Michael Jordan has returned to the consciousness of the basketball world, thanks to the "Last Dance" docu-series that for the most part highlighted the greatness of his Airness. Likewise, the film further fueled the conversation on who between MJ and LeBron James is the greatest. If Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf has the last say, it's not a question at all.
Reinsdorf pointed to what the documentary has established and according to him, it only proved how way ahead is ahead of the pack, which consists of the Bulls' legend generation and that of James, in which the Lakers star is considered the king.
The Bulls owner, according to NBC Sports, was delighted to see that present-day basketball fans now have a clear picture of Jordan's greatness during his playing days. There is no point to compare the six-time NBA champion to anyone in the league, past and present, and not even the long-dominant James, Reinsdorf said.
"Michael was so head and shoulders over everybody, and that really came out in this documentary. He was a phenomenon. We may never see another like him," the team executive was reported as saying.
To be fair, Reinsdorf conceded that the Lakers superstar is dripping with greatness in his own right and the man can indeed be pitted with the likes of Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. It's a different case though when comparing James to MJ, which the Bulls owner said would be a futile work.
He explained that the Jordan-James GOAT debate is both frustrating and unnecessary the points of comparison are not even close. Reinsdorf declared that his former player and now friend represented a unique event in the NBA that likely will not be seen again.
MJ, the greatest of all time is not an exclusive belief for the Bulls franchise owner. It certainly is shared by a majority of basketball fans, according to Fadeaway World. The report cited a recent poll conducted by ESPN, in which a huge chunk of the 600 respondents voted for the former Bulls superstar as their pick for GOAT.
The poll factored in several game aspects like scoring, assisting, defending, and the player's overall presence when deployed on the floor and during off-court activities. Perhaps due to the "Last Dance" documentary than ran for weeks, the popular choice was Michael Jordan.
And it's good to note that while the film depicted the Bulls legend in near-god status as far as basketball is concerned, his frailties were revealed as well, if only to highlight that Jordan is human then and more so now.
Consider too that while James is not seen as an equal to Jordan, it's hard to dispute that he is close by as the same report reminded that the Lakers star owns three NBA rings and four MVP honors with the possibility of improving more since he still plays.
