“Michael Jordan [MJ] thinks only Kobe Bryant deserves comparisons,” is the title of Yahoo’s Eric Freeman recent article. He wrote his story based on a tweet by the writer Roland Lazenby, who is currently working on a Jordan book. It seems like MJ decided that it is time to stop the meaningless comparisons with players that in his opinion have not earned the right to be compared to him. MJ made it clear that only Kobe Bryant deserves to be compared to his ‘airness’.
The question regarding the next MJ has been around since the man retired for the first time in 1993. Almost every draft class, since 1993, had a MJ successor. Harold Miner, Isaiah Rider, Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter etc. The question that arises is not; who is the next MJ? but; what is the next MJ? To put it differently; how do we define the next MJ?
“Bryant really does work harder than everyone else, and he’s been good for long enough (with no signs of slowing down) that he may eventually top Jordan’s longevity. They’re similarly insane competitors,” Freeman says in his article. Does this mean that the next MJ is a player that is as competitive as him? Which are the criteria that define the ‘next MJ’? “The ‘next Jordan’ idea was always a silly one, but Bryant is certainly the player most like Jordan in all aspects of his game”, Freeman adds.
Bryant’s game is similar to Jordan’s. The truth is, he is the only player in today’s NBA that reminds me of MJ. The way he moves, shoots, his figure and his dedication to the game all look ‘Jordanesque’. Does this means that the next MJ is the player that has the ability to mimic Jordan’s game the most? He has to win champions maybe as many as Jordan did, someone would say. Bryant needs one more to catch MJ’s six championships but in three out of his five rings he was the second option behind Shaquille O’Neal. MJ was a part of great duo himself but he was the dominant figure in all of Bulls’ championship teams.
MJ was not just the most dominant figure in his team, he was considered the most dominant player in the league and he never lost in an NBA Finals’ series. Dominating like MJ in both ends of the floor and combine this with dominating the league on a team-level, should be considered as a necessary criterion for the next MJ. Mimicking MJ’s game should be considered as a conditional or even a non-criterion. Conditional only in the case in which the mimicking is combined with the domination.
The NBA that Michael Jordan was the dominant star was a totally different league than today’s league. MJ was the first player with his own basketball shoes, he was the first basketball superstar in the history of the game. He was recognized all over the world and was a valuable part of NBA’s campaign in promoting the league as well as basketball around the globe. He revolutionised the game in many ways, with his unique ability and competitive nature. He also helped the NBA, alongside the rest NBA stars of the 90s, become globally known.
During MJ’s years the NBA moved to another level. He did not do it by himself but he was a centre piece. I argue then that the ‘next MJ’ must play an important role in revolutionising the game and the league. Revolutionise in the sense of taking them to the next level regardless of what this might be. I do not know which is the next level of basketball nor of the NBA but I am sure that we will understand it when we will see it as we did so many times in the past with the talents of Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, ‘Magic’ Johnson etc.
To conclude, I would argue that the answer to the question ‘what is the next MJ?’ is: a player that should dominate the game, in both ends of the floor, for the largest part of his career without slowing down and at the same time revolutionise the game with his ability to play and help NBA and basketball by lifting them to a next level. I am afraid that Kobe Bryant even though is a great player that will not be forgotten, does not meet the criteria to be considered as ‘the next MJ’ nor anyone that can ‘just’ score 30 points a night or win dunk contests.
Thus, the ‘next MJ’ is the best way to describe that exceptional player, who is leading the way with his game. In that sense, before MJ everyone was looking for the ‘next Magic’. We have not seen a player that can play like ‘Magic’ yet, except maybe from Lebron James, but we are not looking for him because ‘Magic’ took the game to another level and passed the torch to Michael Jordan. In the same way we should not be looking for the player that his game is similar to MJ’s in terms of style. The thing is that MJ is, at the moment, still holding the torch. I am sure though that he will pass it to someone else in the near future.
Source: http://ydraw.com/memory/infographics-example-michael-jordan-vs-koby-bryant/
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