#161 ·
Jason Fisher78 As rowdytinker3 points out:
It’s quite predictable. Americans have this insatiable hunger for an "all-American hero," and back when the NBA was aggressively expanding, someone decided he would be that icon—and they succeeded. I am not suggesting he wasn't a talented player, but his god-like status was a masterpiece of marketing rather than pure basketball merit. His PR machine was relentless, starting with those gold chains at the Slam Dunk Contest and never letting up. The media treated his every move as if it were the action of a superhuman, even though other players were doing the exact same things; they just weren't operating under a microscope. Then there was the constant narrative that he could win a championship anywhere, a theory we saw play out extensively in Washington, D.C. If he hadn't had Scottie Pippen by his side, and if he hadn't been granted privileges unlike anyone else in NBA history before he had even proven himself as more than just above average, he wouldn't be holding all those trophies. He likely would have ended up in that tier of highly skilled players who, due to poor surroundings, achieved little despite impressive individual stats—players like Dominique Wilkins, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, or Clyde Drexler.
The media machine operates in predictable cycles; you saw it clearly when Michael Jordan stepped away. They felt an urgent need to manufacture a successor—someone who could fill the void, yet inevitably lacked his greatness—leading to a long string of "Baby Jordans" before we finally landed on the era of Kobe Bryant. It was a messy transition, especially considering how Shaq’s statistical dominance often overshadowed the actual flow of play. Just imagine if Shaq had played more like Dennis Rodman, relentlessly vacuuming up every rebound just to feed Kobe. And don't even get me started on those tactical maneuvers by Steve Kerr or that legendary performance by Toni Kukoč against the Utah Jazz. Without those specific contributions, those championship rings and the massive stardom wouldn't exist. Once Kobe became too much of a liability for the narrative, they simply pivoted to LeBron James. I'm not suggesting Kobe wasn't elite; I'm saying the media plays a very calculated role in shaping these legacies.
I find myself wondering exactly what metrics one would use to argue that Michael Jordan holds any true superiority over someone like Bill Russell.
What an absolute mountain of unadulterated bullshit this whole mess is.🤣
Someone once made the observation that he had to be the one to pull it off, and sure enough, he was. But honestly? He should probably just go find some professional help and step away from the spotlight for a while.☕
If he had only managed one or maybe two championships just by being lucky, I might listen, but he has six. He’s got NCAA titles, a mountain of awards, and medals to boot. There is undeniable proof of him delivering in those high-stakes moments when none of the players you're listing could step up. Yet, you still have the nerve to claim he’s overrated, arguing that his success was merely the byproduct of having Scottie Pippen by his side. You seem to forget that while Toni Kukoč had that one standout performance, it was the man himself who secured the title in that final game—the one involving that stolen ball and the decisive basket. Not to mention that earlier game where he played through nearly 40 degrees of heat, putting up a performance unlike anything we've ever seen to secure the win. And then there's the argument that the NBA was just expanding at the time... honestly, give me a break.😂😂
Comparing him to Bill Russell is like comparing apples to oranges. Trying to weigh fifty or sixty years of NBA history against the specific era of the nineties is just absurd. Everyone already consensus-agreed that Michael Jordan was the greatest player to ever step onto a court, yet there’s always some random guy popping up out of nowhere just to act like he's got a grudge and start talking nonsense. Just like you.
God... damn.🙏🙏
