Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan has been out of the NBA for quite some time, but he left his permanent mark on the game. He hasn't played in the league in nearly two decades, but sports analysts and talk show hosts continue to discuss his impact on the NBA.
Stephen A. Smith brought MJ up in his recent discussion on First Take, and said that Jordan changed the game “for the worse.”
"Michael Jordan is responsible, as much as anybody, for changing the game for the worse!"
Stephen A. Smith says Steph Curry changed the game for the better, while Jordan changed it for worse 👀pic.twitter.com/habn1YaYnp
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 1, 2022
He prefaced his point by clarifying that he believes the Bulls legend is “the greatest player to have ever played,” and said he was “throwing no shade” with the hot take.
“Michael Jordan is responsible as much as anybody for changing the game for the worse,” Smith said. How can a six-time NBA champion who Smith deems to be the greatest player of all time do this?
According to Smith, “he [Jordan] was so phenomenal that the NBA marketed the individual, the audience gravitated towards the individual, and the game became a bit more individualized because people wanted to be like Mike.”
In other words, Jordan altered the way that the game was marketed during his iconic reign with the Bulls. “You were thinking ‘team' until Jordan elevated it to another level. … The individualization of the sport, particularly because of the money that came with it, became more of a focal point”
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