Why do some People call MJ the greatest defensive player ever?

[Big#50]

He isnt even top ten. He is barely top ten as a wing defender.

[zay_24]

Kobe dropped 60 on this clown

[Teanett]

who calls him that?

[Nick Young]

cus people are idiots, even the average Bron Bron finished second in defensive player of the year and has all defensive first teams

Lebron a better defender than guys like Marion, Battier, Sefelosha, Batum, Wallace, Jackson


I know it's hilarious but that's what the NBA tried to market Lebron as, and that's how they have marketed Jordan.

[Manslavedave11]

Ya, I definitely don't agree with calling him the greatest defensive player ever! He was a great defender and arguably the greatest player ever but for this title I would have to lean toward Bill Russell.

[Big#50]

who calls him that?

Millions of people. Media. Come on.

[OldSchoolBBall]

He isnt even top ten. He is barely top ten as a wing defender.

You're insane. Only Pippen has a case over him as a wing defender in terms of overall defensive impact on games. Some others (e.g., Moncrief, Cooper) may have been equal or possibly slightly superior to MJ in terms of man-to-man defense (and even then, not when he focused inl their effort was generally more consistent, however), but none were even in his universe as far as team/help defense is concerned, and team/help defense is the largest component of defensive impact.

Pound for pound, and ignoring positional differences in defensive impact (that is, looking only as how large a defensive impact each player had relative to the maximum possible defensive impact for their position), Jordan does have a case as the best defender ever. But obviously the actual list is dominated by big men, because of their inherent advantages defensively. No perimeter player except for Pippen has any case to be above Jordan on that list, however.

[ThaRegul8r]

He isn't.

This is another case in which it's irrelevant what "some people" say.

[Teanett]

Millions of people. Media. Come on.

he has 1 dpoy, rodman, olajuwon, mourning have 2 each...
nothing wrong with the media there.

[SuperPippen]

I've never come across any form of media or anyone calling MJ the greatest defensive player ever. The greatest overall player ever? Sure. But not greatest defensively.

As a perimeter player, he's in the top 10 along with players like GP, Frazier, Pip, Bowen, etc.

I don't think I would put him in the top 10 overall, because that list is inhabited by centers, whose defensive impact far outweighs the the defensive impact of perimeter players.

[Teanett]

Pound for pound, and ignoring positional differences in defensive impact (that is, looking only as how large a defensive impact each player had relative to the maximum possible defensive impact for their position), Jordan does have a case as the best defender ever. But obviously the actual list is dominated by big men, because of their inherent advantages defensively. No perimeter player except for Pippen has any case to be above Jordan on that list, however.

i agree with this.

[knickswin]

because somehow people find a way to overrate Michael Jordan. I remember getting in a fight with one of my friends (a Bulls fan) because I said Kobe, TMac, and Carmelo all have better handle than he ever did. It's like it's not enough that he was the greatest player of all time, he has to also be the greatest at every individual aspect of the game . . .

[Big#50]

I remember Harper being a better defender on the second three peat Bulls.

[OldSchoolBBall]

I remember Harper being a better defender on the second three peat Bulls.

Then you remember very, very wrong. That, or you have no clue as to how to judge defensive impact.

[ThaRegul8r]

I've never come across any form of media or anyone calling MJ the greatest defensive player ever. The greatest overall player ever? Sure. But not greatest defensively.

I recall one sportswriter asserting Jordan was the greatest defensive player ever, and another publication listing him as #2 behind Russell. I don't doubt that others may have made claims that Jordan was the greatest defensive player ever, considering that of course he was the best at absolutely every single aspect pertaining to basketball.