People might have contrasting views about the greatest players to play in the NBA, but one name is always constant – Michael Jordan. Few arguments can be made against MJ’s impact on the game in the 90s. Even his fiercest rivals would bow down to his class.

A like instance occurred recently when NBA legend George Karl reiterated Jordan’s place at the top of the league, even today. His statement was welcomed by quite a few fans as well as an NBA icon from Charlotte Hornets, the team owned by Jordan himself.

Rex Chapman, the first player ever to be drafted by the Hornets, back in 1998, agreed with George Karl’s statement that bore testimony to Jordan’s legacy in the game. Mind you, the two were fierce competitors to the Chicago Bulls legend and didn’t miss a chance to deny the clout of the behemoth in their midst however they could during their tenure.

Rex Chapman seemed to agree wholeheartedly on Michael Jordan

George Karl faced Michael Jordan in his prime, when he was casually steamrolling his opponents. The legendary coach was in charge of the Seattle Supersonics when they faced the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA finals. Despite being such a nemesis, the now 71-year-old legend couldn’t help but respect his opponent as years later, in January this year, he showered His Airness with huge claims.

Karl took to Twitter to express his opinion on one of the all-time greats. “Anyone who is debating Michael’s GOAT status doesn’t realize he would average a 40 PPG triple-double in the modern game.”, wrote George.

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Rex Chapman did not just agree with Karl’s statement – he took it even further by figuring that MJ would have averaged 45-50 PPG today.

The idea that MJ would perform astronomically better isn’t something totally new, as players, analysts and coaches in the past have been seen reiterating the claim. Jeff Van Gundy, the legendary NBA coach, once mentioned that with all the changes in ‘rules‘, MJ would shoot even more than the near-50% he shot regularly.

Additionally, many believe Jordan would have thrived amidst today’s constant social media criticism of players. In a 2020 interview, Karl mentioned how MJ was highly motivated all the time, even though no one doubted him.

The secret to Michael Jordan’s motivation

In the documentary The Last Dance, Michael Jordan revealed how he got motivated for the 1996 NBA finals. George Karl, being the opposing coach, decided to ignore him in a restaurant. Apparently, Karl wanted to refrain from any communication with the legend to avoid him using it as motivation.

Ironically, Jordan used the very incident to motivate himself further. In the interview, Karl revealed that at the end of his career, MJ was “making stuff up”?to keep himself motivated.

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Needless to say, it was the attitude that Michael Jordan held that would help him stay motivated regardless of the atmosphere around him. It is the reason why contemporaries continue to hail him as the all-time great to this day.