Michael Jordan...
There is no comparison.
He was not only the best player on the best team of his time, but he won. Kobe Bryant might challenge Jordan at some point, but he's gonna have to win a few more without Shaq.
Did you read any of the articles or quotes that I posted? Jesus, people talk about LeBron as being so great and he makes more than Kobe when all is said and done, yet he has only been to the finals once and he lost.
Triple Doubles
Rank Name TD
1. Oscar Robertson 181
2. Magic Johnson 138
3. Jason Kidd 100
4. Wilt Chamberlain 78
5. Larry Bird 59
6. Fat Lever 43
7. John Havlicek 30
8. Grant Hill 29
9. Michael Jordan 28
10. Clyde Drexler 25
Playoffs
Rank Name TD
1. Magic Johnson 30
2. Jason Kidd 11
3. Larry Bird 10
4. Wilt Chamberlain 9
5. Oscar Robertson 8
6. John Havlicek 5
7. Charles Barkley 4
8. Elgin Baylor 4
9. Walt Frazier 4
10. Scottie Pippen 4 :rofl
Magic has more Playoff Triple Doubles than Jordan has Total Triple Doubles?
This is obviously the sign of a more complete player and Magic completely wipes the floor with Jordan.
Bird, Chamberlain and The Big O all destroy Jordan too. Couple that with their other stats listed above and they are starting to really distance themselves from Jordan.
Look at it from this perspective...
Magic Finals Appearances 9X in 12 years 75%
Jordan Finals Appearances 6X in 16 years 38%
Magic NBA Champion 5X in 12 years 42%
Jordan NBA Champion 6X in 16 years 38%
Magic All-NBA 1st Team 9X in 12 years 75%
Jordan All-NBA 1st Team 10X in 16 years 63%
Magic NBA Conference Finals 10X in 12 years 83%
Jordan NBA Conference Finals 8X in 16 years 50%
Magic NBA Finals MVP 3X in 5 wins 60%
Jordan NBA Finals MVP 6X in 6 wins 100%
And Magic did this versus widely accepted NBA "Great" Teams like in the 80's like the Pistons, Celtics and 76ers.
The Supersonics made the Finals ONCE! No sane person would EVER consider this team "Great"...
The Suns made the Finals ONCE! No sane person would EVER consider this team "Great"...
The Trailblazers made the Finals TWICE! They were really, really good, and on the verge of great, but they fell short of great by not winning a single championship.
The Jazz made the Finals TWICE. They were really, really good, and on the verge of great, but they fell short of great by not winning a single championship.
The Lakers were in decline and you know it. Accept it. The Lakers played "Great" teams and the Bulls did not. Not once after they beat the Pistons and got over the "hump".
The Lakers though, they were in the NBA Finals 9X in 12 years. They lost 4X's to commonly accepted "Great" teams.
The Celtics
The 76ers
The Pistons
The Celtics made the Finals FIVE times and WON THREE!
The 76ers made the Finals FOUR times and WON ONE!
The Pistons made the Finals THREE times and WON TWO!
You could almost say that that is 6 more championships that the Lakers should have won, well… had they had the type of competition that the Jordon Bulls had been faced against; that is…
ALL OF THESE TEAMS BEAT OTHER "GREAT" TEAMS.
THEY ARE ALL BETTER THAN THE BULLS.
Don't believe me? Here is a list of the ten greatest teams by chronology…
NBA.com: Top 10 Teams in NBA History
1. 1964-65 Boston Celtics
2. 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers
3. 1969-70 New York Knicks
4. 1971-72 L.A. Lakers
5.
1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers
6.
1985-86 Boston Celtics
7.
1986-87 L.A. Lakers
8.
1988-89 Detroit Pistons
9. 1991-92 Chicago Bulls
10. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
All had to contend with each other at the same time, except the Bulls. There is no comparison. Take away those "Great" teams and Magic would have won 9 Titles, been MVP countless times, etc etc.
Same with Bird. Take away the Pistons and 76ers, and Lakers, and he would have won 9 Titles as well.
Isiah would have won 5 or 6.
Dr. J would have 3 or 4.