While he is, without a doubt, the basketball’s greatest player, Michael Jordan still gained plenty of criticism about not being a team player – specifically during his early superstardom in the Chicago Bulls.
In his first three seasons in the NBA, the young Jordan popped off for jaw-dropping numbers of 31.7 points, 5.6 boards, 5.0 assists, and 2.6 steals in 49.3 percent shooting. These superior statistics allowed him to quickly amass three All-Star jerseys and two All-NBA selections to build up his case as the best player in the NBA.
But despite the individual success he enjoyed, the Bulls have meanwhile struggled and weren’t able to reach significant heights in the wake of his emergence – forcing many to enforce the notion that MJ didn’t prioritize collective winning.
As critics have targeted this weak spot of his legacy, Jordan eventually received massive backing in the form of Larry Bird.
Reason behind selfishness
Jordan and the Bulls entered the playoffs from 1985 to 1987, but they were nothing but a first-round exit at their best. As such, one of the teams that they encountered at the said span was the mythical 1986 Boston Celtics team led by Larry Legend.
The then-23-year-old Jordan considered his Round 1 face-off with the Celtics as a daunting yet grand platform to showcase the generational talent he possesses. He was indeed successful – dropping 63 points in Game 2 which remains an NBA postseason record for most points by a player in a single game. But in the end, he and Chicago were swept by the much superior Boston squad that went on to win the championship.
Many have thought that Jordan could’ve been successful earlier in his career if he applied a team-first mentality, but Bird offered a significant claim as to why the phenom became self-centered in his approach during that time.
"Early on, people were saying Michael didn't have a team mentality," Bird noted in his co-authored book "When the Game Was Ours." "That was because he didn't have a team."
Teamwork makes the dream work
Apparently, It all went down on the Bulls’ roster construction. After 1987, Jerry Krause gradually surrounded Jordan with the best supporting cast that he could get, starring Scottie Pippen. As the 1988 playoffs commenced, Chicago managed to get over the first-round hump, and the history can only further tell what happened next.
In the end, the quote “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships” just can’t be more perfect for both Jordan and the Bulls dynasty.
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