Michael Jordan has nearly, or if not, dominated the NBA during his time. Because of his unbelievable achievements, he spread basketball throughout the world. His legacies affect until today, where recently, rising star Anthony Edwards called MJ the “only” great player of his time.
Three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas supports Edwards’ controversial opinion. Arenas’s recent namesake podcast compared His Airness to a luxury car. At the same time, his fellow players, even notable NBA legends, are limited to a primary, bland type of car.
“Basically, all Jordan’s competition in that era did not even have the physical tools to keep up with him. So he was basically a Bugatti and everybody else was a Honda Civic.”
The Wizards all-star undermines the 80s and 90s NBA players through vehicles. As a luxury car, a Bugatti is highly regarded as a rare one that no ordinary person can get, even if it takes years. On the contrary, a Honda Civic is primarily used by the common folk and can also be seen daily.
Arenas then presented some “proofs” that supported his opinion that Jordan’s teammates don’t have the same capabilities as him. The Arizona Wildcats’ alumnus also said that the old NBA players need more athleticism to keep up with today’s players like Edwards.
So for Gilbert Arenas, Jordan is a “Bugatti,” unmatched and unique against all the “Honda Civics,” or his opponents during his time. He and Edwards share the same insight, underestimating the capacity of even NBA legends.
During the recent Fanatics Fest, Edwards was asked by the people about the difference between today’s NBA players and the past. The Timberwolves star, just like Arenas, said that all the league’s players other than Jordan back then had no skill and toughness.
Anthony Edwards also said that today’s players have “skill,” which all the old ones lack. He rejected everyone’s opinion about the past, saying that only Jordan had the talent back then.
A delve into two of Michael Jordan’s opponents.
Jordan wasn’t the only one who was called the best then. The five-time NBA champion Magic Johnson was one of them affected by Edwards’ opinion. He had played multiple times with MJ’s Chicago Bulls. It was, in fact, often high-paced and watched by many.
Another one hurt was Isiah Thomas. Unlike Johnson, the rivalry between Thomas’ Detroit Pistons and the Bulls was more intense and heated. The two teams fought multiple times as well, with an example being the 1989-90 NBA playoffs, where the Pistons emerged victorious in seven games.
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