'I don't think this is our best Bulls team' - Michael Jordan compared two three-peat-winning Bulls squads

Not everyone gets to compare what their championship teams were like. After all, only a few players experience the highs of being on top of the NBA mountaintop several times. But then again, not everyone is Michael Jordan.

It's safe to say Mike ruled the 1990s era of NBA basketball with a heavy hand, leading the Chicago Bulls to six championships in eight seasons. His sheer dominance was unparalleled, and it denied superstars like Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, and John Stockton the chance to get rings of their own.

Jordan spoke to ESPN The Magazine in 1998 and shared how different the first three-peat-winning Bulls squad was from the one that won three more from 1996 to 1998.

Not the best Bulls squad

As "His Airness" competed in his last season for the Bulls, he noted the differences between the two successful squads. While the core of him and Scottie Pippen remained, the supporting casts were completely different, leading Mike to deduce that the Bulls team that won titles from 1991 to 1993 was much better than the one that hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy in 1996, 1997, and 1998.

"I don't think this is our best Bulls team. Our first three title teams were more balanced, younger, more agile," MJ said.

Michael had a solid point regarding the Bulls' roster composition in the late 1990s. While the team was battle-tested and had more experience in the trenches, there was no doubt the players were getting up there in age and mileage.

Jordan was already 34, Pippen 32, and Dennis Rodman 36. In fact, the youngest players in the Bulls' rotation in 1998 were Toni Kukoc and Luc Longley, both 29, and Scott Burrell, 27.

A hungrier team

Jordan added that their first three-peat team also held a lot more hunger for championship success. After experiencing so many heartbreaking losses in the NBA Playoffs, no thanks to the mighty Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, those Bulls squads, which also had Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, and B.J. Armstrong, were itching to reach the promised land.

This is not to say that the Chicago teams from 1996 to 1998 lacked desire, but the players on those teams were more accomplished and had more individual accolades than in their earlier years.

"The desire was a lot stronger. It's strong now, but back then, we had a lot of guys who had never won anything," Jordan remarked.

Jordan and the Bulls of the 90s epitomized winning. With MJ's fiercely competitive nature and sensational skill set, along with the equally spectacular talents of Pippen and Rodman, the Bulls put their stamp on that era by winning the 1998 NBA title, capping off a run that might not be matched any time soon.