Michael Jordan, His Airness, is widely recognized all over the planet. Much of the NBA’s global explosion is credited to him. There is a before and an after in professional basketball because of Jordan, whether people like it or not.
Throughout history, there has been an impressive number of extraordinary players whose talent made people pay attention to the fast-paced sport. But there is one name that rises above all the others: Michael Jordan.
He is considered the greatest of all time, although for him that debate has no real place. From his perspective, there were players before him whom he never faced who are also regarded as legends. Later came others who have continued to maintain a very high level.
Despite all of that, and even though many insist on calling him the best, Jordan maintains humility by avoiding entering into a cheap controversy about whether he personally considers himself the greatest or not.
The great story of His Airness, Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls during the 1990s. However, it was not only those titles that elevated him to the top of the sport. It was also the enormous influence he had on professional basketball courts around the world.
Before him, there were legends such as:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Bill Russell
And after him other iconic names emerged, including:
- Kobe Bryant
- Lebron James
There is no denying the tremendous legacy each of them has contributed to the NBA. Yet none have carried quite the same aura that Jordan continues to maintain. Both on and off the court, he was, and still is, seen as the best, not only in basketball but across the entire world of sports.
During the NBC episode MJ: Insights to Excellence, host Mike Tirico asked Jordan this past Sunday, March 8, 2026, whether he considers himself the GOAT. Jordan answered without hesitation:
The ‘GOAT’ term is never gonna be something that I ever will get high or low about. It just doesn’t exist with me. I never played against Oscar Robertson or Jerry West. Would’ve loved to.
And I actually learned from them. And we paved the way for the Kobes and the LeBrons, right? And to me, that’s the beauty of the game of basketball that a player, after a previous player, has evolved the game further. But don’t then … now use that against the players that actually taught you the game or that you learned from. That’s why I have a tough time [with the GOAT talk]. Look, I would have loved to play against LeBron and Kobe in my prime. … But we’ll never be able to know that.
His Airness expressed, before continuing.
I have no animosity against today’s players, but you do have certain players that do have animosity because of the forgotten-ness of what their contribution has been to the game of basketball. It is what it is. It is an empty comparison. [We’ll] never absolutely find the true answer to that question.
For those who had the privilege of watching him play in the NBA, however, the conclusion remains clear. They know he is the greatest, and that today’s league rarely produces players capable of replicating the impact he and his contemporaries delivered during that extraordinary decade for basketball.
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