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Even with six championship rings and NBA Finals MVP titles, Michael Jordan was troubled by one group of players, as he revealed in an interview years ago.
A person from the crowd asked Jordan if guard John Starks was one of his toughest opponents. That’s when Jordan replied with:
“The hardest opponent for me to play against in terms of 1-on-1? Small guys: (Allen) Iverson, Damon Stoudamire, Rod Strickland, Muggsy (Bogues),” Jordan said. “Those little guards like that, it was hard for me.”
The six-time NBA champion was one of the best ever to step on the court, with six Finals MVPs and five MVP awards to his name. But when it came to players like Iverson (6’0″), Stoudamire (5’10”), and Bogues (5’3″), Jordan had a problem: the nastier the tricks were used to guard them, with Jordan claiming them as tough guards according to Basketball Network.
Bogues, for example, being the smallest NBA player ever to play, used his cunning to lock down attackers and dismantle passing lanes, and also snatched the ball right when they were setting for a shot. He averaged 1.5 steals and two defensive rebounds throughout his career.
At the same time, Stoudamire averaged 1.1 steals and 2.7 defensive rebounds while Iverson and Strickland averaged 2.2 and 1.5 steals, and 2.9 and 2.7 defensive rebounds, respectively.
And it wasn’t just Jordan who struggled around ‘little guards’. Kobe Bryant once admitted to Jimmy Kimmel that against Allen Iverson, when the 76ers star dropped 44 points against him in one game.
But what do the stats tell us about Jordan being hard to guard? And who are the players Jordan would want to face 1-on-1?
Michael Jordan on who he wanted to face 1-on-1
Jordan, who averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in his career, was definitely a hard shooting guard to defend against. Due to his scoring ability, Jordan also led the NBA in points in 10 seasons.
Although “those little guards” were the players who gave Jordan some tough times, he also once named the players he would want to face off in a 1v1, while speaking with NBA 2K.
“If I was in my prime who would I want to play 1-on-1 with? Um, that list is very long,” Jordan said on October 1, 2013. “Start off with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryan in his prime, LeBron (James) in his prime, Dwyane Wade in his prime, Melo (Carmelo Anthony), that’s a good start. Yeah, I don’t think I lose other than Kobe Bryant because he steals all my moves.”
Jordan was surely one of the greatest to ever step on the court, winning six NBA championships, appearing in 14 All-Star Games, and being named to the All-Defensive Team a total of 11 times.
Who do you think would give Prime Jordan a tough time in a 1-on-1 situation?
Read more at the Air Jordan Chronicles!
