The past and the present are constantly mixed up. And not because today is a consequence of yesterday (that too), but because the comparisons between different sneakers are the daily bread of an NBA that lives on story and speech. Debate, discussion, disagreement and cross statements between those who were, and those who are. Public opinion, this place where the battles that decide wars are fought, is responsible for closely examining each sentence, each opinion, whether or not founded … and to judge. And returning it is very complicated for some players who carry the label, from the moment they earn it (with more or less reason) until they say goodbye with a legacy that is sometimes eternal and other times, quite questionable.
One of those stars who has an overwhelming public opinion in his favor is Michael Jordan. A divinity, deified in the extreme, practically without detractors and with an ability for the average fan to stand up for them unashamedly, rarely seen in NBA history. Even The Last Dance, this documentary that animated the forties and toured the world, did not damage his image, although he showed himself (and defended this position) as, to say the least, a partner with a lot of questionable behavior and a lot of indifference to others.
Even that didn’t hurt Jordan, a human deity, a man who transcends fans and is considered, almost unanimously, the greatest player of all time. Voted best athlete of the twentieth century, no one seems to overshadow him, and the voices that uplift LeBron James are shy and put him, at least, on par with His Airness, a six-ring champion who dominated the 1990s, was a two-time Olympic champion and arguably the best and most voracious coach the basketball world has ever seen.
The umpteenth compliment
The last to surrender to the Eternal (and Eternal) figure of Jordan was a man who was one of the protagonists of the immediately following generation: Allen Iverson. The basis has entered this debate which compares the present with the past, which predicts the resounding failure of each generation based on convenience and a sense of belonging and still has characters like Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and other analysts (to call them somehow) still as protagonists . Also to people like Scottie Pippen and other athletes of the day, charged with reclaiming their legacy and making sure they are better than the players of today. What if Magic Johnson defends his Lakers against Jordan at this hotel outside the Olympic Village, in Barcelona 92, are, curiously and mainly, the stars of the 90s, who monopolized this debate.
One of the recurring arguments is the one that says players of the past couldn’t play in the current NBA… and vice versa. However, It seems Iverson has it all figured out, at least when it comes to Jordan. Asked about the comparison between eras, the Sixers legend said Jordan “would average 40 points in the current NBA”. And he defined him as the “black Jesus”. A statement that shows that, although there are doubts about the adaptability of some players in a different era than they were (tall men at the age of triples…) Jordan is transversal in this regard. It would be the best of all. At least that’s what they say.
