to measuring success in the NBA. The Bulls legend was a generational athlete who dominated the league for most of the 90s era. The game of basketball had never witnessed anything like his Airness.

The arrival of MJ in the NBA was the beginning of the sport going global. Legends such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t experience the fame of a Jordan. It was the beginning of the NBA, taking leaps in terms of popularity.

Though he was compared to the likes of Dr. J and Elgin Baylor in his early years, MJ carved his niche and became a success story such that everyone wanted to be like him. The late Kobe Bryant even admitted to trying to mirror some of MJ’s moves on the court.

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At the time, Jordan was the benchmark for every potential superstar in the NBA. Nonetheless, the Bulls superstar despised this notion.

Michael Jordan believed in players having their identities

During a 1998 interview with Stuart Scott, Jordan addressed him being the standard of measurement for upcoming players. Scott asked MJ about what he felt when players like Grant Hill, Jerry Stackhouse, Harold Miner, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan got the label of being the next MJ.

Though Jordan didn’t consider these comparisons fair, he knew it was a standard of measurement. Something that he was projected to as well.

“It’s not fair you know, but it’s a standard of measurement. When I came in Dr. J, Elgin Baylor, you know it’s just a standard of measurement of people to compare to. But it’s never gonna be another Michael Jordan, is never gonna be another Doctor. J, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.”

“Now it’s going to be Kobe Bryant’s, gonna be Grant Hill is going to be having our way.”

MJ added that the league couldn’t fool the consumer into labeling a player, and if it did, the creditability of the brand could take a hit. Jordan believed players should not try to model their game according to a particular individual. Thus forgetting the fundamentals of the game.

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Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Chicago Bulls Dr. J Elgin Baylor Larry Bird Magic Johnson Michael Jordan

About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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