Identifying the Greatest of All Time
According to a poll conducted by the Marketing Evaluations Inc., 89% of fans still recognize Michael Jordan, and he is a favorite to 43% of lovers of basketball (Taylor). The results of this survey are a testament to the greatness of Michael Jordan as a sports legend. Besides, a wide array of sources, especially online sports articles and newspapers have nothing but praises for Jordan. This paper argues that Michael Jordan is a GOAT because of his exceptional basketball and leadership skills as well as his dedication to this sport.
To begin with, Jordan is a GOAT in the field of sports because of his exceptional basketball skills. Many people consider Michael Jordon to be the greatest basketball player to ever live (Songco). More importantly, Michael Jordan began making a mark in the basketball immediately after he started his career in this sport. Jordon began his basketball career at the University of North Carolina in 1981 (Tuell). One year later, Jordan hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 season to help his college team secure the National Championship trophy (Tuell). What happened in this tournament has remained in the memory of some of Jordan’s colleagues and fans. In the documentary titled The Last Dance, Jordan’s colleagues describe how he helped his team win the national championship as if the event happened 38 days ago (Niesen). Evidently, Jordan’s exceptional basketball skills made him unforgettable to those who watched his games. Besides, Jordan managed to score 43 points for the Wizards when he was 40 years old (Taylor). Thus, Jordan was still an exceptional basketball player at the time when he chose to retire from this sport.
At the same time, Jordan is a GOAT as far as basketball is concerned since he used his leadership skills to elevate this sport. Some of Jordan’s fellow players describe him as hard to work with. B. J. Armstrong played as a point guard in Chicago between 1989 and 1995, and he says that it would be difficult for a person to be around Michael Jordan if he or she did not have a true love for the basketball (Niesen). However, Jordan perceives fellow players’ perception of him as difficult to work with as a testament to his leadership skills. On this note, Michael Jordan claims that winning the many championships attributed to him came at a price, for example, he had to pull along some people who were not comfortable with being challenged (Niesen). More importantly, Jordan led from the front. Many of Jordan’s teammates argue that the former did not ask anyone to do something that he or she was not doing (Niesen). Evidently, Jordan’s leadership has played a crucial role in making basketball the way it is today.
Lastly, Jordan is a GOAT because of his sacrifices and dedication to the sports of basketball. Throughout his career, Jordan was willing to doing whatever it took to keep his dream of being the best player alive. After he was injured in his second season in the NBA, Jordan missed 64 games (Niesen). For many players, this would have been the end of their dream. Others would have waited to be completely healed before they could embark on training and playing their favorite sports. However, Jordan was very anxious about returning to the basketball court that he ignored the doctor’s orders when he persuaded Bulls to allow him to return to the University of North Carolina to work on this degree (Niesen). However, Jordan wanted to use his time at UNC to build on his strengths. Consequently, he started playing one-on-one before transitioning to two-on-two and three-on-three in his attempt to overcome his injury (Niesen). Thus, injuries could not hold Jordan down, which demonstrate his dedication to the sports of basketball.
In conclusion, Michael Jordan is one of the best basketball players of all time. The image below shows what makes Jordan a GOAT. From this image, it is evident Jordan possessed superhuman traits when in the basketball court. His facial expression shows the Jordan was not only an exceptional basketball player but he also loved this sports very much. In his career, Jordan has overcome adversity in the form of injuries to demonstrate why he is the greatest basketball player of all times.
(Tuell).
Works Cited
Niesen, Joan. “Ten surprising things we learned from the Michael Jordan ESPN documentary.” Newsweek, 1 May. 2020, https://go-gale-com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Magazines&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CA622339268&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZXAY-MOD1&prodId=OVIC&contentSet=GALE%7CA622339268&searchId=R2&userGroupName=balt47855&inPS=true&ps=1&cp=1. Accessed on May 13, 2020.
Songco, Paolo. “Top plays from bulls legend Michael Jordan’ s career.” Clutch Points, 24 April. 2020, https://clutchpoints.com/top-plays-from-michael-jordan-career/. Accessed on May 13, 2020.
Taylor, Phil. “Michael Jordan at 50 (It’s complicated).” Sports Illustrated, 19 Feb. 2013, http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=14&sid=1e9682f1-3690-4393-b1e8-5f803c9011ff%40sdc-v-sessmgr03&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHVybCx1aWQsY29va2llJnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=87000703&db=f5h. Accessed on May 13, 2020.
Tuell, Todd. “The whole world wants to “Be like Mike.”” Faces, 2018, http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=10&sid=1e9682f1-3690-4393-b1e8-5f803c9011ff%40sdc-v-sessmgr03&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHVybCx1aWQsY29va2llJnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=128078321&db=f5h. Accessed on May 13, 2020.