Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, was the driving force behind the Chicago Bulls’ success. The former NBA player had a 15-season career in the NBA, during which he played a crucial role in popularizing basketball and the NBA worldwide during the 1980s and 1990s.
Jordan, who was recently praised by DeMar DeRozan, spent 13 seasons with the Bulls and secured six NBA championships. While many fans believe that his time with the Washington Wizards marked the less dominant era before his final retirement, a former NBA player who competed against Jordan provided insight into his dominance during his last seasons.
During a recent appearance on the All The Smoke podcast, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce reminisced about Michael Jordan dominating them even in his 40s. Garnett explained how tough it was to guard Jordan during his Washington Wizards era.
“Mike was a motherf***er, though. Both times. Because he was still talking that s**t, he was still skilled, it was just health with him. And I had to guard that motherf***er. Gave us 40, I got like 38 out of that s**t, too.” Garnett said.
During his time in the NBA, Jordan is widely recognized as a great player due to his ability to captivate audiences with his prolific scoring and his reputation as one of the best defensive players. The legendary player entertained his fans with several dominating seasons in the league. However, his best stats were recorded in the 1986-87 season, where he averaged 37.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Garnett Discusses the Difficulties He Faced Defending Against Jordan
After retiring for the second time, Jordan made a comeback in the NBA in 2001 to play for the Wizards. Jordan played two seasons with the Wizards, averaging 22.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game in his last season. In the final season of his career, the six-time NBA champion averaged 20.0 points, 3.8 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game. Garnett further detailed the challenges he encountered while guarding Jordan.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
“That motherf***er came out one time and shot that thing so high. I jumped and I was just like, ‘Oh, I can’t even…’ Oh, man. But I thought it was great for the league when he came back. I thought he wanted to see where he lined up or aligned with some of these younger stars. I thought it was just great overall for the league.” Garnett added.
Jordan accomplished numerous milestones in his professional career, including winning 6 championships, earning 5 MVP honors, and receiving NBA Finals MVP awards. The legendary player retired after his final game in the league against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 16, 2003. Garnett’s statement explains why Jordan is considered the greatest player of all time.
He was two dribbling. You know, I ain’t played the three in a minute but flip was like, ‘Nah, you the only one that can guard Mike.’ [I was like] ‘We got two guards on here. What the f**k, our two guards can’t?'”
But I thought it was great for the league when he came back and I thought that he wanted to see where he lined or aligned with some of these younger stars. And I thought it was just great overall.”
Also Read: Everybody Is Trolling Terrence Ross After He Puts LeBron James Over Michael Jordan As The GOAT
