Pantheon
Live
Sports1984–2003

Michael Jordan

The standard by which every basketball player is measured. Six championships, six Finals MVPs, five regular season MVPs — Jordan didn't just win, he made winning look inevitable.

Origin
Brooklyn, New York
Position
Shooting Guard / Small Forward
Primary Team
Chicago Bulls
MJ
Total Votes
Lists
1
Highest Rank
#—
Expert Gap

Pantheon Standing

List NameRankCombined
Greatest NBA Franchises of All Time#196.0
Generational Fault Line

The Age Divide

Voters under 30 and over 35 rank Michael Jordan significantly differently across lists.

Under 30
#14
Over 35
#3

Team History

CHI
Chicago Bulls
1984–1998 · Shooting Guard / Small Forward · #23
6× Champion · 6× Finals MVP
WAS
Washington Wizards
2001–2003 · Shooting Guard · #23
Returned from retirement as player and part-owner

The Athletic Record

Career Overview

30.1
PTS / GAME
6.2
REB / GAME
5.3
AST / GAME
49.7%
FG %

Championships

1991
NBA ChampionFinals MVP
def. Los Angeles Lakers4-1
1992
NBA ChampionFinals MVP
def. Portland Trail Blazers4-2
1993
NBA ChampionFinals MVP
def. Phoenix Suns4-2
1996
NBA ChampionFinals MVP
def. Seattle SuperSonics4-2
1997
NBA ChampionFinals MVP
def. Utah Jazz4-2
1998
NBA ChampionFinals MVP
def. Utah Jazz4-2

Career Statistics

1,072
GP
32,292
CAREER PTS
49.7%
FG %
83.5%
FT %
0.8
BLK / GAME
30.1
PTS / GAME
2.3
STL / GAME
32.7%
3P %

Over 15 seasons

Accolades & Honors

NBA MVP
1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
mvp
Finals MVP
1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
mvp
14× NBA All-Star
1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003
all star
10× NBA Scoring Champion
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
scoring title
NBA All-Defensive First Team
1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
defensive award
NBA Defensive Player of the Year
1988
defensive award
Olympic Gold Medal
1984, 1992
olympic medal
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
2009
hall of fame

Defining Moments

"The Shot" vs Cleveland

May 7, 1989

Series-winning buzzer beater over Craig Ehlo. The moment that announced Jordan as the game's most transcendent talent.

63 Points vs Boston Celtics

April 20, 1986

Playoff record-setting performance. Larry Bird called it "God disguised as Michael Jordan."

The Flu Game

June 11, 1997

38 points while severely ill. Finals Game 5. The ultimate display of willpower.

Last Shot vs Utah Jazz

June 14, 1998

Championship-clinching jumper. The perfect ending to the Bulls dynasty.

The Shrug vs Portland

June 3, 1992

Six three-pointers in the first half of a Finals game. A shrug to the crowd said everything.

The Case For Michael Jordan

The longevity argument alone puts them in a category of one. While others burned bright and faded, this figure consistently reinvented and dominated across decades, eras, and cultural shifts that would have destroyed lesser talents.

C
@CulturalCritic
Credentialed Voter
4,201Agreed

Technically unmatched. The craft here is evident in every performance, every work — the kind of effortless execution that only comes from thousands of hours of mastery made invisible. They make the impossible look inevitable.

R
@RecordKeeper
Populist Voter
3,842Agreed

Commercial success should never be held against artistic legacy. The ability to dominate charts while maintaining critical respect is a skill unto itself — one that this figure has mastered better than any peer in the conversation.

V
@VoteWithFacts
Credentialed Voter
2,914Agreed

Rank History

Coming Soon

Ranking history will be available once voting opens for Michael Jordan.

Often Compared To