Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time in the history of the NBA, played a significant role in bringing basketball and the NBA to a global audience in the 1980s and 1990s. The 61-year-old legend has accomplished several milestones throughout his career, including six championships, five MVP awards, and 14-time NBA All-Star appearances.
The Chicago Bulls legend, who was recently praised by a former NBA champion, has entertained his fans over the years with his stellar skills. However, a former NBA player believes that Jordan was overrated on defense.
During a recent appearance on The Sheed & Tyler Show, former NBA player Rasheed Wallace mentioned that Jordan’s defense wasn’t as strong as that of most other players of his time in the NBA.
“Mike wasn’t all that good of a defender. All that’s NBA s**t, yeah we like Mike, we gonna put him up there. I’m talking about being out there, I seen this motherf****r get his a** bust, where he couldn’t stop a mothef****r against JR Rider. Probably against Clyde Drexler. Don’t forget the early Joe Dumars.” Wallace said.
“I’m not saying that he didn’t play defense. I’m just saying that his defense wasn’t as high as most other cats at that time. I couldn’t put him on like 10 or 11 consecutive first-team All-Defensive joints.” Wallace added.
Jordan won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1998 and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times. However, Wallace still believes that his defensive achievements were not worth it and that he was overrated.
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Wallace’s Bold Statement Ignites Fierce Debate Among Jordan Fans
Wallace’s remark stirred up controversy and sparked debate among Jordan’s fans. The supporters began criticizing the former NBA player in the comment section of the post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
One fan said, “We gotta take podcast mics away from former players.”
Meanwhile, another fan explained, “You can’t call someone overrated on defense if they’ve won DPOY, don’t matter the player.”
Another Jordan fan mentioned, “Sheed smoked too much weed before the podcast, so his take is invalid.”
Another fan commented, “Why do we pay attention to what every player or ex-player thinks? No one has won every matchup defensively, but MJ did it more often than most. It’s stupid to say that because you saw him get beat, that makes him overrated.”
Jordan has built an incredible professional career and achieved outstanding accomplishments, which have helped him gain a large following. The former NBA player was primarily credited with the Bulls’ success. Wallace’s claims have the potential to grab Jordan’s attention, and it will be interesting to see how he responds.
Also Read: Magic Johnson Rips Anthony Edwards For Calling Michael Jordan The Only Skilled Player During His Era
