Known as the greatest player to ever lay a hand on a basketball, Michael Jordan is the gold standard for someone to be considered as the ‘GOAT’ of basketball. No other NBA team has achieved his two incredible three-peats until today! 

His ability to succeed (at almost everything) despite the odds, makes Jordan who he is. A recent source, however, lists the very few players who had a rare winning record against Michael Jordan.

NBA players with winning records against MJ

In a recent “USA Today Sports” article, the author lists the NBA players who can boast that they never lost to Michael Jordan one-on-one. First on the list is Philadelphia 76ers Power Forward, Bobby Jones. He played in the NBA from 1976 to 1986. During his time in the NBA, he faced off against Jordan six times. He ended up winning all 6 of those times against the Chicago Bulls legend. However, Bobby Jones averaged 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and  1.7 assists per game with 53.3 FG% whereas Michael Jordan averaged 25.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game with 48.5 FG% in those 6 games.

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Dirk Nowitzki is another player who never lost to Jordan. This Dallas Mavericks legend and an NBA Hall of Famer faced off against Jordan three times in his career and never lost a game. Nowitzki averaged 27.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game whereas Jordan just averaged 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Dirk Nowitzki clearly won the battle of the legends, and we’re sure Michael Jordan remembers it as an epic battle to this day.

There are a few other players who have a winning record against Jordan but don’t have the individual numbers like Jordan. Some of those players are Bill Walton (8-2), Baron Davis (3-1), Dennis Johnson (19-8), and Kevin McHale (24-14).

However, these players could win against Jordan’s team either because of their team’s overall better performance or because they played against Jordan when he was in the Washington Wizards (a year or two before he retired). There were a few legendary players, however, who beat Jordan individually and through team performance, during Jordan’s iconic Chicago Bulls era. 

Players who Michael Jordan lost to fair and square

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One must acknowledge the fact that the NBA is an organization where the most elite players from different generations come to play. So, it is not surprising for an exceptional player to get the best out of the ‘GOAT’ since it is a competitive team sport after all.

Nonetheless, a few legendary NBA players have completely dominated Jordan in their matchups. The late great Kobe Bryant has a winning record (5-3) against Jordan. During their matchups, Jordan scored 24.5 points, took 4.3 rebounds, and made 3.6 assists per game with an impressive 43.6 FG%. However, a young Kobe Bryant scored 22.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game with a 46.6 FG%. So clearly, Kobe Bryant did more than Jordan overall and earned his team more victories in total.

Another NBA legend who has a long-standing hateful relationship with Jordan is also included in this list. Detroit Pistons legend, Isiah Thomas has an overall 36-29 win to loss record against Jordan. He was the leader of the luminary Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s, who were the arch-rivals of the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls back then.

One last player who gave Jordan a run for his money was the legendary Larry Bird. With an overall winning record of 23-11 over Jordan, Larry Bird has won 6 out of 6 playoff games against Jordan as well. Despite Jordan’s incredible shooting prowess, Bird always somehow made up for it with his rebounds and passing, apart from his exceptional shooting of course.

What are your thoughts on the players who have a winning record over Michael Jordan? Let us know in the comments below!

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