The Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan was a unicorn. He was in a segment all by himself. And there weren’t many who ever came close to the type of things he could do on the basketball court. A soft-spoken and down-to-earth human being off the court but an absolute killer on the court, Jordan could do it all. And the number of accolades he has won during his playing career in the NBA is absolutely extraordinary. 

No doubt Jordan was one of the best scorers in league history. He could turn it up and torch the opposing team any given night. And there wasn’t much that teams could do about it. MJ had a way of always finding cracks in the defense. 

Michael Jordan was the same beast on defense as much as he was on offense

Jordan majorly took the scoring load for the Chicago Bulls. He was always the team’s primary scorer and first option on offense. But that did not stop him from contributing on the other side of the floor.

As good as Jordan was, he perhaps does not get enough credit for his defensive abilities. And that may be because Jordan’s offensive performances always managed to overshadow his defense. And it is still the same in today’s NBA. 

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“Soft Spoken” Michael Jordan Had a Sandwich Named After Him Even Before Featuring in the NBA

The offense usually gets more attention and credit than the defense. But Jordan did not slack off on defense despite performing at such a high level on offense. Furthermore, late Chicago Bulls legend Jerry Sloan shared his views on Jordan’s lesser-known prowess on the court. 

Sloan said in an interview in 1987, “I’m not so sure Michael’s not one of the better defensive players in basketball. He doesn’t hound you to death. He’s just got so much athletic ability, he can cover anybody.”

Former Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jerry Reynolds shared his views on Jordan’s offensive abilities. He said, “If you guarded him with one person straight up every night, he’d average 60.”

Reynolds added, “The other guys put on a great show, but Michael takes it to another level. And when he can concentrate on it, he’s a totally great defensive player, as good as there is in the league. If he only had to score 15 or 16 a game, he’d be the best on defense.” 

Michael Jordan was selected for the All-NBA-Defensive First Team nine times in his career. He also won one Defensive Player Of The Year award and was the league’s leader in steals for three seasons. MJ could’ve easily contributed more on defense if he perhaps didn’t have to worry about the offensive side of things. Which goes to further prove that MJ truly was the best at whatever he did on the court.

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It wasn’t that Jordan wasn’t good on defense, it was just his offense was so spectacular, it made people forget about his plays on the defensive side of the floor. Because for a guard to lead the league in steals and also be the top scorer of the team is something very few can say they accomplished.