Who do you think out of Jordan and Russell is the more important figure inNBA history

[coastalmarker99]

For me personally, it is Russell who is the more important figure in NBA history as nobody outside of him affected the legacies of more all-time players and coaches and teams in such a grand fashion.


As if Russell was not around.

Bob Cousy's ranking drops a ton along with Havlicek and Sam Jones.

Red most likely gets ranked behind Hannum and Fred Schaus as the best coaches of that era

Baylor and Pettit probably get included in the top 15 debates.

West and Oscar maybe sneak into the top ten.

Wilt is most likely ranked as a top 4 player ever by everyone

Those 76ers' teams from 1965 to 1968 probably get viewed as a top 3 dynasty of all-time if they four-peat.

If the Lakers or Royals win in 1962 and 1963 that probably shifts the NBA from being a big man's league into a guards and wings game.

[light]

Russell was a Civil Rights icon. He was a trailblazer. Dr. J was a trailblazer. Because of them, by the time MJ rolled around, the majority were ready to embrace someone like Jordan.

What Jordan did influence mostly on his own was how much stars in the league could make because he brought in so many new fans, but in terms of social impact his influence was small, and regrettably so to the black community. MJ is trying to make up for lost time now which is a great thing to see - following the lead of activist players like LeBron.

So I think Russell's importance is immeasurable and something Jordan can't really challenge.

[Round Mound]

Bird and Magic where just as important.

[dankok8]

More important for the growth of basketball? Probably Jordan because the game totally took off thanks to him.

Bust more important overall? Russell by a mile. His civil rights legacy is pretty incredible.

[bison]

For me personally, it is Russell who is the more important figure in NBA history as nobody outside of him affected the legacies of more all-time players and coaches and teams in such a grand fashion.


As if Russell was not around.

Bob Cousy's ranking drops a ton along with Havlicek and Sam Jones.

Red most likely gets ranked behind Hannum and Fred Schaus as the best coaches of that era

Baylor and Pettit probably get included in the top 15 debates.

West and Oscar maybe sneak into the top ten.

Wilt is most likely ranked as a top 4 player ever by everyone

Those 76ers' teams from 1965 to 1968 probably get viewed as a top 3 dynasty of all-time if they four-peat.

If the Lakers or Royals win in 1962 and 1963 that probably shifts the NBA from being a big man's league into a guards and wings game.

Interesting. You could do the same with Jordan and imagine what the game would be like if he never existed. Magic gets his sixth ring. Phil Jackson goes from arguably the greatest coach to an obscure basketball trivia question. Kobe models his game on magic instead of Jordan and fails at it. The NBA is still an American brand and not a global phenomenon. Well shit I think MJ>>bill just on that alone!

[ShawkFactory]

Jordan made basketball an global sport. It's him.

But you could rightfully argue that Bill Russell the man had a more positive impact on lives.

Bird and Magic made basketball popular here again though. Without they newfound NBA hype that they single-handedly created, then the Jordan craze half a decade after doesn't have the same juice.

[coastalmarker99]

The question only involves basketball, not off-the-court stuff.


While Jordan can be credited for making basketball more popular.


Russell basically saved the NBA alongside Wilt and made it popular.

[Overdrive]

Jordan as a player might not exist wirhout Russell, but if you'd measure it where they got the reigns of the NBA and how it looked after they left Jordan had more impact. Jordan made Basketball the 2nd most played sport after soccer/football worldwide.

[SATAN]

People are giving MJ way too much credit in this thread lmao

[John8204]

For me this is a Mt Rushmore question and the four men I would put on Rushmore are Mikan, Bird, Magic, and Jordan.

Mikan created the league
Bird/Magic rivalry established the league
Jordan elevated the league to #2

Bill is a legend and Basketball's Jackie Robinson in the sense that he was the Civil Rights leader that did things the right way. But in the context of the NBA it's Jordan

[TheGoatest]

Easily Russell

At least with him, when you want to emphasize his greatness, you can pick a lane (winning) and stay in it, and not have to make a concoction where your greatness is based on:

-Winning BUT winning to a certain extent, at a specific point of your career
-Stats BUT only scoring-based stats and the rest of that rebound/assist mumbo-jumbo doesn't matter
-Longevity BUT where you try to argue that years of rest somehow made your longevity more impressive and not less :oldlol:

[KNOW1EDGE]

Michael Jordan is certainly more globally well-known and popular today, but that doesn’t mean he is the more “important” figure in the game, just the most popular.

[ClipperRevival]

MJ is beyond just bball. He is one of the most iconic sports figures since the 20th century. Ruth, Ali, Woods, MJ, etc. Few are on that level.

Russell is the GOAT winner but that doesn't mean most important. And his civil rights stuff gets completely overblown by the insane woke left today. Bball was a fringe sport when Russell played. You can even argue Magic/Bird are more important than Russell given how they made the NBA mainstream.

[ClipperRevival]

The question only involves basketball, not off-the-court stuff.


While Jordan can be credited for making basketball more popular.


Russell basically saved the NBA alongside Wilt and made it popular.

You can't save a sport that was already fringe to begin with. Sh*t, they were playing the NBA finals in tape delay before Magic/Bird. The NBA was in a terrible state entering the 1980s, with the ABA/NBA merger, fights, drug use, too black, etc.

[ClipperRevival]

For me this is a Mt Rushmore question and the four men I would put on Rushmore are Mikan, Bird, Magic, and Jordan.

Mikan created the league
Bird/Magic rivalry established the league
Jordan elevated the league to #2

Bill is a legend and Basketball's Jackie Robinson in the sense that he was the Civil Rights leader that did things the right way. But in the context of the NBA it's Jordan

That's a pretty solid comparison. Although, Russell was a much greater player.

[iamgine]

For me personally, it is Russell who is the more important figure in NBA history as nobody outside of him affected the legacies of more all-time players and coaches and teams in such a grand fashion.


As if Russell was not around.

Bob Cousy's ranking drops a ton along with Havlicek and Sam Jones.

Red most likely gets ranked behind Hannum and Fred Schaus as the best coaches of that era

Baylor and Pettit probably get included in the top 15 debates.

West and Oscar maybe sneak into the top ten.

Wilt is most likely ranked as a top 4 player ever by everyone

Those 76ers' teams from 1965 to 1968 probably get viewed as a top 3 dynasty of all-time if they four-peat.

If the Lakers or Royals win in 1962 and 1963 that probably shifts the NBA from being a big man's league into a guards and wings game.

Is that the criteria though? Affecting legacies?

When I think about important figure in NBA history, I think more about their impact on the league. Affecting other players' legacies is pretty low in my list.

MJ's significance is bringing worldwide fans to the NBA. This is no small feat. It's akin to what Ali and Tyson did for boxing. There were others before and after Jordan that did this, like Dr J, Magic, Yao, Kobe, etc, but not at the scale Jordan did.

[AlternativeAcc.]

The comparison is insulting to Russell who recently passed.

Why be a troll?

Jordan isn't in his class. He's not even close.

[2much_knowledge]

Russell was a Civil Rights icon. He was a trailblazer. Dr. J was a trailblazer. Because of them, by the time MJ rolled around, the majority were ready to embrace someone like Jordan.

What Jordan did influence mostly on his own was how much stars in the league could make because he brought in so many new fans, but in terms of social impact his influence was small, and regrettably so to the black community. MJ is trying to make up for lost time now which is a great thing to see - following the lead of activist players like LeBron.

So I think Russell's importance is immeasurable and something Jordan can't really challenge.

Of course you managed to slip lebrons name in there lol

[2much_knowledge]

The comparison is insulting to Russell who recently passed.

Why be a troll?

Jordan isn't in his class. He's not even close.

Why be a troll? Idk you tell me

[Lakers Legend#32]

Jordan is the most popular.

Russell is the most important.

[Axe]

Jordan is the most popular.

Russell is the most important.
This.

[Spurs m8]

MJ put the NBA on the global stage...

No one IN THE ENTIRE WORLD was bigger than MJ in the 90s, especially the first half.

No one in the world today is even close to being at the same level either.

[FultzNationRISE]

Tough to say.

Russell made white owners/executives a shit ton of billions by expanding the labor force/consumer market into the black sphere. Owners totally didnt wanna do that but Russell somehow "broke those barriers" and made them that money anyway ;)

MJ took the game global which was also a massive win for white ownership bank accounts, but he went a step further and made white suburban executives at Nike, Gatorade etc rich.

Ofc by the time BLM started rioting in 2019 over economic injustice being the root of all this inequality, it was very tough to decide which pioneer hero to praise more for their incredible impact on civil rights and the improvements they achieved for black folks and how they broke barriers and all the improvement they made for their community.

Because when the media frames an idea for me and I hear everyone agree with it all the time, I never really think it cant be true, or that it might be a ruse, or that I might have been deceived. Shucks I guess I kinda just believe and repeat whatever I get told and never really think about it.

So which man was the greater civil rights hero? I'll wait til the smarter people than me tell me thru the television, then I'll make sure I agree with them, so that way I can fit in and not sound stupid. Just dont challenge what they/I say, because I get nervous if I have to think and reconsider things too quickly, and I'll get scared, confused, insecure, and angry, and call you a racist probably. I like a nice, simple, feel-good narrative.


I'm sorry, what was the question?

[Bawkish]

The comparison is insulting to Russell who recently passed.

Why be a troll?

Jordan isn't in his class. He's not even close.

This stain is triggered because his idol is nowhere and would never be in the discussion :lol

[Soundwave]

Russell was more important to civil rights movement and the initial popularity of the NBA, though it's a stretch to say that he and he himself carried the league. Wilt was probably as popular or moreso in the 60s and Jerry West is the logo.

Jordan redefined basketball into a global sport that was "cool" and revolutionized it as an aspirational business. It also became socially acceptable to wear sneakers in more business casual settings, having a shaved head became cool, longer, baggier shorts became cool, Nike becomes one of the biggest brands in the world from basically nothing, NBA games begin being televised globally, etc. etc. etc. Jordan is more important to the pop culture and business.

He is also one of the few celebrities that I think you can say basically has broken the color barrier. White people love him, he's a god in the black community, Asian people love him, etc. etc. He's just truly a transcendant superstar, 20 years on since he even played a basketball game you have Messi wearing the Air Jordan logo on his soccer uniform for a team that plays in Paris ... that probably would have been unthinkable 20-30 years prior.

[TheMan]

People are giving MJ way too much credit in this thread lmao

Of course you weren't around in the 90s or else you'd realize just how idiotic your take is. Jordan was arguably the biggest sports star in the world, he made basketball a global sport. Russell may have saved the NBA when it was very young, Magic and Bird made it popular in the US and MJ made it a worldwide sport. There hasn't been an NBA player as popular as MJ since and certainly not before.

[WhiteKyrie]

Magic and Bird and Jordan most important

[Round Mound]

Magic and Bird and Jordan most important

This