Was Micheal Jordan considered the best after his first retirement

[eyeh8u]

Hi spurstalkers, when jordan retired the first time to go play baseball were people calling him the best ever, if not where were they placing him. I was too young then to know what was going on and i always wanted to know from older basketball fans.

[Kobe Molested Me]

Found Ghazi's brother.

[Nahtanoj]

He was Top 3 (between him, Russell and Jabbar) depending where you were in the country... he made his case for GOAT during 1996-1998.

[spizzle_tronk]

His name was already in the conversation by the 2nd championship against Portland and the '92 Olympics. It was cemented after the 72 win season + championship in 95-96.

[Mel_13]

Hi spurstalkers, when jordan retired the first time to go play baseball were people calling him the best ever, if not where were they placing him. I was too young then to know what was going on and i always wanted to know from older basketball fans.

From the June 28, 1993 issue of SI:

Is Michael Jeffery Jordan simply the best basketball player in the history of the planet? No matter what you think of Jordan as person, as a role model, as a shoe salesman, or even as a high-stakes gambler, you know the answer to that question: yes. A resounding yes.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/edb/reader.html?magID=SI&issueDate=19930628&mode=reader_vault

[pauls931]

I remember in interviews he basically said he accomplished as much as he could after the first retirement. Basically he was getting bored kicking everyone's ass and wanted to try something new.

[Darthkiller]

no. bird and magic were considered the best at the time.

[Pero]

Found Ghazi's brother.

MiamiHeat?

[duhoh]

Found Ghazi's brother.
<---

[Giuseppe]

I remember in interviews he basically said he accomplished as much as he could after the first retirement. Basically he was getting bored kicking everyone's ass and wanted to try something new.

And it was either voluntary retirement, or, the Super Jew ratting him out over his gambling.

[Ghazi]

fucking super Jews

[Indazone]

Hasn't been a player like Jordan before and not one since. Kobe might come close but he's not the player that MJ was. MJ has ice in his veins. Dude could kill you so many different ways. Dude could make buckets in his sleep with his eyes closed.

-WmNHGA5jh8

[BullsDynasty]

N6og_pOVi2w

[Mixability]

damn, that Jordan video brings back memories. Before the pussification of the league.

[nkdlunch]

I'd say after his 3rd championship he was the best ever arguably.

Once he came back and got that 4th ship, he was clearly the best ever.

[Indazone]

CuuYyUQEs14

Gotta give Kobe his props though...not as clutch as Jordan but still crazy athleticism.

[MiamiHeat]

MJ was already the GOAT after his first 3-peat

then he took almost 2 years off to play baseball...

then comes back, and once again wins another 3-peat, even though he was questioned as being "old" and past his prime.

he could no longer do the amazing highlight reels like he used to, but he transformed his game into a "new michael Jordan" for the 2nd 3-peat... a guy who depended on amazing defense and a patented fadeaway jumpshot which was unstoppable.

you kids really missed out on MJ.

BUT, luckily, the 1990's had a TON of media coverage, so a ton of MJ games can be seen in their entirety if you look for them.

[MiamiHeat]

oh, and yeah, kobe is athletic, and has a determined head on his shoulders, but his career has largely been pathetic in a lot of peoples eyes.

he won't admit he copied MJ to the extreme, his obsession with MJ, and copying EVERYTHING even off-the court stuff.

you guys saw that Kobe Bryant mini-documentary before Game 1 of the Finals the other day? they talked about him spending hours and hours and hours studying film and copying moves,

but then he BLATANTLY lies to everyone and tries to deny his MJ biting. sad

Kobe is not a legend like Mj, kareem, bird, or Magic. kobe has no history of his own, he brings nothing new to the nba, nothing revolutionary, no game of his own to speak of. he's just a talented copycat who is not good enough.

[lefty]

Goat

[LnGrrrR]

He wasn't the GOAT before he retired, but as others have said, definitely Top 5.

[JamStone]

He was definitely in the conversation and many if not most people would have considered him the best by then already. But I'm sure there were some that still questioned whether he was the GOAT, compared to Russell, Wilt, Kareem. But he certainly cemented things with his second threepeat. He may already have been considered the GOAT after the first threepeat, but it may have not been a unanimous type of sentiment.

[Giuseppe]

He was extremely fortunate to have Pippen as his voluntary lackey. Pippen was at sublime prime during this 3+3/6 year run. He didn't mind cowtowing to Jordan. Without Pippen Jordan is ringless and Kobe Bryant is like God.

[Koolaid_Man]

He was extremely fortunate to have Pippen as his voluntary lackey. Pippen was at sublime prime during this 3+3/6 year run. He didn't mind cowtowing to Jordan. Without Pippen Jordan is ringless and Kobe Bryant is like God.


I said it before and I'll say it again:

Jordan without Pippen (5 seasons):

.430 win %
0 Titles
0 MVPs
0 Finals MVP
0 Finals appearances
0 Playoff series wins
1-9 playoff record
0 NBA All Defense Team
0 NBA Defensive Player of the year




Kobe without Shaq (6 seasons):

.611 win %
3 Finals appearances
2 Championships
1 MVP (Reg season)
2 MVP (Finals)
5 NBA All Defense 1st Team
81 points in 1 game
62 points in 3 quarters (outscored Mavs all by himself)
4 straight 50+ pt games
30 straight 40+ games averaged 40 for a month

[Koolaid_Man]

Pippen held back his game for MJ....Pippen could have lead teams had he not got all warm and cozy under MJ's testicles....

[Juggity]

I said it before and I'll say it again:

Kobe without Shaq (6 seasons):

.611 win %
3 Finals appearances
2 Championships
1 MVP (Reg season)
2 MVP (Finals)
5 NBA All Defense 1st Team
81 points in 1 game
62 points in 3 quarters (outscored Mavs all by himself)
4 straight 50+ pt games
30 straight 40+ games averaged 40 for a month





:lol You talk about Kobe without Shaq but forget about Kobe without Pau or Shaq

[dbreiden83080]

No. Top 5 maybe but not the best ever..

[TheNextGen]

:lol You talk about Kobe without Shaq but forget about Kobe without Pau or Shaq



Is pau a top 50 player like pippen?

[Riddler]

Is pau a top 50 player like pippen?

Wasn't Shaq more dominant than Pippen?

[dbreiden83080]

:lol You talk about Kobe without Shaq but forget about Kobe without Pau or Shaq

People over-rate the hell outta Kobe's legacy. They just focus on the number of rings he has. He is one of the best players ever top 10 for sure but nowhere near Jordan.. When the Lakers were in a rebuild mode he failed to make the playoffs in 2005 and barely made them in 2006. He gets another great big in Gasol and now they are back on top. Kobe can't win without a dominant big. Jordan never had that problem.. He also lost an NBA finals and was badly outplayed by Pierce so any talk of him being in the league with Jordan should have ended right there..

[Koolaid_Man]

:lol You talk about Kobe without Shaq but forget about Kobe without Pau or Shaq

Who was MJ without Pippen
Who was Magic without Kareem and Worthy + others
Who was Bird without McHale and Parrish, + others
Who was Zeke without Dumars, Johnson + others
Who was Shaq without Kobe
Who is Lebron without Wade and GayBosh

you get the picture....good boy:lol

[Sportstudi]

People over-rate the hell outta Kobe's legacy. They just focus on the number of rings he has. He is one of the best players ever top 10 for sure but nowhere near Jordan.. When the Lakers were in a rebuild mode he failed to make the playoffs in 2005 and barely made them in 2006. He gets another great big in Gasol and now they are back on top. Kobe can't win without a dominant big. Jordan never had that problem.. He also lost an NBA finals and was badly outplayed by Pierce so any talk of him being in the league with Jordan should have ended right there..

I couldn't agree more. Jordan is the GOAT and Kobe will never be as good as Mike. Don't get me wrong, Kobe is a Top 10 player for sure, nobody should disagree here, but he will never touch Jordan. Hell, if Jordan hadn't retired in the 90's he would have won more than 3 in a row. In his prime the defense was much tougher than now, not those shitty soft rules.

As dbreiden wrote, Kobe needs a dominant big. He got Gasol giftwrapped by Jerry West and everybody knows it. Sure, Kobe lovers like Kool won't admit it as it would hurt Kobe's legacy. In my opinion Kool is just a flat out annoying troll who knows shit about basketball. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of really nice LA posters on this board who I respect and appreciate for their comments. But for sure not Kool who is just an annoying, retarded idiot. Usually I don't react to his shitty posts, but this time I decided to make an exception.

If you compare Kobe's and Mike's individual stats there is a clear winner. It's Mike. Again, don't get me wrong, Kobe is an absolutely amazing player, but he was not, is not and will never be as good as Jordan.

[Axe Murderer]

I couldn't agree more. Jordan is the GOAT and Kobe will never be as good as Mike. Don't get me wrong, Kobe is a Top 10 player for sure, nobody should disagree here, but he will never touch Jordan. Hell, if Jordan hadn't retired in the 90's he would have won more than 3 in a row. In his prime the defense was much tougher than now, not those shitty soft rules.

As dbreiden wrote, Kobe needs a dominant big. He got Gasol giftwrapped by Jerry West and everybody knows it. Sure, Kobe dicksuckers like Kool won't admit it as it would hurt Kobe's legacy. In my opinion Kool is just a flat out annoying troll who knows shit about basketball and just likes the pressure of Kobe's dick in his ass. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of really nice LA posters on this board who I respect and appreciate for their comments. But for sure not Kool who is just an annoying, retarded asshole. Usually I don't react to his shitty posts, but this time I decided to make an exception.

If you compare Kobe's and Mike's individual stats there is a clear winner. It's Mike. Again, don't get me wrong, Kobe is an absolutely amazing player, but he was not, is not and will never be as good as Jordan.

http://i46.tinypic.com/pniw2.gif

[namlook]

CuuYyUQEs14

Gotta give Kobe his props though...not as clutch as Jordan but still crazy athleticism.

Nice. That's one of the best collections of clips I've seen.

[da_suns_fan]

Hi spurstalkers, when jordan retired the first time to go play baseball were people calling him the best ever, if not where were they placing him. I was too young then to know what was going on and i always wanted to know from older basketball fans.

Yes.

I remember NBC playing Tina Turner's "Simply the best" to a video of MJ highlights during the olympics in 92.

Likewise, I remember a Becket I bought in 94 that debated whether players were better "today" versus in the past. The argument for "today" was: Jordan. Nuff said.

[lefty]

He was definitely in the conversation and many if not most people would have considered him the best by then already. But I'm sure there were some that still questioned whether he was the GOAT, compared to Russell, Wilt, Kareem. But he certainly cemented things with his second threepeat. He may already have been considered the GOAT after the first threepeat, but it may have not been a unanimous type of sentiment.
Even after the 1st 3peat, he already had a case for the GOAT

Celtics and Lakers were so effin' stacked, and Kareem and Russell never 3peated
(I know some will argue that the 90's NBA was watered down compared to the previous decades)

[crazylakerfan001]

Even after the 1st 3peat, he already had a case for the GOAT

Celtics and Lakers were so effin' stacked, and Kareem and Russell never 3peated
(I know some will argue that the 90's NBA was watered down compared to the previous decades)

Russell 8peated.

[lefty]

Russell 8peated.
Sorry I meant Kareem and Wilt

I'm tired :lol

[TheNextGen]

When the Lakers were in a rebuild mode he failed to make the playoffs in 2005 and barely made them in 2006. He gets another great big in Gasol and now they are back on top. Kobe can't win without a dominant big. Jordan never had that problem..

Hmmm...did Jordan have his team disbanded with new set of players and a new coach like Kobe had? Wouldnt that be a factor for 2005?

Kobe cant win without a dominant big man? Before he won in 2009, it was "Kobe cant win without Shaq"...now its "Kobe cant win without a dominant big man". Who the fuck was Gasol before he went to the lakers anyways? Gasol hadnt one a playoff game and was only an allstar once. Jordan had a top 50 player by his side for all 6 rings. Kobe only had one for 3 of 5.

Everyone knows that Jordan is greater then Kobe...but to say Kobe is overrated and use the reasons you stated is retarted.

edited: grammar and spelling

[LnGrrrR]

I agree for the most part with this post ^