Thursday’s question of the day: Is Michael Jordan the best basketball player of all time?

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Is Michael Jordan the best basketball player of all time? Reporters from around the Tribune family tackle today’s question of the day, then you get a chance to leave a comment and tell them why they are wrong.

Kevin Van Valkenburg, Baltimore Sun

It’s virtually impossible to argue that anyone other than Michael Jeffrey Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. It’s like arguing that there’s a better American novel than The Great Gatsby or a better play than Death of a Salesman. You can certainly try, but you’ll lose every time.

That said, boats against the current, a few words on behalf of one Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson. Magic may have had better teammates over the long run, but they also loved playing with him, not for him. Jordan’s teammates played FOR him. Magic didn’t have to scream or punch guys in the face to motivate them. He simply made them better.

It wasn’t in Magic’s nature to be selfish, to demand to sing a solo each night. Instead, he dragged his less-talented band mates into the spotlight. He could have won with those Wizards teams Jordan played on late in his career. I truly believe that. And in some ways, Jordan was Tiger Woods, and Magic was Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus, who came first, was tested in ways Woods never was during his prime.

Jordan’s athletic gifts, his competitive fire, and his ability to rise to the moment have no equal. But Magic won almost as much, while reminding us that winning is about more than breaking your opponent’s will. It should also be fun.

Rick Morrissey, Chicago Tribune

You don’t have to be from Chicago to believe Michael Jordan is the best player in NBA history. You just need a memory. Jordan changed the game. He was 6-foot-6 and could play whatever position you wanted him to play. He could kill you off the dribble. He operated in airspace with which few players were familiar. He developed a deadly outside shot. And he wanted the last shot. Always. The Bulls won six NBA titles because of him, and although some people have tried to grab their share of credit for it, none of it was possible without Jordan. All those Most Valuable Player awards and all those scoring titles tell you about his talent. The championship rings tell you about his will. Nobody in history has had that combination of ability and results.

Mike Anthony, Hartford Courant He’s the best, and the most important. Air Jordan defined the NBA’s revitalization in the 1980s and ‘90s, grasping the momentum started by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and building it into a juggernaut.
He scored like no else, in ways previously thought unimaginable. He wasn’t the physical force of a Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain; he simply owned the sport through athleticism, creativity and, mostly, will.
Jordan won six NBA championships, five fewer than Russell, but didn’t always have the supporting cast. He re-wrote the book on marketing, became the most famous athlete in the world. And he had a sense for the moment. He’s the king of the buzzer-beater, the king of gravity-defying highlights who, starting with his game-winning shot in the 1984 NCAA championship game, had fans scratching their heads in disbelief through two three-peats with the Bulls.

George Diaz, Orlando Sentinel

Why are we even having this discussion? Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player in NBA history. He changed the style of the NBA, traditionally a big man’s game, and proved another position player can dominate. Sure Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson and others who came before him were great, but Jordan took his brilliance to the next level. His Chicago teams won six NBA championships even though the Bulls lacked a quality center. Individually, Jordan was a 10-time All-NBA first team player, the league’s defensive player of the year in 1988, and two-time Olympic gold medalist. What of Larry Bird? Magic Johnson? Bird once described MJ as “God disguised as Michael Jordan.” Said Magic: “There’s Michael Jordan, and then there’s the rest of us.” Amen.