It has been more than two decades since Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, but his greatness won’t ever fade away from the minds of fans.
After all, the Chicago Bulls legend left an unforgettable legacy behind during his 15-year career in the NBA.
The most adored skill of Michael Jordan was none other than his phenomenal scoring prowess on the hardwood. That’s evident from Mike’s 30.1 points per game average for his career.
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty ImagesJerry West made a statement on Michael Jordan’s greatness in 1998
The 1997-98 NBA season was the final time Jordan donned a Bulls jersey. He also won the sixth NBA Championship of his career that season.
By that time, MJ was already viewed as the greatest basketball player of all time. However, during a February 1999 interview with the Los Angeles Times, NBA legend Jerry West made a unique statement about Jordan.
“I think you almost forget about his greatness because he seems to perform at that level all the time. The extraordinary becomes the ordinary for him,” West said.
The LA Lakers legend added: “I’ve just watched him compete at such a high level every night.”
While Jordan was already viewed as the GOAT, West seemingly pointed out that fans had become accustomed to the Bulls star’s greatness.
Jerry West claims Michael Jordan’s scoring overshadowed his defense
Photo by Bongarts/Getty Images
As a shooting guard, Jordan dominated the NBA with his insane scoring ability, evident from his 10x NBA Scoring Titles.
But let’s not forget MJ also won the 1987-88 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and was a 9x All-Defensive player. That’s what made Jordan an ‘underrated’ player in the eyes of West.
“When you watch, you start to marvel at someone truly unique. It’s one of those — I don’t say once in a lifetime, but it’s not certainly something that happens every day in the NBA,” West continued.
“I’ve always thought he was underrated because people look at him as a scoring machine. I really felt that for a number of years, he was the best defensive player in the league,” he concluded.
Even if that was the case during his playing career, fans still hold Jordan to a pedestal and view him as the GOAT.