Michael Jordan vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's sky hook

1989 season

[@jxn23]

So 7-2 Kareem scores on 6-6 Jordan. That's exactly what he's supposed to do. Jordan couldn't block Kareem's sky hook. 7 foot centers couldn't block Kareem's sky hook. Is this video meant to show anything other than a big taking advantage of a mismatch?

[@TheRiggedBA]

It was meant to show some people who asked where the Kareem/Jordan photo came from and was part of a conversation inspired by the NBA channel making a sky hook montage for Kareem's birthday. But the Jordan play wasn't in there and they couldn't find it on KZbin, so I uploaded it for them and the Jordan trolls.

[@airplayrule]

where did u get the video

[@JohnSmith-yn9ie]

It's a mismatch because michael jordan is a clearly inferior player who needs rule changes and shoe contracts for people to think otherwise

[@ewd31989]

Nah this video is meant to show Jabbar scoring on Jordan.

[@well.thy.one.]

John Smith lol

[@air2373]

I appreciate the sky hook. The man had one move and scored 38K points, not bad at all.

[@dynamic6645]

an old kareem really made Jordan look like a fool and helpless with that skyhook lmao

[@air2373]

@@dynamic6645 Not really. It’s a great move and unguardable as well. Wilt blocked it a few times but he is the only one, so it’s not embarrassing at all, especially considering their height difference.

[@leoupdate8150]

@@dynamic6645 he’s literally 7”2, what did you expect?

[@rickhammond2473]

@@dynamic6645 Jordan would make Kareem look like a fool with his sick reverse layup.😁kzbin.infoqqR0C9qynZs

[@dynamic6645]

@@leoupdate8150 Excuses excuses excuses excuses, if you are the greatest and most athletic player in basketball history, you have to block that shot

[@sagebias2251]

There is a zero percent chance MJ could block that shot.

[@xenekol4347]

The hook has only been blocked by wilt no one else could do that 😂

[@mcmerry2846]

Well, Kareem was like 7'' taller

[@ChidorivsRasengan3]

@@xenekol4347 goal tending

[@davonbenson4361]

@@ChidorivsRasengan3. One of the blocks were clean.

[@simonemiglioli1165]

​​@@xenekol4347Could Bill Russel does it ?

[@mrslick58]

Wilt and Jordan use to argue about who was the greatest. I would have loved to see mj vs wilt fadeaways

[@fireblood4699]

In Jordan’s time wilt woulda just dunked it. They were way more strict about offensive fouls in wilts era. That’s why Kareem sky hooks and wilt does the fade away, because you couldn’t back ppl downS just think think about the concept, it’s a charge by definition. You back into a defender that’s set and move him back😂 but by Jordan’s time they were letting you do it, because the nba wanted to market dunking (thanks to the popularity of a certain doctor in a rival league)

[@nicedoppy2077]

@@fireblood4699 ...that certain Doctor was absolutely GREAT!!!!

[@Micnify]

Can't nobody stop that!! Thank you!! Mic'2023

[@ak740_]

This video is bias. Michael Jordan was just going easy on Kareem, he was trying to make Kareem think he couldn't stop him. That's the genius of Michael Jordan. -Average Jordan fan

[@Van_ax]

AK740 - If MJ felt like it I feel he would've shut down Kareem. MJ was just playing mind games

[@ak740_]

eBron James a Jordan fan actually told me something similar to this comment before. I'm dead serious lol

[@TheRiggedBA]

+AK740 LOL It's funny because it's actually like something they would say.

[@ak740_]

TheRiggedBA yea lol

[@SuperKool500]

TheRiggedBA I like your channel but it seems like you just want to diminish Jordan's greatness .

[@user-jd8hr4jc1k]

kareem is goat 🏀🔥🔥

[@hello-he1us]

cap

[@Discipleofthelordandjesus]

6 mvps 5 chips 2 fmvp 3 ncaa chips Kareem is goat

[@victorramirez3056]

@@hello-he1us he is this he is better mj

[@hello-he1us]

@@victorramirez3056 yall really think he's the goat??? lmao please he aint even top 3

[@allthingsUtube]

Kareem abdul jabbar won 8 rings to Jordan's 6 f, nken idiot! Do your homework clown. 8 is more than 6. 2 rings as special assistant coach 2008/2009 2009/2010 lakers

[@nickw.9646]

bro didn’t even try to block the skyhook 😂😂😂

[@mcmerry2846]

You never know if he will just pump fake that, jumping is pointless there

[@nickw.9646]

@@mcmerry2846 kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6irgWNqibyCptU

[@cediep0tp0t32]

That sky hook earns more than 30k pts. No one stopping that

[@mcmerry2846]

Wilt Chamberlain stopped that

[@cameronciampichini9]

Hey, I love your videos and read most of your replies. You're knowledgeable man. Thanks for spreading the knowledge :)

[@TheRiggedBA]

Thanks!

[@kevinhays2142]

Kareem is under rated because he made it look so easy. AND he didn't have to fly in the air. He was already in the air.

[@kendallchristopher2328]

Wilt Chamberlain was the only player to block that shot. Jordan head was at Kareem's shoulder.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Nate Thurmond was the first to block it actually

[@coachwane]

@@TheIcemanthomas Not true. Wilt blocked Kareem sky hook in his rookie year first game they played each other

[@TheIcemanthomas]

@@coachwane first game they played against each other vs first game he played. Two different things. Do U know if Nate played Kareem before wilt or not?

[@joweydelanota7421]

You can clearly see thst Jordan gave up on the play. It amazes me rhat you are the only idiot who thinks Jordan could only jump that high

[@x-man9473]

Then there's this game where Jordan was scoring on every Laker opponent including Kareem. And Kareem was too scared to guard him when he was going up for a dunk. But that doesn't fit the narrative. kzbin.info/www/bejne/laWqiHitgpWZi6c

[@x-man9473]

@Coatesville Red Raiders And you can also see examples of Kareem getting schooled by Moses Malone, Nate Thurmond, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Walton, and other centers-a common occurence in the 70s. Jordan would have been fine. Lol

[@x-man9473]

@Coatesville Red Raiders I'm not threatened by Kareem. I have at #2. But it's a distant 2. Your rememberence of history does not match with reality about Kareem out playing other players at his position

[@smokeyjoe795]

who is the greatest player Jordan went head to head with at the shooting guard? Clyde Drexler? OK. That is one great he faced. For Kareem that would be light work like pissing on Bob Lanier, also a HOFer but par for the course in that era of dominating big men. Centers and power forwards. Gilmore, Lanier, Unseld, McAdoo, Elvin Hayes, Bill Walton pre injury. Bill Walton clear about it, "Kareem was the greatest player I ever played against." He said that over and over. As an older player there are video available on KZbin of Jabbar scoring 40 on Ewing, 46 on Akeem Olajawon, 43 and 38. Sampson wasn't even that competitive with old man Jabbar. I don't want to piss on Jordan because he was the GOAT as a pro. As long as we don't bring up college Michael can keep that title. Consider college dominance, POY 3 times and 3 time Champion at UCLA 88-2 during his run there. LOL

[@x-man9473]

@Coatesville Red Raiders >Nah. Dude. I made one mistake. I named several stars who outplayed him. >Shooting a better percentage than Jordan would be impressive if he was a guard. He's not. He's a center. Centers are the most efficient positions in NBA history. They play down low close to the basket. > -In 1972, Nate Thurmond completely locked Kareem down to 23 ppg on 43% shooting. WHich is piss poor for a big man. -In the 1974 finals, Dave Cowens-the role player on the team-sent Kareem and the Bucks packing after outscoring and outrebounding Kareem in the final game. -In the 1977 conference finals, Kareem had the better team record and still got swept 4-0 against Bill Walton's blazers. In 1981 and 1983, Moses Malone outperformed Kareem. >My memory is fine, sir. Kareem constantly lost series against teams that he was expected to defeat. He got outplayed by other centers.

[@heroinvrxther5826]

@@x-man9473 Jordan played in an era where the top talent was never at his position. Clyde Drexler was the only formidable player he faced, and he was crippled, beat up, and lost a step in his athleticism when he played MJ in the Finals.

[@eastbee103]

Kareem had the sky hook, Jordan had the sky!!

[@TheRiggedBA]

That's not bad.

[@chitownkidd33]

At the age of 42!

[@shawn17g]

With 7'2 against 6'6

[@805livin4]

Im a Hooper tho who is considered the greatest basketball player ever and was in his prime at the time being

[@shawn17g]

@@805livin4 but not even 7'0 centers like wilt could guard it so why a 6'6 sg should be able to

[@thedailyidiot4817]

805 Livin lbj🐐

[@coachwane]

@@shawn17g Wilt swatted the bs many and many times. Dude grabbed Kareem 2hand dunk with his left hand all ball.

[@javiervasquez1853]

0:21 what a beauty

[@dumisatonyjohnson8145]

Kareem> Michael More points More MVPs Played longer (20 years with the Bucks and LA Lakers) Won 3 championships with UCLA (MJ 1 championship with the Tar Heels) Most outstanding player of the ncaa tournament (Michael wasn’t the most outstanding player of the tournament) Carried an expansion team to a championship his second year (Michael got swept by Larry) Michael’s the greatest shooting guard in the history of the NBA Kareem Abdul Jabbar is the greatest *PLAYER* in the history of the NBA And it’s not even close If Bill Russell played against Kareem, he wouldn’t have stood a damn chance

[@FeyiSBz]

imagine comparing ncaa awards for the greatest nba player of all time

[@joeyc1236]

Ultimate Feyinator this guy used “player longer” as an argument 😭

[@drewrosado7397]

@Eredin, King of the Wild Hunt Fax

[@andreingramakadjscrewrip7372]

@@FeyiSBz Imagine saying Kareem carried the '71 Bucks when the starting PG was Oscar Robertson 😭😭😭

[@Amoun007]

well someone at least gave kareem the respect he deserves, I am tired of the media talking about mj andkobe all the time, they disrespect these legends a lot : hakeem wilt magic lebron

[@Noobmaster-ts2df]

wilt blocked the skyhook twice in a row. wilt is a monster

[@erfan3944]

offcourse he is

[@nathanielbean3119]

yea hes in the goat convo for sure

[@lamadoo]

when Kareem was an amateur yes, but after that he couldn't time it or was too old to jump high enough

[@gaffle-411]

That 2nd block was a goal tend.

[@allistermcginlay6476]

@@lamadoo it was in the early 1970s and wilt and Kareem played in the nba together?

[@cbreeze864]

The only man I've seen stop that before was Wilt, and even he said that he needed help guarding Kareem at times. The undeniable GOAT if there is one.

[@heywasgood1612]

He needed help cause he was old, Wilt's prime was in the 60's

[@nickw.9646]

@@heywasgood1612 prime wilt would have prime kareem for barbecue

[@heywasgood1612]

@@nickw.9646 Wilt would have bodied his skinny ass just like Moses Malone did

[@TTFMjock]

Hakeem got it once.

[@noyou113]

Jordan is the goat.

[@kevintrovador]

He couldn't even see the ball 😂

[@inactivechristine]

Hey, will you be uploading any potential rigged series for these playoffs? I'd be very interested in watching them.

[@TheRiggedBA]

+Rhino Not likely. I'll probably be pretty occupied for awhile.

[@TheRiggedBA]

+Hunter RIP Heheh

[@TheRafaelBond]

Can you do a clip of the '92 finals? Just saw MJ get two absolutely ridiculous calls at the end of the game 5 half, eve though Portland was trailing by like 10. I was bewildered at the calls... two straight for Michael, too.

[@steventhomasmiller]

How dare you insult the GOAT!!! 😉

[@IsaacKapone405]

Kareem?

[@nathanielbean3119]

Which goat? I only see kareem

[@FibaFanatic]

MJ could only dream of blocking the sky hook. Prime Kareem vs prime MJ and I'm taking Kareem any day of the week.

[@TheRiggedBA]

You mean in a 1-on-1 game? If so, then of course. Kareem was like 7'2". There's nothing Jordan could do against Kareem but die.

[@TheRiggedBA]

@Lighthouse in the Storm That's pretty much my view of him as well.

[@joweydelanota7421]

Jordan with his 6'6 48 inch vertical didnt evwn tey ro contest ir

[@stephenmacdonald4443]

Hit pause at 0.26 . You see abual jabber . Jordan neutralised andi tkinking about his height advantage and how to make space to score with what looks like easy basket

[@corkystorky]

Now show the video where Jordan actually blocked Kareem's skyhook head on, not from the side or behind, but a deadflat flyswatting block

[@kantenpayne7011]

That doesn’t exist

[@TheRiggedBA]

Ummm....

[@heroinvrxther5826]

@@TheRiggedBA That never happened, I’m pretty sure.

[@layuponthedownlow]

Kareem is better then jordan and wilt and even sabonis. Greatest basketball player of all time

[@nickw.9646]

michael and domantos are better than him that’s a fact, and ofc he’s better than wilt and kobe… how are deceased people supposed to be better at a sport than an alive person?

[@allthingsUtube]

Kareem abdul jabbar won 8 rings to Jordan's 6 f, nken idiot! Do your homework clown. 8 is more than 6. 2 rings as special assistant coach 2008/2009 2009/2010 lakers

[@davidvarey5072]

Definitely the 2 greatest ever but mj for me

[@jarvishong45]

that's it?????

[@FakeGoatDebateReferee]

KAJ has the body control of an 80 year old man. What an eyesore.

[@resttrashtalker1413]

Well, he was closer to 80 than the other way around so there's that.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Nigga he was old here

[@allthingsUtube]

Kareem abdul jabbar won 8 rings to Jordan's 6 f, nken idiot! Do your homework clown. 8 is more than 6. 2 rings as special assistant coach 2008/2009 2009/2010 lakers

[@theindivisible]

Jordan has 46/48 inch + verticals.. Still no way he could block that unless he runs from the back or a had a running start and Kareem just keeps going

[@TheRiggedBA]

Jordan didn't have a 46/48 inch vertical. His vert was closer to 38 than 48.

[@theindivisible]

@@TheRiggedBA stop lying bro. They measured 48 in his prime and he's one of the few people that can dunk from the free throw line at 6'6 height. Such a hater

[@theindivisible]

@@TheRiggedBA mind you it was measured in his professional Olympic debut at 48 inches in 1984.. His physical prime was in 1988. So probably close to 50 inches.. In his Carolina days he got 46.. Mind you, the training method, sports science, and diet back then were not as advanced as today's. Got haters saying 38 lmfao clown

[@TheRiggedBA]

@@theindivisible Mythology. Jordan was never measured at 48 inches and the 46 inch claim comes from a contradictory school paper by a student that also said Jordan's vertical was only 38 inches. And I didn't say Jordan's vert was 38, I said it was closer to 38 than 48. You apparently don't comprehend how high a 48 inch leap is.

[@theindivisible]

@@TheRiggedBA Olympic measurements vs your opinion? who do I believe? lol.. Ever heard of Jordan Kilganon? He jumps about 50 inches.. stahp it dude

[@theworstboxingjudge7261]

Kareem wasn't even the best player in 5 of his 6 championships. He only won 2 Finals MVPS, and his 2nd FMVP was undeserved. Magic Johnson set a Finals record 14 APG in the 1985 Finals and a playoff record 15.2 APG for the entire playoff run, Magic's record-setting assist averages were largely responsible for Kareem and the other Lakers' offense. As proof of how dependent Kareem was on his PGs, he became the only consensus top 10 player to miss the playoffs twice in his prime in 1975 and 1976 when he did not have Oscar or Magic. He won 0 scoring titles without Oscar feeding him the ball. In the only title that Kareem was the best player in 1971, all 3 teams he faced had under 50 wins including the Lakers without Jerry West (injured) and the barely 0.500 Bullets in the Finals with an injured Gus Johnson missing 2 of 4 games. In 1971, 1982, 1984, and 1987, Kareem's teams faced 0 50+ win teams to make the Finals (4 times). Since then, only the 1989 Pistons, 2002 Nets, and 2013 Heat have made the Finals without facing a 50+ win team in the previous rounds (3 times) Kareem's 1970s decade was so weak that 1. From 1960-present, it is the decade with the most sub-50 win teams to make the Finals. 8 of 17 sub-50 win teams to make the Finals from 1960-present came in the 1970s. Also, two of the three weakest teams record-wise to make the Finals from 1960-present came in the 1970s. Three worst records for 1960-present Finals teams 1971 Bullets - 42-40 1976 Suns - 42-40 1981 Rockets - 40-42 the 1978 Finals is also the only time since 1958 that both Finals teams had under 50 wins each. And in 1958, the season only lasted 72 games rather than 82. Talk about bum competition. It doesn't matter how many X amount of Hall of Famers Kareem faced. A team can have great individual players but still be a garbage team / weak competition. The statistical record is clear that the 1970s is the weakest decade from 1960-present 2. it is the only decade in which an MVP winner missed the playoffs (Kareem 1976). When the best player in the league can't even make the playoffs, that says a lot about the quality of the league as a whole 3. It is the only eligible decade with an MVP who did not make the 50 Greatest List in 1996 (McAdoo 1975). Post 1996, Derrick Rose is probably the only MVP who would not make the 50 Greatest due to injuries. 4. In 5 of 10 seasons in the 1970s, the league failed to produce a 60-win team. From 1980-2017, the 2000/01 season is the only time that the NBA did not produce a 60-win team in 38 seasons. and even in this year, the 2001 Lakers became 1 of 2 teams (2010 Lakers) to beat 4 50+ win teams in one playoffs, so the competition was still far superior to the bum competition of Kareem's era. 5. The ABA was competing with the NBA during the first half of the 1970s and removed some of the best available competition for multiple seasons. This heavily diluted and watered down the already-weak 1970s NBA Rick Barry - 1968/69 - 1971/72 Artis Gilmore - 1971/72 - 1975/76 Billy Cunningham - 1972/73 - 1973/74 George Gervin - 1972/73 - 1975/76 Julius Erving - 1971/72 - 1975/76 David Thompson - 1975/76 This would be like Shaq and Kobe competing against the Spurs without Duncan or vice-versa. or LeBron competing against the Warriors without Curry or vice-versa, etc etc. 6. It is the only decade without an all-time great dynasty, other than the 1940s which doesn't really count since the NBA began in 1947. Even the stone age 1950s had Mikan's Lakers 1960s - Celtics 1980s - Lakers and Celtics 1990s - Bulls 2000s - Lakers and Spurs 2010s - likely the Warriors The 1970s had more parity compared to any other decade, but more parity doesn't always mean better competition. The 1970s had parity because of several weak teams battling it out, not tough competition amongst many great teams. For example, from 1999 to 2005, only 2 teams represented the Western Conference in 7 NBA Finals (Lakers and Spurs). In that same timespan, 5 teams represented the East in the NBA Finals. The West had much less parity than the East, but won 5 of those 7 championships in that timespan regardless. The conference with much less parity was still of much higher quality. Kareem might be the most decorated player of all-time in terms of accolades, but in context he's nowhere near deserving of GOAT candidacy. He's better suited for the lower end of the top 10. Played in the weakest 1960-present era in his prime and was a follower on the vast majority of his Finals/Title teams rather than a leader. Replace him with Shaq or Hakeem and they end up with more than 6 rings under such favorable circumstances. They didn't have the all-time leader in regular season and playoff APG to feed them their points while facing a bunch of sub-50 win teams to the Finals.

[@TheRiggedBA]

+The Worst Boxing Judge ["It doesn't matter how many X amount of Hall of Famers Kareem faced. *A team can have great individual players but still be a garbage team*"] You say this, then ironically seem to criticize Kareem based mostly on team accomplishments/failures and random occurrences rather than Kareem himself and his abilities directly.

[@theworstboxingjudge7261]

The last statement is incorrect. Kareem was criticized for multiple reasons, not focusing mostly on team success, which you completely ignored and just overgeneralized as random occurrences. 1. benefiting from weak competition, which facing X amount of Hall of Famers doesn't change since the team competition was still statistically the worst of any decade in the 1970s... - most sub-50 Finals teams - only NBA Finals with two sub-50 win teams in 1978 - 5 of 10 seasons in the 1970s failing to produce a 60-win team - having two of the three worst Finals teams record-wise from 1960-present - and including the 80s West, Kareem's teams facing 0 50+ win teams prior to the Finals 4 times, which has only happened 3 times since then ...regardless of the name value of individuals (many of whom did not even compete in the NBA for multiple seasons due to the ABA diluting the NBA and removing some of the best talent) and with regards to accolades, Kareem also had it significantly easier in obtaining those as well due to weak competition. It was so easy to win MVP in Kareem's era, that it was the only time you could win an MVP while missing the playoffs (1976). So even the accolades that are supposed to reflect Kareem himself are heavily diminished under the context of such easy circumstances. 2. being heavily dependent on Oscar/Magic -- the only consensus top 10 player to miss the playoffs twice in his prime after Oscar retired. -- winning his only 2 scoring titles with the 2nd-best playmaker in history Oscar feeding him the ball. Then he had the best PG in history to set him up the second half of his career for more easy points these two points are not simply random occurrences, they are valid criticisms. facing weak competition diminishes one's accomplishments when compared to others who faced better competition. and depending so heavily on the 2 best playmakers in history to set up his points and have team success makes his scoring and team success not nearly as impressive as other players who didn't have such a luxury. team success (or lack thereof) is absolutely largely reflective of great (or not so great) individual play. Team and individual success are not mutually exclusive. simply because Kareem faced mediocre teams with Hall of Famers (1971 Lakers without West, 42-40 Bullets in the Finals, etc.) doesn't mean his lack of team success in his prime post-Oscar wasn't reflective of his individual play (or lack thereof) when he didn't have the two best playmakers in history to set him up. Hence being the only consensus top 10 player to miss the playoffs twice in his prime (in the weakest 1960-present decade no less). and not being the best player on all but one of his championships, unlike better players who actually had to lead their championship teams instead of being 2nd or 3rd fiddle (or even less in 1988). NBA history has clearly shown that the most successful dynasties of each era (i.e. those teams with the most success) have almost always been led by those who are pretty much unanimously considered the best individual players of that era. Key word - led - and not just being there for the ride like a Robert Horry or Derek Fisher Russell's Celtics Wilt's Sixers/Lakers Magic/Kareem's Lakers (though Magic was far more responsible) Bird's Celtics Jordan's Bulls Hakeem's Rockets Duncan's Spurs Shaq/Kobe's Lakers LeBron's Heat/Cavs Curry/Durant's Warriors All of those players besides Curry and Durant are near-unanimously considered top 10 players of all-time and also led the most successful teams of their decades to multiple championships (except for Kareem, he was only the leader in 1971) If you compare the list of best players who never won a ring to those who did, the latter group will always have the greater individual players. you can not come up with a list of ringless players that surpasses or comes close to matching the list above. Even a list of the best one-time champions won't match the above list of the best multiple-champions. Because the best individual players have always been those who can lead their teams to greater levels of team success, NBA history shows this very clearly. team success is not at all dismissible when evaluating individual play, since the two are largely reflective of one another. It's not just a matter of counting who has the most rings, but factoring in team success to a large degree is absolutely reflective or indicative of individual play. another way to look at it, every player who has won multiple Finals MVPs with the lone exception of Willis Reed (who, surprise, surprise won them in the weakest decade) is also near unanimously considered a top 10 player of all-time. Russell and Wilt would also have had multiple Finals MVPs if the award existed back then.

[@TheRiggedBA]

+The Worst Boxing Judge Team accomplishments have little to no reflection at all of individual play. If a team is bad, they lose. If a team is great, they win. An individual player doesn't control those results. There are teams that have had arguably the best player in the league on them that couldn't get beyond the 1st Round of the playoffs or even make the playoffs. While championship teams can have multiple scrub players on them. Your only actual criticism of Kareem himself that I saw was "winning his only 2 scoring titles with the 2nd-best playmaker in history Oscar feeding him the ball. Then he had the best PG in history to set him up the second half of his career for more easy points". Which is dubious for several reasons: 1) Kareem led the league averaging about 35ppg. Oscar was old by then and only handing out 7.7 assists. Yet Kareem won the scoring title running away, leading the next highest scorer by nearly 7 points. Not every assist of Oscar's was to Kareem and Oscar wouldn't be the only person who passed to Kareem, so the math makes crediting Oscar far-fetched. 2) Kareem had a career average of almost 29 points a game before ever playing with Magic, and was the Lakers' leading scorer until he was 39 years old, despite everyone else on the team playing with Magic too. 3) Kareem wasn't a perimeter player who needed setting up. He was a center with likely the most unstoppable shot in NBA history. Passing the ball to him in the post and watching him score doesn't require a great deal of playmaking unique to Oscar and Magic.

[@theworstboxingjudge7261]

Amongst players who lead the team, team success is absolutely largely reflective of individual play. The best players of every era (besides the weak 1970s) have always been those that led their teams to multiple championships. It's not a coincidence that the best dynasties/teams of every era were always led by the best individual players of those eras as well. Single season exceptions where one of the top players didn't make it far in the playoffs or a team without any all-time great players won the title don't overshadow what has been proven throughout NBA history as a whole. I, for one, cannot think of any modern instance where the best player in the league lost in the 1st round. In the 1960s/70s perhaps, when the playoffs consisted of less rounds to begin with, but not afterwards. Individual players do have some control over how successful their teams are over the entirety of their career. The best individual players have always been those that lead their teams to higher levels of success. there's simply no way around this. Make a list of the best multiple-champions, one-time champions, and players who never won and the former will always be of higher individual quality than the latter. 1. Oscar doesn't have to directly pass to Kareem on every assist to be responsible for setting up many of his points. Great PGs can set up a player's offense indirectly such as through hockey assists or just drawing the defense away. Oscar also led the playoffs in APG during both of the Bucks runs to the Finals in 1971 and 1974. 2. Kareem played in the weakest decade in history prior to playing with Magic while having such high averages. His scoring also sharply declined post-Oscar and pre-Magic regardless. Kareem had 30.9 ppg on 56% from 1971-1974 with Oscar 26.6 ppg on 55% post-Oscar and pre-Magic from 1975-1979 a -4.3 PPG decrease despite 1971-1974 only being his 2nd to 5th seasons. Excluding Kareem's last season at age 41, his other 3 worst FG% seasons all came in non-Oscar/Magic years, two of which were prime seasons (1975, 1976), the other was his rookie year (1970). Clearly Kareem was heavily dependent on Oscar's playmaking or presence regardless of his volume of assists. Both his scoring and FG% sharply declined in his absence. Kareem did have better scoring numbers in the 1977-1979 Playoffs compared to 1971-1974 with Oscar, but while playing less than half the games and only playing 1-2 rounds in each of those runs as opposed to playing 4, 2, 1, and 4 rounds in the 1971-1974 playoff runs. So the 1977-79 Playoff numbers are heavily inflated compared to 1971-74 due to a much smaller sample size. He also missed the playoffs in 1975 and 1976, contributing to the smaller sample size of playoff games post-Oscar pre-Magic. Kareem leading his team in scoring from 1970 to 1986 is impressive. But simply because he was leading the likes of Worthy, Wilkes, Nixon, and Scott in scoring on the Lakers doesn't hide that he (and the other Lakers) heavily benefited from Magic's playmaking. Kareem's top 3 FG% seasons (and 5 of his top 6) all came with Magic, despite being age 32, 35, and 37 in those years. The other two of his top 6 FG% seasons that came with Magic were at age 34 and 36. Even in younger (1970) and prime years (1975, 1976), Kareem shot his 3 absolute worst FG% seasons (excluding 1989) without Oscar/Magic. Now he magically shoots his best FG% seasons despite aging long past his prime - very clear that it was because of Magic setting him up. Kareem also had higher scoring averages each year in 1980, 1981, and 1982 from age 32-34 with Magic than he did in 1979 without Magic at age 31. and despite his minutes progressively decreasing in each consecutive year. 3. Kareem clearly did need Magic and Oscar's playmaking to score at that high of a level. Hence why a. his scoring numbers declined so sharply post-Oscar and pre-Magic 30.9 ppg on 56% from 1971-1974 with Oscar 26.6 ppg on 55% post-Oscar and pre-Magic from 1975-1979 a -4.3 PPG decrease b. excluding his last season, his 3 absolute worst FG% seasons came without Oscar/Magic, two of which were prime seasons c. His best FG% seasons came with Magic despite aging into his mid and late 30s, whereas he shot his absolute worst without Oscar/Magic in his rookie and 2 prime seasons.

[@theworstboxingjudge7261]

one mistake. I forgot they only played 3 rounds to win the title in the 1970s so it should be fixed to "opposed to playing 3, 2, 1, and 3 rounds in the 1971-1974 playoff runs"

[@vergil2067]

It's easy to score on someone 8 inches shorter than you.

[@nickw.9646]

let’s not forget michael wasn’t really trying to block kareem

[@dynamic6645]

@@nickw.9646 why didn't 26 year old MJ use his *"48 inch vertical"* to block the skyhook of 41 year old Kareem ?

[@jerrymcmanus4465]

who do you consider to be the goat?

[@TheRiggedBA]

I couldn't really say who the GOAT is since there's too many guys I never saw play.

[@wallstreetzoomer]

Since I believe in basketball getting better with time, how about the best player since 2000? I believe Shaq and LeBron are the two strongest candidates, Kobe and Duncan are probably somewhere in the mix.

[@TheRiggedBA]

I have to divide the answer into two categories: zone and pre-zone eras. Because the game is so different between those two that it's really hard to cross-compare. The best player I've seen since I've been watching basketball would go: pre-zone: Shaquille O'Neal zone era: LeBron

[@axlegallardo]

Bruh I’ve literally taken the time to learn the very VERY complicated process of how to sign up (I’m not an educated person) to this “Medium” website JUST so I can give you my respect man. You are the one that I’ve been looking to have a basketball conversation with for 17 years! I like how you QUANTIFY your answers unlike most fans who thinks that Michael Jordan is somehow a GOD. And now that I have found you, I WANT to ask you some questions. And here is one of them: If you could create an NBA team from players from all the generations, which players would you put in your team? A team that if you will put in a whole NBA season (82 Regular Games plus the Playoffs) would DOMINATE in any Era. And lastly, I want you’re opinion on the team that I have built. Note: All of them are in their Prime of course ala Bill Simmons WINE CELLAR team style. Note: Just for the sake of this argument (Thought experiment), non of them will get injured. Starting 5 Center: Gianis Antetekempo Power forward: Kevin Durant Small Forward:Kawhi Leonard Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson Point Guard: Lebron James Bench: Micheal Jordan Dirk Nowitzki Scottie pippen I’m the GM and I’ll demand my coaching staff that these 8 players will play heavy minutes in the Playoffs and Finals (My 8 man rotation). But for the regular season, I’ll let the coaches use the entire lineup, like, if those 8 players get’s into foul trouble or just plain got cold during the game (Dirk and Klay. Without their shooting, they’re useless in my scheme of things). But still I really want to give major emphasis on those 8 players above. And to complete my 12 man roster are: Hakeem Olajuwon Kevin Garnett Dwyane Wade Stephen Curry My coaches would be: Head Coach: Greg Popopvich Assistant Coaches: Defensive Coach: Tim Tibidhou Offensive Coach: Mike D’antoni And being the GM, I want them to play MoreyBall offensively and Play Spurs type defense. And here are my do’s and don’ts: I want them to ALWAYS switch on defense on the pick and roll. No Triangle offense. No Ball Centric style of play ala Westbrook The ball should ALWAYS be swinging. ALWAYS! No player should be dribbling that fucking ball for too long. No triple teaming a slashing point Guard when he drives. No helping on defense ONE PASS AWAY (If you plan to help on D, better make sure the slashing player isn’t one pass away from an assist via kick out to a shooter). Use HORNS type offense as much as you could. Who ever gets the defensive board is the point Guard for that possession, which basically means all he has to do is bring the ball down court. The means bringing it down court as fast as possible via dribbling or passing (passing should always be the 1st option). And lastly, as a GM, I want my players to be PLAYERS OF THE SYSTEM. No ONE PLAYER is a playmaker for all of them ARE playmakers with their goals being to MAKE THE RIGHT PLAY. Bruh… Please give me your honest opinion on my fantasy team and situation. Will this team win 67 games in a regular season in 1989? 74 Games in 2015? Will it win a ring in 1977 (No three point line yet) basicaly going undefeated in the Playoffs of 77? I’ll be waiting for a reply. Thanks! Ps. Sorry for the typos and grammar. Not that keen on English yet.

[@TheRiggedBA]

+Guillermo Gallardo ["I can give you my respect man."] Thank you. ["If you could create an NBA team from players from all the generations, which players would you put in your team?"] I'd have to think about it. It would depend on what era's rules they're playing under. How I'd construct a team today in a zone defense league and how I'd construct it under the illegal defense rule would be very different. But off the top of my head, of the players I've personally seen play, it would look something like: *today's rules* C - Derrick Coleman PF - Kevin Garnett SF - LeBron James SG - Reggie Miller PG - Steph Curry *traditional rules* C - Shaquille O'Neal PF - Charles Barkley SF - LeBron James SG - Tracy McGrady PG - Penny Hardaway ["Bruh… Please give me your honest opinion on my fantasy team and situation. Will this team win 67 games in a regular season in 1989? 74 Games in 2015? Will it win a ring in 1977 (No three point line yet) basicaly going undefeated in the Playoffs of 77?"] Well, it's a fantasy team. It would destroy any real life team that ever actually existed and probably go 81-1 in any era and sweep the playoffs.

[@mikemurdock7234]

Is that Jack Nicholson in the grey coat sitting next to the camera man in the photo?

[@TheRiggedBA]

I don't think so.

[@theastralshepherd4335]

Yo yo yo!

[@dpistons149]

Lets see Kareem guard Jordan on the perimeter and see how that goes lol

[@TheRiggedBA]

It wouldn't go well for Kareem, of course. But, if Jordan were to play Kareem in a game of 1-on-1 where they had to guard each other on every play, Kareem would murder him. Because Kareem ultimately has more advantage over Jordan than Jordan does over him.

[@rishicabrera4484]

@@TheRiggedBA Then how about full court 1v1, let's see how that goes? FULL COURT 1v1 is TheREAL 1v1. MJ is TheREALGOAT. Kareem though is second.

[@TheRiggedBA]

@@rishicabrera4484 What kind of psycho plays 1-on-1 fullcourt? Nobody's going to do that except Kevin Garnett.

[@rishicabrera4484]

@@TheRiggedBA i did! it settles everything from offensive and defensive skills to stamina and mindset. I challenged one of my friends before who was shorter than me. He couldn't win against me but he was quick and fast. Then he challenged me to full court 1v1. I lost due to his hustle and stamina. Now apply the same procedure to MJ vs Kareem. You get the point? Even half court 1v1, MJ is not losing to anybody. Full court 1v1, Kareem will be no match! 🤣

[@rishicabrera4484]

And MJ is that kind of psycho much more than KG or anyone else

[@dynamic6645]

I wonder why MJ did not use his *"48 inch vertical"* to block the skyhook of 41 year old Kareem, lmao

[@TheRiggedBA]

Jordan was very merciful. He spared people from his 48 inch vertical by never, ever jumping that high in his life.

[@HomoErectus311]

@@TheRiggedBA He literally blocked Shaq……

[@HomoErectus311]

@@TheRiggedBA He can get 48 inches from a chase down off an acceleration as recorded in the 1986 Olympics ….. literally no one in human history can get that high off standing vert. This is low tier MJ hating nonsense. It would be like Me saying Lebron can’t get 40 inches since he never blocked Dirk in the finals lol

[@TheRiggedBA]

@@HomoErectus311 I don't know what you mean by "a chase down off an acceleration", but Jordan couldn't jump 48 inches off anything. Your LeBron blocking Dirk analogy is terrible and would only apply if I said Jordan didn't have a 48 inch vert because he couldn't block Kareem. But I'm not saying Jordan doesn't have 48 inch vert because he couldn't block Kareem. I'm saying Jordan doesn't have a 48 inch vert because I've seen nothing to indicate he can but plenty to indicate that he can't. And since you seem to be trying to suggest that Jordan COULD block Kareem by claiming Jordan "blocked" Shaq, show this block you're referring to.

[@HomoErectus311]

@@TheRiggedBA You can literally type in “Jordan blocks Shaq” on KZbin. He’s done it a couple of times actually.

[@ignacypaderewski2685]

Wilt blocked the sky hook (and while he was already past his prime). Let that sink in.

[@Silv3rXs]

It was goaltend

[@mcmerry2846]

@@Silv3rXs no

[@akvalues]

KAREEM CANT SEE MJ!!!!!

[@TheIcemanthomas]

The lies you tell

[@Jfbfvgfggdvcc]

I could see MJ doing something about it if it was closer to the basket and he was help defending

[@TheRiggedBA]

Short of Jordan sneaking up from behind and swiping the ball before Kareem goes up with it, he wouldn't be able to do anything. Jordan isn't tall enough and can't jump high enough to actually challenge the shot in any meaningful way.

[@Jfbfvgfggdvcc]

@@TheRiggedBA wish I could post pics on here but there is one we’re he has is nose at the rim to block a shot. He avg 1.6 blocks a game if he got more match ups with Kareem I could see it happen

[@markcubanz43]

Probably how the matchup between MIchael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain would end up

[@joweydelanota7421]

Wilt didnt have a skyhook

[@allistermcginlay6476]

@@joweydelanota7421 wilt had a wide variety of offensive skills from a fade-away, finger-roll and hook shot not least he could dunk over anyone?

[@joweydelanota7421]

@@allistermcginlay6476 how is thst a counter to my argument? Wilt didn't have a Skyhook

[@Nicks-]

How do you feel about adam silver calling mj the goat? Dont you think its weird that the commissioner of the league is saying this? And do you feel like he punishing or forcing lebron to retire to not reach mj in rings?

[@TheRiggedBA]

Well I've said for years that the league wouldn't allow LeBron to match Jordan in rings. Silver's comments were in line with what I suspected about him, so I wasn't surprised by it. The NBA has treated LeBron badly for years now, so, that would seem to me that the commissioner has an issue of some kind with him.

[@Nicks-]

@ definitely for sure it seems like the nba wants everyone to keep pumping up the jordan propaganda and diminish the current player or the players that came after jordan and i feel like thats one of the league biggest problems for their “downfall”. They rather flush down ratings than have someone catch up to jordan

[@TheRiggedBA]

​@@Nicks- I've been thinking the same thing with all the talk about viewership. People don't just watch games on cable anymore, so I don't know whether viewership is actually down or not. But, the NBA has allowed it's current product to get trashed for years in order to promote Michael Jordan and his era and now it seems like that's been coming to a head. Jordan agents in the media and Jordan worshippers online have become such a toxic presence that they have started to poison people's enjoyment of the present game. I suspect the NBA is going to start changing the way it allows itself to be covered, but I don't know with Adam Silver. Maybe they will just let the ghost of Michael Jordan continue to haunt them.

[@UncleT4life]

@@TheRiggedBA I guess outside of some rigged games/series I don't really see how the nba has treated lebron badly, the league has probably given him the 2nd biggest push of anybody behind only jordan

[@TheRiggedBA]

​@@UncleT4life If LeBron has gotten the 2nd biggest push, he's also gotten the 1st biggest pull. The league made sure Jordan's team won every year to elevate him. The league actively prevents LeBron's teams from winning half the time. And, just on an individual level, LeBron is the most hostilely officiated superstar I've ever seen if not most hostilely officiated player period. He's allowed to get assaulted on the court on a regular basis and disrespect for him is encouraged. The negative treatment LeBron gets is unheard of for the face of the league.

[@perryickes8991]

MJ would get slaughtered in a one on one game with Kareem Abdul jabber both being in their prime. Same with wilt chamberlain Jordan would get bombarded be lucky to score a bucket on chamberlain in his prime . Perry

[@TELEthruVOXx]

Ok Is this like a wiki leaks clue? Is there Something more to come?

[@goonthreegtr]

The fact is Kareem is way more accurate than Jordan because FG% and Jordan is the biggest money maker for the nba. Make sense to promote everything Jordan do and overlook his shooting % in his last finals game of low 40s vs entire team at over 60%. You got one of the most efficient player and one of the most exciting player

[@goonthreegtr]

Intensity Fit Club basketball is a team sports so let’s get the ball to the player that has the highest probability to make the shot not someone that shoots below team avg and take more than half the team’s shots.

[@moint4251]

@@goonthreegtr You need to educate yourself on how basketball works. >Shooting guards have lowest fg% of any position dude. Out of all retired players, MJ has the highest shooting percentage of any shooting guard. >Shooting guards have to shoot on the perimeter.

[@Youngster543210]

Lmao. FG percentage tells you nothing about efriciency. efficiency is measured by the number of points produced per possession used. Foul shots are a very important inclusion when determining that. The metric you want is true shooting percentage. Kareem has a Career 59 percent TS percenatage. Jordan has a career 57 percent TS percentage. Prior to returning with the Wizards, MJ had a 58 percent TS percentage for his career. On top of that, MJ's TS percentage was maintained on far higher volume than Kareem adding more total efficiency to the teams average. (Ex: 59 pecent on 18 attempts < 58 percent on 24 attempts, because now the rest of the team has to take those other six shots at most likely a far lower percentage) Kareem's TS percentage when he was taking 20+ shots a game in his 7 year peak was 57.6 percent on 21 attempts. MJ shot 58 percent on 23.3 attempts with the Bulls and 59.2 percent on 23.1 attempts in his 7 year peak Jordan was more efficient and shot on higher volume when they were both primary options. Kareem has a higher career TS pecentage because he played a reduced role in his later years only taking 12-15 shots a game while MJ was still the no. 1 option late in his career.

[@jso19801980]

wait but i thought MJ stopped every shot, made every shot and was only being an a@@hole to his teammates to inspire them to win

[@RiM2540]

WOW!🤣🤣🤣

[@ren_bagzz]

Yoww

[@Van_ax]

Lebron James > Micheal Jordan.

[@TheRiggedBA]

+eBron James Well, Jordan's probably a better baseball player. So, there's that.

[@Van_ax]

TheRiggedBA lmao

[@Najee2TIMESZ]

TheRiggedBA why do you think LeBrons better than Jordan ?

[@TheRiggedBA]

+Najee The Chosen One Because he's a bigger, better athlete than Jordan with a greater range of abilities and a higher basketball IQ.

[@Najee2TIMESZ]

TheRiggedBA do you think Lebron will end his career with 7 rings ?

[@filoluiguimariobrothers3986]

So? Can he guard jordan? I dont think so !!! It was to slow Jordan wilm destroy him if it was the other way around and with his toung out with style maybe and 1 or a dunk easy any day any time st kareem best moment dont matter jordan all day long . . . This guy inly had one shoot jordan have a full bag of tricks none of th repeat lol js

[@bartier861]

Ha