Top 5 rivals of Michael Jordan across his NBA career

Michael Jordan is often referred to as the greatest player in NBA history. While there might be a debate around that topic, there's no denying that Jordan dominated the NBA in the 1990s and changed how basketball was viewed all over the world.

Jordan won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1998, putting together two streaks of three titles. He was also named the Finals MVP in each of those six NBA Finals, and the Bulls were undefeated on the NBA's biggest stage with Jordan.

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5 Biggest rivals of Michael Jordan in his NBA career

For all his greatness and the reverence he produces, Michael Jordan definitely had to endure several painful moments before he was able to reach the ultimate goal in the NBA. Some of Jordan's biggest accomplishments turned into failures for his peers in the 1990s. That effectively meant he had some fierce rivalries with other NBA players in his career.

In this article, we will take a look at Michael Jordan's biggest rivals during his legendary NBA career.

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#5 Larry Bird

Larry Bird won three MVPs and three titles with the Boston Celtics.

When Michael Jordan entered the NBA in the 1984-85 NBA season, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were at the peak of their powers. The duo were the undisputed faces of the entire NBA.

Bird, on his side, was the reigning regular-season MVP and came off a championship and Finals MVP with the Boston Celtics in 1984. In Jordan's first two seasons, Bird was named MVP and the two faced each other in the 1986 NBA Playoffs.

Jordan's Bulls fell to the Celtics twice in the first round of the NBA Playoffs without winning a game, though MJ put up huge numbers on both occasions (1986 and 1987).

The Celtics clearly had the best team, while Jordan was pretty much by himself on the Chicago Bulls' roster. Bird was not really a rival to Jordan during his prime, but as Jordan's status in the league grew, he still had to admit that Bird and Magic were the faces of the NBA and were going for titles while he was not.

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#4 Magic Johnson

Earvin 'Magic' Johnson.

Similar to Bird, Magic Johnson was Michael Jordan's rival a bit on the court but also on narratives. Johnson was the face of the NBA, alongside Larry Bird, and his 'Showtime' LA Lakers were in contention for NBA titles. Around this time, Jordan could only contest individual scoring titles.

Between 1987 and 1990, Johnson won three MVPs and Jordan finished second twice. The narrative between the two players eventually shifted after the 1991 NBA Finals. Johnson and his LA Lakers were favorites, but Jordan and the Bulls took their first NBA title in a series that represented the passing of the torch from the Magic-Bird duo to MJ.

#3 Patrick Ewing

Head coach Patrick Ewing of the Georgetown Hoyas.

While he did not face Michael Jordan face-to-face on every play on the court, Patrick Ewing was one of MJ's biggest opponents in the NBA. Ewing's New York Knicks were one of the biggest threats to Jordan's Bulls during their championship runs.

While it was not a personal rivalry, Ewing and the Knicks faced Jordan and the Bulls in multiple heated series in the NBA Playoffs. Of course, the Chicago Bulls dominated New York while Jordan was on the court, beating them on five occasions between 1989 and 1996.

The Knicks often competed well with their physicality, but Jordan's Bulls usually prevailed.

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#2 Charles Barkley

Former NBA player Charles Barkley.

Charles Barkley enters this list mainly because of his 1992-93 NBA campaign for the Phoenix Suns. While he faced Jordan twice in the NBA Playoffs during his days with the Philadelphia 76ers and didn't succeed, Barkley has admitted that he simply thought he did not have enough help at Philly.

After he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1992, Barkley became the NBA MVP and led the Suns to the NBA Finals. For many fans and critics, that took him within touching distance of Jordan's throne as the best player in the league.

In the 1993 NBA Finals, Barkley and the Phoenix Suns did not have a bad series and it all came down to small details. Barkley averaged 27.3 points, 13 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the six-game series, but Jordan made his greatest effort in any of his six NBA Finals.

Jordan put up an NBA finals record of 41 points per game, along with 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists per night. The Chicago Bulls eventually escaped with the NBA title thanks to John Paxson's game-winning shot in Game 6.

While the competition was fierce, it was mostly on the court, unlike other Jordan rivalries.

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#1 Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas and Detroit's coach Chuck Daly.

This one is definitely number one on every list regarding Michael Jordan's rivals. Isiah Thomas and the 'Bad Boy' Detroit Pistons defeated the Chicago Bulls in three consecutive NBA Playoffs from 1988 to 1990. Detroit's physicality made those games battles that ended regularly with Jordan's team bruised and beaten.

Thomas and the 'Bad Boy' Detroit Pistons were the final hurdle the Chicago Bulls had to clear on their way to their dynasty. The Pistons stopped the Bulls twice, in 1989 and 1990, in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Detroit outfit's physicality generated friction between the two teams, as Jordan was often subject to harsh fouls and some over-the-line tactics. Jordan revealed in his documentary, The Last Dance, that he hated the Detroit Pistons.

On his side, Thomas is not a fan of Jordan either as he had constantly mentioned how other players were better than MJ. The Bulls only defeated the 'Bad Boys' in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, with a four-game sweep that ended with the Pistons walking off the court without shaking the Bulls players' hands.

Thomas has even mentioned that Jordan was not in the top 3 toughest players he had to overcome in his NBA career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird hold those spots in Zeke's mind.

The issue between the two former Finals MVP award winners was also noticeable in the selection of the 1992 Dream Team. Thomas was not in the squad and Jordan was believed by many to be the reason behind it.

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