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Nick Wright recently released a list of his top 50 NBA players, which featured Michael Jordan at No. 3. The analyst gave Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the top ranking and placed LeBron James second.
The co-host of "The First Things First" has received plenty of backlash since then, and recently appeared on Colin Cowherd's podcast to explain his choices. He made quite a compelling case for Abdul-Jabbar to be ranked No. 1 and Cowherd agreed.
Cowherd explained that Jordan's lack of success without Scottie Pippen tarnished his legacy.
"The biggest knock on Jordan is this, how many playoff series did he win without Scottie Pippen? Kareem and LeBron won multiple championships with other players.
"Jordan could not win with other players, because of Michael's style, which you often saw in Washington, you saw in his first five years in Chicago, he did not play well with other scorers, he played well with Pippen who acknowledged he would be in the passenger seat."
Michael Jordan had many great teammates during his time with the Bulls. However, Pippen was the one that stood out. The pair was instrumental in the Bulls' dominance during the '90s. Pippen was brilliant on both ends of the floor. With him on the court, Jordan had the freedom to be himself, which is what helped him become one of the greatest in the game.
MJ's most successful time in the NBA came with Pippen. Prior to the Bulls drafting Pippen, Jordan failed to take the team beyond the first round of the playoffs. After his stint with the Bulls, Jordan decided to retire from the game, but he did make his way back in 2001. "His Airness" joined the Washington Wizards but was not the same player as before.
Unlike Jordan, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won championships with different teammates.
Cowherd highlighted this point on his podcast.
"LeBron won without Kyrie, he won without AD, he won without D-Wade. Kareem won in Milwaukee, Kareem won in Los Angeles multiple times."
Would Michael Jordan have been the same player without Scottie Pippen?
Basketball is a team game. Michael Jordan put up great numbers, but struggled to take the team the distance until the arrival of Scottie Pippen.
The seven-time All-Star was a great defensive presence and also made some big buckets when needed. He played a huge role in the Bulls winning six championships. But that should not take away from Michael Jordan's greatness.
Take him out of the Bulls team and they would have been left with Pippen and a few other stars. During those days, the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Seattle SuperSonics were top teams it's highly unlikely that a Bulls team without Jordan would have been able to get past those franchises and win championships.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are widely considered to be one of the greatest duos in the NBA. Not many dominated the league in the way that they did.
Guess the Lakers players!
