Greatest of all time poll

[CardiffWanderer]

The biggest thing counting against BJ Penn is his failures under pressure which make his losses more significant than others on the list.

 

A lot of his best performances have been as underdog, including the first Hughes win and the narrow lost to Machida however poor performances against Pulver, Uno, GSP and Edgar, all in pressure situations, really knock his legacy

[Guest]

A lot of his best performances have been as underdog, including the first Hughes win and the narrow lost to Machida however poor performances against Pulver, Uno, GSP and Edgar, all in pressure situations, really knock his legacy

A lot of the better fighters have bad losses early in their career including Anderson. GSP and Edgar are both great fighters. His first fight with GSP at welterweight wasn't bad at all and a lot of people thought that he won the first fight against Edgar.

[CardiffWanderer]

A lot of the better fighters have bad losses early in their career. GSP and Edgar are both great fighters. His first fight with GSP wasn't bad at all and a lot of people thought that he won the first fight against Edgar.

 

I should have specified that I meant both rematches with the respective fighters. You can argue that BJ won or drew both the first fights however poor performances blighted both rematches. It may be a small thing as they are losses to top guys (at the time) however when considering the Greatest Of All Time, it is something that does set him apart and is detrimental to his claims.

[Guest]

I mentioned that Penn probably would've been rated higher if he stuck to lightweight and you counter that by mentioning his fight with GSP. Penn lost to two oppenents as a lightweight in 10 years, both UFC champs.

 

Anderson on the other hand lost to competition like Azeredo, Takase and Chonan. Will his early losses only start to count when he loses his belt in the second "poor perfomance" against Sonnen? I don't think you have a point.

[CardiffWanderer]

It wasn't really a direct comment on what had been said before, more my view on why I consider Penn to be just outside the conversation as one of the best.

 

However if you look at fights in numbers, Penn has won 11 of 15 lightweight fights, losing to Edgar twice, Pulver and drawing with Uno. Silva has won 29 of 33 fights at middleweight (although the actual weight differed). Also Silva has had a 15 fight win streak and won as a heavy favourite and won while dicking around/having a poor performance. Penn has a max win streak at one weight of 5 fights, losing his poor performances. These numbers don't add up to a better career.

 

Admittedly there were serious mitigating circumstances but Penn has not maximised his situation.

[AlexiZaitev]

IMO, penn is the best LW (when motivated) ive seen, yes Frankie and Maynard are great but penn basically ruled the lw division until they came along. as for Silva, if he loses to sonnen (if they fight again) he would drop out of my #1, but only to 2nd or 3rd on the list.

[thegroovemonkey]

Good post Cardiff. I believe it will never be answered. At least not a consensus #1 guy. 100+ years of basketball, Football, and Baseball have not made it any easier to name a #1 player in each. There isnt a clear best QB in the NFL(Marino, Montana, Namath, etc). That goes for each position. Naming the best player overall is even more opinionated. NBA historians cant decide between Chamberlain and Jordan. Baseball is worse than NBA by far. Time will help us get a greater body of work of Jones, Cain, Santos, etc. But it wont help us agree on who is better.

Wow, first Tank now these two guys. Do you even watch sports or just spew shit? Namath is famous for a guarantee and being a ladies man. Chamberlain wasn't even the best center of his generation.

[Guest]

Wow, first Tank now these two guys. Do you even watch sports or just spew shit? Namath is famous for a guarantee and being a ladies man. Chamberlain wasn't even the best center of his generation.

 

 

 

Thanks for proving my point jackass! Those wasnt my opinions. That is expert opinions. My point was no one can agree. Many experts think Wilt was the best. Some think Russell was better. Maybe you want to show some reading comprehension skills next time?

 

Slam Mag and Yahoo both rank Wilt above Russell. I found 1 site that had Russell higher. Most Had Jordan #1. Pint being. More than 20+ years hasnt settled the debate. It wont settle anything in MMA either.

[Guest]

To me this question is almost impossible to answer because the sport is so new. It takes a bit of distance to look back at a fighters legacy, and how these fighters are seen in 20 years time when all their careers are over and the hype has settled down is the real question.

So my vote is for the fighter I expect to end his career with a great record against other legends, someone who fought at the top for a long career without ever being truly outclassed, someone who will be remembered for their technique and intelligence when all the hype has faded, someone who I expect will walk away from the sport with their dignity and facial features intact. I voted GSP but only time will tell if I am right.

 

PS: Nice poll Mike.

[Eveas]

You will always have fighters who don't cherry pick with great records as well, just like in boxing (look up James Toney, Bernard Hopkins, Manny Pacquiao). But I think that the few guys that do should get so much more respect. To me Penn is the true definition of a fighter.

I think you got it backwards. Cherry picking is bad and taking on all challengers is good.

[Eveas]

Wow, first Tank now these two guys. Do you even watch sports or just spew shit? Namath is famous for a guarantee and being a ladies man. Chamberlain wasn't even the best center of his generation.

To be fair, Wilt was also quite the ladies man supposedly having sex with over 20,000 women. I guess that says something for his stamina as well. Pretty much universally Jordan is #1 on any expert's list. There isn't really much debate on that one.

[Eveas]

Slam Mag and Yahoo both rank Wilt above Russell. I found 1 site that had Russell higher. Most Had Jordan #1. Pint being. More than 20+ years hasnt settled the debate. It wont settle anything in MMA either.

You are actually proving there is basically a consensus on who is the best.

[Guest]

You are actually proving there is basically a consensus on who is the best.

 

 

 

I only looked at 3 sites that popped up. I have head many experts claim Wilt is the best. Most do pick Jordan but most also consider him to be a different era than the others. I personally dont think there is any system to even suggest MJ was the best. He ddint win the most Championships, wasnt the highest scorer. Wasnt the best shooter. There are many other shooting guards who were as good number wise. Shooting guards are a dime a dozen. I would say Shaq is the most dominate player in his prime the sport has ever seen. He was also the most valuable because great centers are not a dime a dozen. He was the best the longest during the era of all the greatest centers. Hakeem was great for a while but in the end Shaq was best even playing against Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Mutumbo, to name a few.

 

 

I would say most pick Jordan but it sint even close to be universal. Some people think it was Russell. Even though most pick Wilt over him.

[Eveas]

I only looked at 3 sites that popped up. I have head many experts claim Wilt is the best. Most do pick Jordan but most also consider him to be a different era than the others. I personally dont think there is any system to even suggest MJ was the best. He ddint win the most Championships, wasnt the highest scorer. Wasnt the best shooter. There are many other shooting guards who were as good number wise. Shooting guards are a dime a dozen. I would say Shaq is the most dominate player in his prime the sport has ever seen. He was also the most valuable because great centers are not a dime a dozen. He was the best the longest during the era of all the greatest centers. Hakeem was great for a while but in the end Shaq was best even playing against Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Mutumbo, to name a few.

 

 

I would say most pick Jordan but it sint even close to be universal. Some people think it was Russell. Even though most pick Wilt over him.

You are kidding, right? Here is a list of his NBA records.

 

Regular season

Scoring

 

Seasons leading the league in scoring: 10 (1986–87—1992–93, 1995–96—1997–98)

 

Consecutive seasons leading the league in scoring: 7 (1986–87—1992–93)

 

Also holds second (see below)

Tied Wilt Chamberlain

 

Seasons leading the league in total points: 11 (1984–85, 1986–87—1992–93, 1995–96—1997–98)

 

In his rookie year (1984–85), Jordan led the league in points scored, but was third in scoring average behind Bernard King and Larry Bird.

 

Highest scoring average, points per game, career: 30.12 (32,292/1,072)

 

Seasons scoring 2,000 or more points: 11 (1984–85, 1986–87—1992–93, 1995–96—1997–98)

 

Broken by Karl Malone in 1999–2000

 

Seasons averaging 30 or more points per game: 8 (1986–87—1992–93, 1995–96)

 

Consecutive points scored in a game: 23, vs. Atlanta Hawks, occurred during last 6:33 of second quarter and first 2:12 of third quarter, April 16, 1987[16]

 

Jordan also scored 18 consecutive points, all in the fourth quarter, against the New York Knicks on November 21, 1986.

Broken by Manu Ginobili on February 21, 2007

Broken by LeBron James on May 31, 2007

 

Games scoring 30 or more points, career: 561

 

Games scoring 20 or more points, career: 926

 

Broken by Karl Malone

 

Consecutive games scoring 10 or more points: 866, March 25, 1986 to December 26, 2001

 

840 with the Chicago Bulls; 26 with the Washington Wizards

Jordan failed to score in double digits in only one game of 1,109 as a Chicago Bull (8 points in only 16 minutes of play on March 22, 1986 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, his fifth game upon returning from a broken foot injury).

 

Oldest player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring: 35 years, 61 days (1997–98)

 

Oldest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game: 38 years, 315 days (51 points, vs. New Orleans Hornets, December 29, 2001)

 

Oldest player in NBA history to score 40 points in a game: 40 years, 4 days (43 points, vs. New Jersey Nets, February 21, 2003)

 

Jordan is also the only player to score 40+ at age 40 or older.

In his final season, Jordan scored 40+ three times, 30+ nine times and 20+ 42 times.

 

Field goals

 

Seasons leading the league in field goals made: 10 (1986–87—1992–93, 1995–96—1997–98)

 

Consecutive seasons leading the league in field goals made: 7 (1986–87—1992–93)

 

Also holds second (see below)

 

Seasons leading the league in field goal attempts: 9 (1986–87—1987–88, 1989–90—1992–93, 1995–96—1997–98)

 

 

Free throws

 

Consecutive free throws made in a game: 19, vs. New Jersey Nets, February 26, 1987

 

Broken by Dominique Wilkins on December 8, 1992

 

Free throws made, half: 20, second half, at Miami Heat, December 30, 1992

 

Also holds third (see below)

 

Free throws made, quarter: 14, twice

14, fourth quarter, at Utah Jazz, November 15, 1989

14, fourth quarter, at Miami Heat, December 30, 1992

 

Broken by Vince Carter on December 23, 2005

Jordan also made 13 free throws in the second quarter of his last regular season game as a Chicago Bull, vs. the New York Knicks on April 18, 1998.

 

Free throw attempts, half: 23, second half, at Miami Heat, December 30, 1992

 

Free throw attempts, quarter: 16, fourth quarter, at Miami Heat, December 30, 1992

 

Broken by Ben Wallace on December 11, 2005

 

 

Steals

 

Seasons leading the league in steals: 3 (1987–88, 1989–90, 1992–93)

 

Steals, half: 8, first half, at Boston Celtics, November 9, 1988

 

 

Personal fouls

 

Personal fouls, quarter: 6, fourth quarter, vs. Detroit Pistons, January 31, 1989

 

Playoffs

6 of the top 10 highest playoff series scoring averages belong to Jordan.

 

Points, career: 5,987

 

Highest scoring average, points per game, career: 33.4 (5,987/179)

 

Games scoring 50 or more points, career: 8

 

Consecutive games scoring 50 or more points: 2, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, April 28, 1988 to May 1, 1988

 

Jordan is the only player in NBA history to record back-to-back 50 point games in the playoffs, scoring 50 and 55 in Games 1 and 2 against the Cavs.

He also scored 49 points on April 17, 1986 and 63 on April 20, 1986 in back-to-back games against the Boston Celtics.

 

Games scoring 40 or more points, career: 38

 

Games scoring 30 or more points, career: 109

 

Games scoring 20 or more points, career: 173

 

Jordan failed to score 20 points only six times in 179 playoff games.

 

Consecutive games scoring 20 or more points: 60, June 2, 1989 to May 11, 1993

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Games scoring 10 or more points, career: 179

 

Jordan's entire playoff career

Broken by Shaquille O'Neal

 

Consecutive games scoring 10 or more points: 179, April 19, 1985 to June 14, 1998

 

Jordan's entire playoff career

 

Points, one postseason: 759 (1992)

 

Scoring 35 or more points in all games, any playoff series: Twice

5 games, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1988 First Round

5 games, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1990 Conference Semifinals

 

Joined by Jerry West (6 games, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Baltimore Bullets, 1965) and Bernard King (5 games, New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons, 1984)

 

Scoring 30 or more points in all games, any playoff series: Seven times

3 games, vs. Boston Celtics, 1987 First Round

5 games, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1988 First Round

5 games, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1989 First Round

5 games, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1990 Conference Semifinals

3 games, vs. Miami Heat, 1992 First Round

6 games, vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals

3 games, vs. New Jersey Nets, 1998 First Round

 

Joined by Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Bernard King, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, and Jerry West.

 

Points, 3-game series: 135, vs. Miami Heat, 1992 First Round (45.0 ppg)

 

Also holds second and fourth (see below)

 

Points, 5-game series: 226, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1988 First Round (45.2 ppg)

 

Also holds second and fourth (see below)

 

Points, game: 63, at Boston Celtics, April 20, 1986 (2 OT)

 

Jordan has 5 of the top 10 highest scoring games by any player in NBA history.

Also holds third and fourth (see below)

 

Consecutive points scored in a game: 17, during second half (from 73 to 90 points), at New York Knicks, June 2, 1993

 

Broken by Ray Allen on June 1, 2001

 

 

Field goals

 

Field goals made, one postseason: 290 (1992)

 

Broken by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1995

 

Field goals made, 3-game series: 53, vs. Miami Heat, 1992 First Round

 

Also holds third (see below)

 

Field goals made, 5-game series: 86, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1990 Conference Semifinals

 

Also holds second (see below)

 

Field goals made, 6-game series: 101, vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals

 

Field goals made, game: 24, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, May 1, 1988

 

Also holds third and fourth (see below)

 

Consecutive field goals made in a game: 13, vs. Los Angeles Lakers, June 5, 1991

 

Field goal attempts, career: 4,497

 

Field goal attempts, one postseason: 581 (1992)

 

Broken by Allen Iverson in 2001

 

Field goal attempts, half: 25, first half, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, May 1, 1988

 

Also holds second and third (see below)

 

 

Three-point field goals

 

Three-point field goals made, half: 6, first half, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

 

Broken by Vince Carter on May 11, 2001

 

Three-point field goal attempts, half: 9, first half, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

 

Broken by John Starks on June 22, 1994

 

 

Free throws

 

Free throws made, career: 1,463

 

Free throws made, one postseason: 183 (1989)

 

Broken by Dirk Nowitzki in 2006

 

Free throws made, game (regulation): 23, vs. New York Knicks, May 14, 1989

 

Broken by Dirk Nowitzki in 2011

Also holds third (see below)

Bob Cousy made 30 of 32 free throws in a four-overtime game on March 21, 1953.

 

Free throws made, half: 14, second half, vs. Detroit Pistons, May 28, 1990

 

Broken by Earvin "Magic" Johnson on May 8, 1991

 

Free throws made, quarter: 13, fourth quarter, vs. Detroit Pistons, May 21, 1991

 

Tied by Dirk Nowitzki in 2011

Also holds third (see below)

 

Free throw attempts, career: 1,766

 

Broken by Shaquille O'Neal

 

Free throw attempts, one postseason: 229 (1989)

 

Broken by Shaquille O'Neal in 1995

 

Free throw attempts, 4-game series: 58, vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 1985 First Round

 

Broken by Shaquille O'Neal in 1999

 

Free throw attempts, game (regulation): 28, vs. New York Knicks, May 14, 1989

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

Broken by Shaquille O'Neal on June 9, 2000

 

Free throw attempts, half: 17, second half, vs. New York Knicks, May 14, 1989

 

Broken by Earvin "Magic" Johnson on May 8, 1991

 

Free throw attempts, quarter: 14, fourth quarter, vs. Detroit Pistons, May 21, 1991

 

Broken by Shaquille O'Neal on May 20, 2000

 

Steals

 

Steals, career: 376

 

Broken by teammate Scottie Pippen

 

 

NBA Finals

Scoring

 

Highest scoring average, points per game, any championship series: 41.0 (246/6), vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals

 

Points, 6-game series: 246, vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals (41.0 ppg)

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Consecutive games scoring 40 or more points: 4, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 11, 1993 to June 18, 1993

 

Consecutive games scoring 20 or more points: 35, June 2, 1991 to June 14, 1998

 

Jordan's entire Finals career

 

Scoring 30 or more points in all games, any championship series: 6 games, vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals

 

Also achieved by Elgin Baylor (1962), Rick Barry (1967), Hakeem Olajuwon (1995), and Shaquille O'Neal (2000, 2002)

 

Points, half: 35, first half, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

 

Also holds second (see below)

 

 

Field goals

 

Field goals made, 5-game series: 63, vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 1991 NBA Finals

 

Broken by Allen Iverson in 2001

 

Field goals made, 6-game series: 101, vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Field goals made, half: 14, twice

14, first half, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

14, first half, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

 

Consecutive field goals made in a game: 13, vs. Los Angeles Lakers, June 5, 1991

 

 

Three-point field goals

 

Three-point field goals made, career: 42

 

Broken by Robert Horry

 

Three-point field goals made, game: 6, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

 

Broken by Kenny Smith on June 7, 1995

 

Three-point field goals made, half: 6, first half, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

 

Broken by Ray Allen on June 6, 2010

 

Three-point field goal attempts, game: 10, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

 

Broken by John Starks on June 22, 1994

 

Three-point field goal attempts, half: 9, first half, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

 

Broken by John Starks on June 22, 1994

 

 

Free throws

 

Free throws made, quarter: 9, second quarter, at Utah Jazz, June 11, 1997

 

Free throw attempts, half: 15, second half, vs. Utah Jazz, June 4, 1997

 

Broken by Shaquille O'Neal on June 9, 2000

 

Free throw attempts, quarter: 12, fourth quarter, vs. Utah Jazz, June 4, 1997

 

Broken by Shaquille O'Neal on June 9, 2000

 

 

Steals

 

Steals, 5-game series: 14, vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 1991 NBA Finals (2.8 spg)

 

 

All-Star

 

Points, career: 262

 

Field goals made, career: 110

 

Field goals made, game: 17, 1988

 

Field goal attempts, career: 233

 

Field goal attempts, game: 27, 2003 (2 OT)

 

Steals, career: 37

 

Blocked shots, half: 4, 1988

 

 

Other records

Regular season

 

All-Defensive First Team selections: 9

 

Blocked shots by a guard, career: 893

 

Blocked shots by a guard, season: 131 (1987–88)

 

Highest Player Efficiency Rating, career: 27.91

 

Highest Game Score on record: 64.6, at Cleveland Cavaliers, March 28, 1990

 

Only rookie in NBA history to lead his team in four statistics (1984–85)

 

Jordan led the 1984-85 Chicago Bulls in scoring (28.2 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), assists (5.9 apg) and steals (2.4 spg).

Jordan again led the Bulls in four statistics in 1987-88, this time leading the team in scoring (35.0 ppg), assists (5.9 apg), steals (3.2 spg) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg).

 

Second rookie in NBA history to average 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists (1984–85)

 

Oscar Robertson (1960–61), LeBron James (2003–04) and Tyreke Evans (2009–10) also achieved this.

 

One of two players in NBA history to score 3,000 points in a season: 3,041 points scored in 82 games played (37.1 ppg) (1986–87)

 

Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player to achieve this.

 

First player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season: 236 steals, 125 blocks (1986–87)

 

Hakeem Olajuwon (1988–89) and Scottie Pippen (1989–90) are the only other players to do so.

 

Only player in NBA history with more than one season of 200 steals and 100 blocked shots: 259 steals, 131 blocks (1987–88)

 

Only player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and win Defensive Player of the Year in the same season (1987–88)

 

Jordan averaged 35 points per game.

 

First player in NBA history to win Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player during his career

 

David Robinson is the only other player to achieve this.

Hakeem Olajuwon won Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player during his career, but finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Jordan in 1984–85.

 

First player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and win Defensive Player of the Year during his career

 

David Robinson is the only other player to achieve this.

 

Only player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring, win Most Valuable Player, and win Defensive Player of the Year in the same season (1987–88)

 

First player in NBA history to win Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season (1987–88)

 

Hakeem Olajuwon (1993–94) is the only other player to achieve this.

 

First player in NBA history to lead the league both in scoring and steals in the same season (1987–88, 1989–90, 1992–93)

 

Allen Iverson is the only other player to do so, and has performed the feat twice.

 

Fourth player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and win the NBA championship in the same season

 

Jordan is the only player to achieve this more than once; he did this six times (1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98)

 

One of three players in history to sweep the Most Valuable Player awards for the regular season, All-Star Game and NBA Finals in the same season (1995–96, 1997–98)

 

Willis Reed (1969–70) and Shaquille O'Neal (1999–2000) are the only other players to achieve this; Jordan is the only player to perform the feat twice.

 

One of three players in history to win an Olympic gold medal both as an amateur and professional (1984, 1992)

 

Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin have also achieved this, playing on the same teams with Jordan.

 

Sixth player in history to win an Olympic gold medal, NCAA championship and NBA championship

 

Clyde Lovellette, Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Jerry Lucas, Quinn Buckner and Earvin "Magic" Johnson have also achieved this.

 

Only player in NBA history to win awards for Rookie of the Year (1984–85), Defensive Player of the Year (1987–88), regular season Most Valuable Player (1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98), All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (1988, 1996, 1998), and Finals Most Valuable Player (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)

 

Led the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls to the best regular season record in NBA history (72 wins, 10 losses)

 

Jordan averaged a league-leading 30.4 ppg

 

Led the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls to the best combined regular season and postseason record in NBA history (87 wins, 13 losses)

 

 

Playoffs

 

Only player in NBA history to score 15 or more points in all games in his career: 179 games

 

Blocked shots by a guard, career: 158

 

 

Finals

 

Most Valuable Player awards: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)

 

Jordan was named MVP in every Finals appearance. He averaged 33.6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game for his Finals career.

 

Scoring 20 or more points in all games, career: 35 games

 

Jordan and Rick Barry are the only players in NBA history to score 20+ in every Finals game.

 

 

All-Star

 

Most Valuable Player awards: 3 (1988, 1996, 1998)

 

Tied with Bob Pettit and Kobe Bryant, both of whom won 3 outright, and 1 shared.

 

First player to record a triple-double in All-Star Game history: 14 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists in 26 minutes (1997)

 

LeBron James recorded the second triple-double in All-Star Game history in 2011, with 29 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists in 32 minutes.

 

 

Set with Scottie Pippen

 

Ninth pair of teammates in NBA history to score 40 or more points in the same game: Chicago Bulls (110) at Indiana Pacers (102), February 18, 1996

 

Jordan: 44 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks in 42 minutes

Pippen: 40 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals in 44 minutes

 

One of at least two pairs of teammates in NBA history to record triple-doubles in the same game: Chicago Bulls (126) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (121), January 3, 1989 (OT)

 

Jordan: 41 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists (and six steals) in 47 minutes

Pippen: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists (and two steals) in 42 minutes

Jason Kidd and Vince Carter achieved this feat as well on April 7, 2007

 

 

Ranks 2nd in NBA history

 

† Behind only Wilt Chamberlain. For most of the league's scoring records where Jordan is not the record holder, Chamberlain is the record holder with Jordan following in second.

Regular season

 

Consecutive seasons leading the league in scoring: 3 (1995–96—1997–98)

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Games scoring 50 or more points, career: 31†

 

Games scoring 40 or more points, career: 173†

 

Games scoring 30 or more points, season: 67 (1986–87)†

 

Games scoring 20 or more points, season: 79, twice, (1986–87, 1987–88)†

 

Points, opening game of season: 54, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, November 3, 1989†

 

Consecutive seasons leading the league in field goals made: 3 (1995–96—1997–98)

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Consecutive seasons leading the league in field goal attempts: 4 (1989–90—1992–93)†

 

Free throws made, one (1) missed, game: 26—27, vs. New Jersey Nets, February 26, 1987

 

Jordan made 19 free throws in a row in the game, an NBA record at the time (see above).

Adrian Dantley made 28 of 29 free throws for the Utah Jazz against the Houston Rockets on January 4, 1984.

 

Steals, career: 2,514

 

Trailing John Stockton

 

Steals, game: 10, vs. New Jersey Nets, January 29, 1988

 

Jordan played only 27 minutes because of the Bulls' comfortable lead.

Also holds third and fourth (see below)

 

Games with at least one steal, season: 80 (1988–89)

 

Jordan played in 81 games during the season.

Alvin Robertson recorded a steal in 81 of 82 games played in 1985–86, the NBA record.

Tied by Chris Paul (who played in only 80 games) in 2007–08

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Consecutive seasons leading the league in minutes: 3 (1986–87—1988–89)†

 

Consecutive games recording a triple-double: 7, March 25, 1989 to April 6, 1989†[17]

 

Jordan recorded a triple-double in 10 of 11 games during this stretch while playing point guard. He fell just short in the one game, (which would have allowed for eleven consecutive triple-doubles) with a double-double effort of 40 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds.

Wilt Chamberlain holds the record with nine straight triple-doubles. Oscar Robertson also had seven in a row.

 

 

Playoffs

 

Consecutive games scoring 40 or more points: 4, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 11, 1993 to June 18, 1993

 

Highest average, points per game, any playoff series: 45.2 (226/5), vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1988 First Round

 

Jordan has 6 of the top 10 playoff series scoring averages by any player in NBA history. The other four are held by Jerry West (46.3, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Baltimore Bullets, 1965), Bernard King (42.6, New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons, 1984), Rick Barry (40.8, San Francisco Warriors vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1967), and Elgin Baylor (40.6, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, 1962), respectively.

Also holds third, fourth and fifth (see below)

 

Points, 3-game series: 131, vs. Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round (43.7 ppg)

 

Also holds the record (see above) and fourth (see below)

 

Points, 4-game series: 147, vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 1990 First Round (36.8 ppg)

 

Points, 5-game series: 215, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1990 Conference Semifinals (43.0 ppg)

 

Also holds the record (see above) and fourth (see below)

 

Points, 6-game series: 246, vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals (41.0 ppg)

 

Also holds fifth and sixth

 

Field goals made, career: 2,188

 

Field goals made, 5-game series: 85, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1988 First Round

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Field goals made, half: 14, four times

 

14, first half, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, May 1, 1988

14, second half, at Philadelphia 76ers, May 11, 1990

14, first half, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

14, first half, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

Also holds third and fourth (see below)

 

Field goal attempts, half: 24, second half, at Miami Heat, May 26, 1997

 

Also holds the record (see above) and third

 

Steals, 5-game series: 20, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1990 Conference Semifinals

 

 

Finals

 

Highest scoring average, points per game, career: 33.6 (1,176/35)

 

Only Rick Barry (360/10) has a higher career average in the Finals.

 

Games scoring 40 or more points, career: 6

 

Jerry West scored 40+ ten times.

 

Consecutive games scoring 30 or more points: 9, June 10, 1992 to June 20, 1993

 

Elgin Baylor scored 30+ in 13 consecutive games.

 

Points, game: 55, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

 

Points, half: 33, first half, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Points, quarter: 22, second quarter, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

 

Field goals made, game: 21, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Field goals made, quarter: 9, second quarter, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

 

Field goal attempts, 6-game series: 199, vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals

 

Assists, 5-game series: 57, vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 1991 NBA Finals

 

Earvin "Magic" Johnson had 62 assists in the same series.

 

 

All-Star

 

Games played: 13 (1985, 1987—1993, 1996—1998, 2002—2003)

 

Jordan was also selected to play in 1986, but could not due to injury.

Jordan started in all 13 games, including his rookie season.

 

Points, game: 40, 1988†

 

 

Ranks 3rd in NBA history

 

† Behind only Wilt Chamberlain. For most of the league's scoring records where Jordan is not the record holder, Chamberlain is the record holder with Jordan following in second.

Regular season

 

Points, career: 32,292

 

Points, season: 3,041 (1986–87)†

 

Jordan is one of two players in NBA history who have scored 3,000 points in a season, along with Wilt Chamberlain.

 

Consecutive seasons scoring 2,000 or more points: 7 (1986–87—1992–93)

 

Games scoring 40 or more points, season: 37 (1986–87)†

 

Consecutive games scoring 40 or more points: 9, November 28, 1986 to December 12, 1986†

 

Jordan scored 40+ in 11 of 12 games.

 

Games scoring 20 or more points, season: 78, twice, (1988–89, 1990–91)†

 

Also holds second (see above)

 

Field goals made, quarter: 11, twice

11, first quarter, vs. Orlando Magic, January 16, 1993

 

Consecutive seasons leading the league in field goal attempts: 3 (1995–96—1997–98)†

 

Also holds second (see above)

 

Field goal attempts, career: 24,537

 

Free throws made, season: 833 (1986–87)

 

Free throws made, game: 26, vs. New Jersey Nets, February 26, 1987

 

Free throws made, half: 18, second half, vs. New York Knicks, January 21, 1990

 

Also holds the record (see above)

Jordan also had a game in which he made 16 free throws during the second half, vs. Detroit Pistons, April 7, 1989, which ranks fifth in NBA history.

 

Highest average, steals per game, career: 2.35 (2,514/1,072)

 

Steals, game: 9, twice

 

9, at Boston Celtics, November 9, 1988

9, vs. New Jersey Nets, April 2, 1993

Also holds second (see above) and fourth (see below)

 

Consecutive games with a steal: 77, March 25, 1988 to March 17, 1989

 

Jordan recorded a steal in 80 of 81 games played in 1988–89, one game shy of the NBA record (see above).

 

Seasons leading the league in minutes: 3 (1986–87—1988–89)†

 

 

Playoffs

 

Consecutive games scoring 40 or more points: 3, twice

3, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, May 3, 1989 to May 7, 1989

3, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, May 9, 1990 to May 13, 1990

 

Also holds second (see above)

 

Consecutive games scoring 30 or more points: 8, twice

8, April 23, 1987 to May 8, 1988

8, June 9, 1993 to April 30, 1995

 

Highest average, points per game, any playoff series: 45.0 (135/3), vs. Miami Heat, 1992 First Round

 

Also holds second, fourth and fifth (see above and below)

 

Points, game: 56, at Miami Heat, April 29, 1992

 

Also holds the record (see above) and fourth (see below)

Jordan scored only two points in the first quarter and 54 in the other three.

 

Points, half: 37, second half, at Miami Heat, April 29, 1992

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Field goals made, 3-game series: 48, twice

48, vs. Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round

48, vs. Washington Bullets, 1997 First Round

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Field goals made, 4-game series: 55, vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 1990 First Round

 

Field goals made, game: 22, twice

22, at Boston Celtics, April 20, 1986 (2 OT)

22, vs. Washington Bullets, April 27, 1997

 

Also holds the record (see above) and fourth (see below)

 

Field goals made, half: 13, first half, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, April 28, 1988

 

Also holds second (see above) and fourth (see below)

 

Field goals made, quarter: 10, fourth quarter, at Philadelphia 76ers, May 11, 1990

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Field goal attempts, 3-game series: 95, vs. Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round†

 

Field goal attempts, 5-game series: 157, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 1990 Conference Semifinals

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Field goal attempts, game: 45, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, May 1, 1988

 

Field goal attempts, half: 23, many times

23, second half, vs. Utah Jazz, June 13, 1997

 

Also holds the record and second (see above)

 

Free throws made, 3-game series: 35, twice

35, vs. Boston Celtics, 1987 First Round

35, vs. New Jersey Nets, 1998 First Round

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

Free throws made, 4-game series: 48, vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 1985 First Round

 

Free throws made, game: 22, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, May 5, 1989 (OT)

 

Also holds the regulation record (see above)

 

Free throws made, quarter: 11, vs. Detroit Pistons, May 28, 1990

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Free throw attempts, 3-game series: 45, vs. New Jersey Nets, 1998 First Round

 

Also holds fourth (see below)

 

 

Finals

 

Points, career: 1,176

 

Field goal attempts, game: 43, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 13, 1993 (3 OT)

 

Field goal attempts, half: 23, second half, vs. Utah Jazz, June 13, 1997

 

 

All-Star

 

Minutes, career: 382

 

Field goals made, half: 22, 1988

 

 

Ranks 4th in NBA history

 

† Behind only Wilt Chamberlain. For most of the league's scoring records where Jordan is not the record holder, Chamberlain is the record holder with Jordan following in second.

Regular season

 

Points, quarter: 30, fourth quarter, at Denver Nuggets, November 26, 1988

 

Games scoring 50 or more points, season: 8 (1986–87)†

 

Consecutive games scoring 50 or more points: 3, April 12, 1987 to April 16, 1987†

 

Games scoring 30 or more points, season: 59 (1987–88)†

 

Also holds second (see above)

 

Consecutive games scoring 20 or more points: 72, December 29, 1987 to December 6, 1988†

 

Jordan also had a streak of 69 games, from November 24, 1990 to April 19, 1991, fifth all-time†.

 

Points, opening game of season: 50, at New York Knicks, November 1, 1986†

 

Also holds second (see above)

 

Field goals made, career: 12,192

 

Field goals made, quarter: 10, many times

 

Free throws made, career: 7,327

 

Rebounds by a guard, career: 6,672

 

Trailing Jason Kidd, Oscar Robertson and Clyde Drexler

 

Steals by a rookie, season: 196 (1984–85)

 

Trailing Dudley Bradley (211, 1979–80), Ron Harper (209, 1986–87), and Mark Jackson (205, 1987–88)

 

Steals, game: 8, eight times

 

Also holds second and third (see above)

 

Games with at least one steal, season: 78 (1989–90)

 

Also holds second (see above)

 

 

Playoffs

 

Consecutive games scoring 40 or more points: 2, five times

 

Also holds second and third (see above)

 

Consecutive games scoring 20 or more points: 47, May 27, 1996 to June 14, 1998

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Highest average, points per game, any playoff series: 43.7 (131/3), vs. Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round

 

Also holds second and third (see above)

Also holds fifth (averaged 43 points per game in five games against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1990 Conference Semifinals)

 

Points, 3-game series: 112, vs. Washington Bullets, 1997 First Round (37.3 ppg)

 

Also holds the record and second (see above)

Also holds sixth, seventh and eighth

 

Points, 5-game series: 199, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1989 First Round (39.8 ppg)

 

Also holds the record and second (see above)

 

Points, game: 55, thrice

55, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, May 1, 1988

55, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

55, vs. Washington Bullets, April 27, 1997

 

Also holds the record and third (see above)

 

Points, half: 35, first half, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992

 

Also holds third (see above)

Jordan also holds sixth, having scored 33 points in the second half on May 11, 1990 at the Philadelphia 76ers and again in the first half on June 16, 1993 vs. the Phoenix Suns.

 

Field goals made, game: 21, twice

21, vs. Miami Heat, April 24, 1992

21, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 16, 1993

 

Also holds the record and third (see above)

 

Field goals made, half: 12, many times

 

Also holds second and third (see above)

 

Field goals made, quarter: 9, many times

 

Also holds third (see above)

 

Field goal attempts, 5-game series: 152, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 1988 First Round

 

Also holds third (see above)

 

Free throws made, 3-game series: 34, vs. Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round

 

Also holds third (see above)

 

Free throw attempts, 3-game series: 39, twice

39, vs. Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round

39, vs. Boston Celtics, 1987 First Round

 

Also holds third (see above)

 

Free throw attempts, game: 27, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, May 5, 1989 (OT)

 

Also holds the regulation record (see above)

 

 

Finals

 

Points, 6-game series: 215, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 1992 NBA Finals

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Field goals made, 6-game series: 81, vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 1992 NBA Finals

 

Also holds the record (see above)

 

Field goals made, game: 19, vs. Phoenix Suns, June 13, 1993 (3 OT)

 

Also holds second (see above)

 

Steals, career: 62

 

 

All-Star

 

Highest scoring average, points per game, career: 20.2 (262/13)

 

 

 

Then, there are the Bulls records he broke. I left out awards and achievements as well and limited this post to only NBA records.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Michael_Jordan

[Guest]

Ok first off, little off the topic of MMA here

 

And secondly, am I the only one sad enough to have read every word of that? Lmao

Haven't watched the NBA in almost a decade but Christ I loved it in the Jordan/Pippen era. Still my favourite players ever were from the 15 year period of 1985-2000 and most were from the early 90's so I enjoyed that geeky trip down.memory lane

[Guest]

No one said he sucked. I can do the same thing for Wilt. He has the top 4 season scoring average. Jordans best year just edges past Wilts 5th best. I dont have a horse in this race. I could careless. But to think it isnt debated is silly when i watched Basketball hardcore up until Barkley retired and that was all i heard was them debating who was better and it wasnt everyone agreeing it was Jordan.

[Eveas]

No one said he sucked. I can do the same thing for Wilt. He has the top 4 season scoring average. Jordans best year just edges past Wilts 5th best. I dont have a horse in this race. I could careless. But to think it isnt debated is silly when i watched Basketball hardcore up until Barkley retired and that was all i heard was them debating who was better and it wasnt everyone agreeing it was Jordan.

You said, "He ddint win the most Championships, wasnt the highest scorer. Wasnt the best shooter. There are many other shooting guards who were as good number wise. Shooting guards are a dime a dozen."

 

I posted NBA records saying otherwise. Not only did he have the most consecutive seasons as the top scorer he also had the second most. 5 of the top ten playoff series scoring averages of all time belong to him. Then there is that whole other series of shooting records. Shooting guards may have been a dime a dozen, but there is a reason Jordan rose to the top of them all. No one else even comes close to the number of records Jordan holds.

[Eveas]

Ok first off, little off the topic of MMA here

 

And secondly, am I the only one sad enough to have read every word of that? Lmao

Haven't watched the NBA in almost a decade but Christ I loved it in the Jordan/Pippen era. Still my favourite players ever were from the 15 year period of 1985-2000 and most were from the early 90's so I enjoyed that geeky trip down.memory lane

I know the feeling. I also miss the Texas dominance that filled the void after Jordan's retirement. I loved the Rockets and Spurs. Never been a Mavericks fan. Now days the superstars just don't seem to have the same aura as they did back then.

[Guest]

You said, "He ddint win the most Championships, wasnt the highest scorer. Wasnt the best shooter. There are many other shooting guards who were as good number wise. Shooting guards are a dime a dozen."

 

I posted NBA records saying otherwise. Not only did he have the most consecutive seasons as the top scorer he also had the second most. 5 of the top ten playoff series scoring averages of all time belong to him. Then there is that whole other series of shooting records. Shooting guards may have been a dime a dozen, but there is a reason Jordan rose to the top of them all. No one else even comes close to the number of records Jordan holds.

 

 

There are many better pure shooters than Jordan. Even Bird had the same career FG% but blew him away on 3pt% and FT%. There are even better pure shooters who just specialize in 3pt shooting. Jordan didnt have the most championships. He also didnt have the most scoring titles. You can spin any stats you want. There are some he has the record for and some he doesnt.

 

All the years i watched Jordan everyone called him a ball hog. But the media never said a word. Kobe scores a lot of point one night and the media go fucking off and now he tries not to score over 40 points and has been holding back for years since it happen. Kobe is as good as MJ. I would say MJ might be a little better but the difference is very small.

[Eveas]

All the years i watched Jordan everyone called him a ball hog.

Franchise record for assists. 5,012

[Guest]

Ok ok I can end this now....

 

Jordan is the greatest player ever.... why you may ask?

 

He dunked it on an Alien whilst getting an assist from Bugs damn Bunny, how many other basketball players have done that!!!!

[Guest]

Franchise record for assists. 5,012

 

 

Kobe "the ball Hog" Bryant 5,154 assists. lol

[Eveas]

Ok ok I can end this now....

 

Jordan is the greatest player ever.... why you may ask?

 

He dunked it on an Alien whilst getting an assist from Bugs damn Bunny, how many other basketball players have done that!!!!

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/823/cap314Ethan_Bubblegum_Tate.jpg

No Bugs Bunny, but he was a senior lecturer of physics at Globetrotter U.

[Guest]

He is the second greatest ever, closely followed by the granny that dribbles the ball between her legs to the Globetrotters theme tune

[Eveas]

Kobe "the ball Hog" Bryant 5,154 assists. lol

I never made any comments about Kobe. Personally, I think an example of a ball hog I would be more likely to name would be Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn. When they are all on the Mav's together none of them would pass the ball. All they wanted to do was keep the other 2 from showing them up. It was a pathetic year for the Mav's. Much like Mike Towers I don't even really watch the guys playing anymore now days. There was an era when stars just had a certain aura of class and sportsmanship. It was a golden age for basketball. Then guys started bringing guns into the locker rooms and starting fights with the fans. I just lost interest. So, while I have heard people say Kobe may well be the next Jordan I haven't really cared to watch him anymore. He very well could pass Jordan by the end of his career. Won't know until it happens.