“M.J., Him Jay, Fadeway, Perfect” – Shawn Carter, Philosopher

michael-jordan-championship-ringsAlright, enough is enough. I thought we were past this but it seems like people refuse to let this die. I’m gonna ask nicely once and for all…………….STOP COMPARING BASKETBALL PLAYERS TO MICHAEL JORDAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is getting ridiculous. It’s time to face the reality that no player will ever reach that pinnacle again. His on-court resume is more than compelling enough to support this claim but even beyond that, Mike has reached the level of mythological legend. He was so great he made us abandon logic and forfeit reason. MJ made it virtually impossible to live up to his status. Let me outline why this is a target not even the greatest marksman could ever hit:

  1. MJ gave us the illusion of perfection: Before Michael Jordan, no one ever cared about players losing in the Finals. Then he went 6 for 6. That eradicated every failure, every loss, every missed shot, every time another player got the better of him (the only lasting image of MJ getting embarrassed involves a barely 6 ft PG but that’s a post for another day). When Mike went undefeated in the Finals, it was like Agents J and K rolled through with the neuralizer and wiped our minds clean of every time he lost. If you listen to some people talk, you would really be convinced that Mike never lost a game.
  2. MJ was the first superhero in basketball: You would have thought that he was invincible. I mean, his first nickname was Captain Marvel. They said that man could fly. He had his competitors referring to him as “God disguised as Michael Jordan”. This is definitely the description of someone who is to be perceived as “more than man”. Every player after him has been deemed fallible. Not Mike.
  3. MJ convinced us a player could “win by themselves”: In the B.M. (Before Michael) years of the NBA, it was all about great teams. Well pretty much just the Lakers and Celtics but the point is no single players were celebrated as much. It was all about teams and championships…….well until #23 came along. When Mike burst onto the scene, all that team stuff flew out the window. He became larger than life so when he began to have success, it was as if his teammates didn’t exist. He was so great, players after him got penalized for playing with other great players lol. Magic and Bird were considered the best ever at one point and their teams were littered with Hall Of Famers. MJ made that a demerit.
  4. MJ made that shot against Utah: That’s the equivalent of a walk-off home run in the World Series in the last at bat of your career (Yeah I know, he came back and played for the Wizards but I digress). It’s moments like these that raise players to God-like status. Mike has a classic moment from every Finals he’s played in. Nobody will ever duplicate that.
  5. MJ kept multiple Hall Of Famers from winning rings: This adds to his mystique. It’s perceived that the ’94 and ’95 championships were gifts because of Jordan’s premature retirement. His dominance after his return further helped this theory. Barkley, Reggie Miller, Pat Ewing, Malone, Stockton and many others are on the “If not for MJ” list. No other superstar has been given the mantle of “Ring Stopper” in the manner that it was bestowed upon Mike.
  6. MJ was always the undisputed best player in the league when he was active: When Michael Jordan was active, there was never any discussion or doubt as to who the best player was (yeah I know that wasn’t the case when he played with the Wizards. Don’t be a jackass). Pretty much every other great had a contemporary who they battled for league supremacy. Mike did not. He was clearly head and shoulders above his competitors and they were not shy about admitting it. In Mike’s second year in the league, Larry Legend himself proclaimed his greatness. With every other great player there’s always been an argument. MJ had a stranglehold on the league like no other player before or after him.

It’s time to stop the comparisons and debates. Mike set a precedent that cannot be matched. He set the standard for G.O.A.T.-ness and it cannot be reached and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Maybe when this era of humanity has ended and an entirely new civilization arises, we can have another G.O.A.T. And even then, MJ might not even be recorded in history as a human. I’m sure he will officially be acknowledged as a deity by that point. #TheCeilingIsTheRoof lol

P.S. – There are 6 bullet points here. That is not a coincidence hahahahahahahaha

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