Michael Jordan’s greatness is transferable, no matter the era. But according to Dennis Rodman, the Chicago Bulls legend would be even more dominant if he played in today’s NBA. That, according to “The Worm,” makes the GOAT debate pointless.
“That has been a big debate for a while now. If Michael played in this era, he would average 50 points a game. LeBron is a great talent, no doubt, and he is probably in the top 3 players that ever played with Kobe, Magic, Kareem – but Michael is right there. I don’t know why you guys discuss who the GOAT is,” Rodman said on ESPN’s First Take.
Rodman would always pick MJ
Dennis was on the receiving end of Jordan’s greatness before joining him with the Chicago Bulls. Even though Rodman’s “Bad Boy” Pistons had MJ’s number early on in his career, they couldn’t stop him from having some historical scoring displays.
The two became teammates in 1995 after the Bulls acquired Dennis from the San Antonio Spurs. Over the next three years, “The Worm” witnessed Jordan’s dominance firsthand as he led Chicago to its second three-peat in eight years.
Still, when Rodman made this comment, LeBron James didn’t have the 2020 NBA championship on his resume. He also lacked years of unprecedented longevity he continues to showcase, despite being a month away from turning 39.
Would Dennis describe the GOAT debate as pointless if he was asked about it today? Probably not, given that James did a great job of bolstering his case. But would Rodman also still pick his former teammate as the greatest ever? No doubt.
Jordan would average 50
The legendary forward isn’t the only guy to say “His Airness” would average 50 if he played today. Former Washington Wizards big man Ethan Thomas made the same remark on “Inside Buzz With Mikey Domagala,” asserting that Jordan would dominate today’s NBA.
“The defense is different. We’re watching him against the Pistons — every time he went into the lane, it was a hard foul. All fouls would’ve been flagrant today. Today, where you can’t touch someone? How do you guard him? You think Giannis is a problem? MJ right now… I can’t even imagine… I’d say 50, 50 points a game,” Thomas said.
Regardless of his all-time great NBA run, the common sentiment is Jordan would’ve been even better if he played in today’s era. That’s why, despite LeBron’s continued dominance, 58.3% of today’s players voted for MJ as the greatest of all time in a recent poll conducted by The Athletic.
Unofficially, Jordan is still the GOAT. Rodman, himself, probably feels the same way.