Big O: "Jordan is not the greatest ever"

[King Taharqa]

Much was made of recent comments from Scottie Pippen, who suggested that Heat star LeBron James just might wind up going down as the best player in NBA history—better, even, than Pippen’s former teammate, Michael Jordan. All around the league, there was indignation at Pippen’s assertion.

At that, Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson, who may have been every bit as good as Jordan in his day, just rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

“I didn’t hear the comments,” Robertson told the Dan Sileo Show on WDAE in Tampa Wednesday morning. “Let me tell you about what being great is. Ever hear of Elgin Baylor? Never mention his name, do we? Great basketball player. You know what you have today? Michael Jordan was a great player, but he won after Chicago got Pippen, Grant and those other players to go along with him, because for a while they couldn’t beat Detroit.

“Everybody looks at what you’ve done. Sure he won six championships, Russell won eleven. There are other players on these teams when they play. They don’t play by themselves. Michael Jordan is a great player. Was he the greatest? Ask Kobe that. Ask Bill Russell. Ask Oscar Robertson. Ask Wilt Chamberlain. Ask Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, ask those guys.”

Sports fans seem to have short memories and little knowledge of history, according to Robertson. Robertson didn’t just suggest that Jordan might not be the best ever, as Pippen did, he flat-out said it.

“The problem today is you get some people who have never been around a basketball,” he said. “The media now has anointed Michael Jordan the greatest of all time. Is he greatest of all time? No, I don’t think he is. I think he is a great player. There have been other great players as well, great players before I played. Now you have a situation where Pippen is saying (James) could be better than Michael Jordan, and everyone gets so upset by it. All these commentators, did they ever see any of these guys play?”

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2011-06-08/oscar-robertson-jordan-is-not-greatest-ever

After Pippen's comments a few weeks back, this is the 2nd HOFer to come out and say MJ is not the greatest. Kareem was the 1st a week or so ago.

[HeatCheck]

Mr. Triple Double. Loved his game, very underappreciated.

But even MJ will tell you that he is not the greatest. It's just opinion.

[TruCatzFan]

Who FUGGIN cares? This shyit has hit it's expiration. Is it 9 yet?

[cbarrier90]

Mr. Triple Double. Loved his game, very underappreciated.

IMO this is the reason we all of a sudden have comments coming from these other great players from the past that MJ is not the greatest.

I think Kareem, Oscar, and Scottie feel as though they are being slighted when it comes to these discussions and only now, with players like LeBron, Wade, and Dirk in the Finals and the discussion of everyone's place in history rampant in every game, have they begun to speak out.

I don't think it's to diminish Jordan's accomplishments, but rather, to introduce a newer generation of NBA fans to the history of the great players in the league, a history with which many fans may not be familiar.

[Darth Biscuit]

As much as I like Lebron... he is not the greatest ever. MJ is, but that's just imo. Plus I'm a bit biased 'cause Jordan is from my hometown.

I do think that Lebron is more athletically gifted than Jordan was in a lot of ways.

[MadHatter]

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2011-06-08/oscar-robertson-jordan-is-not-greatest-ever

After Pippen's comments a few weeks back, this is the 2nd HOFer to come out and say MJ is not the greatest. Kareem was the 1st a week or so ago.

What he is saying is that there have been many GREAT players in the NBA....in different eras and on different teams.

You could make an arguement for many of them to be the greatest....depends on how you define greatest.

However, you seem to think this gives some validation to your claim that LeBron is the greatest. It does nothing of the sort.

[Implied Volatility]

This is old news... It's been known for years that Oscar Robertson doesn't believe Jordan is the G.O.A.T.

[King Taharqa]

However, you seem to think this gives some validation to your claim that LeBron is the greatest. It does nothing of the sort.

Ive never called LeBron the GOAT or said he's better than Jordan ever. But he is the best player in this era of the NBA and the biggest athlete in American sports right now.

[TheRealDeal]

Funny how he mentioned Kobe first...

[Wanderlai]

MJ....then you can rank everyone else.

[Swarly]

fact: for every former(and current) player that says Jordan isn't the greatest, there is 1,000 that say he is the greatest

[King Taharqa]

MJ....then you can rank everyone else.

"Did somebody say rings?"

[Panthers128]

Jordan is the greatest and I think you'll find nearly everyone who watched him play or played against him will say as much. These people are jealous and that's understandable but they have no one to blame but themselves for not being greater than Jordan. Jordan put in the work, he stepped up when it mattered, and he consistently outperformed his opponents.

When you look back at the all time greats you always think of rivals. Kobe or LeBron? Shaq or Hakeem? Magic or Bird? Russell or Wilt?

No one was even deserving of such a title in Jordan's world. There was only Jordan and even the men who would have been considered his rivals acknowledge as much. Magic has said he was a a higher level. Larry Bird said it was "God disguised as Michael Jordan" after playing him.

[King Taharqa]

Im gonna play devils advocate. Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984. In the middle of what many call the "golden era" of basketball. Now tell me how many titles Jordan won in the 80s? Did he ever beat the Lakers that decade? Or the Celtics? Bad Boy Pistons? Nope. Jordan waited his turn just like everybody before and after him despite how much we try to revise that fact. He had no rivals because guys like Bird, Magic, & Isiah who regularly beat him and his teams either retired or fell off at the beginning of the 90s. When those guys were in their primes, how did Jordan fare?

Guys like Big O, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, etc influenced J and have resumes just as good if not better. Although I see Jordan as the GOAT, I wont argue with others who proclaim those other guys better.