Ranking Michael Jordan’s Biggest Rivals of All Time

He’s the G.O.A.T and he was unstoppable. Many greats challenged him but he always prevailed. Let’s take a look at who Michael Jordan’s biggest rivals were.

5. Karl Malone

Karl Malone is amongst the greatest players who never won an NBA championship. They can thank Michael Jordan for that. His teammate and partner in crime John Stockton is also one of the greatest single franchise NBA players of all time.

Malone was one of Michael Jordan’s biggest rivals. The pick and roll between Malone and Stockton was unstoppable. But Malone, Stockton and the Jazz also had a reputation of being dirty. Utah made the playoffs every season that Stockton and Malone played in but Jordan became the single reason why the Hall of Famers never won an NBA championship.

Despite Malone leading 13-11 all-time against Jordan, the Bulls beat the Jazz in 1997 and again in 1998, with Jordan’s famous 20-foot jumper with 5.2 seconds remaining clinching a sixth NBA championship. Malone never won an NBA title and he’s forever filthy that teammate Antoine Carr wanted Jordan’s autograph for his son.

4. Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley and the Philadelphia 76ers were one of Michael Jordan’s biggest rivals. In the 1990 and 1991 playoffs the Bulls eliminated Barkley and the Sixers. Barkley was throwing massive numbers up, averaging 24.7 points and 15.5 rebounds in the 1991 playoffs.

In 1992 Barkley was traded to the Phoenix Suns and had an MVP and career year. He averaged 26.6 points and 13.6 rebounds leading the Suns to the NBA Finals. Jordan however averaged 41 points a game during the playoffs and the Bulls went on to beat the Suns in six games.

That was Barkley’s only chance at winning an NBA championship and he became one of the best players who never won an NBA championship.

Jordan and Barkley struck a friendship during their playing days and were good friends into retirement. Barkley however publicly criticised Jordan’s ownership of his Charlotte NBA franchise and the two haven’t been friends ever since.

3. Clyde Drexler

Clyde Drexler was the reason why Portland Trail Blazers didn’t draft Michael Jordan in 1984. They already had a star guard in Drexler so they drafted center Sam Bowie instead.

Drexler still became a 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer. Drexler and Jordan met in the 1992 NBA Finals, and Jordan didn’t like the fact that some people compared him to Drexler.

The Bulls won in six games as Jordan dominated Drexler and the Trail Blazers, finishing with an average of 35.8 points and 6.5 assists in the series. Most surprising was the six three-pointers Jordan drained, the weaker part of his game.

Out of Michael Jordan’s biggest rivals, Drexler was the only one who managed to win an NBA title, doing so with the Houston Rockets in 1995. The Rockets swept Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals, after the Magic beat Jordan’s Bulls in six games in the second round.

Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler were considered two of the best players in the league during the 1992 NBA Finals. MJ wasn’t having that.

Episodes 5 & 6 of #TheLastDance premiere Sunday at 9 PM ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/sUnUiVl67Y

— ESPN (@espn) April 30, 2020

2. Patrick Ewing

Jordan’s game winner for North Carolina in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown team set the tone with one of Michael Jordan’s biggest rivals.

Once the Bulls learnt how to deal with Michael Jordan’s biggest rival, Detroit, Chicago were unbeatable. The Bulls and Knicks are one of the biggest NBA rivalries and the Knicks were on the receiving end of most Bulls dominance.

Both John Starks and Ewing were one of only a few players who could somewhat make an impact on limiting Jordan’s game. It mattered little though as Chicago eliminated New York in the playoffs in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1996. The Knicks did manage to defeat the Bulls in the 1994 playoffs but Jordan was off on his professional baseball sabbatical.

No matter what Ewing and the Knicks tried, they could not get the better of Jordan and the Bulls. In the 1993 Eastern Conference finals, the Bulls turned around a 2-0 deficit to win four games straight on their way to an NBA title. Ewing remains the best player who never won an NBA championship.

#OTD (1991) Michael Jordan had 33 PTS, 7 ASTS, 6 STLS & 1 epic poster dunk on Patrick Ewing.

The Bulls swept the Knicks in this series, which started off with a 126-85 beatdown in GM1 pic.twitter.com/2X5M5KTi4o

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 30, 2018

1. Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas has always been Michael Jordan’s biggest rival. Jordan believes that Thomas was the major force behind the infamous ‘Freezeout’ of Jordan at his first all-star game in 1985.

As the unquestionable leader of Detroit’s “Bad Boys”, Thomas was a key part of the Pistons’ “Jordan Rules” strategy. The game plan was to limit Jordan’s impact by limiting his clutch shot shooting and playing an extremely physical game on him.

During the late 80’s it was Detroit who dominated, knocking Chicago out of the playoffs in three straight seasons and winning back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.

Phil Jackson and Chicago completely turned around the rivalry and became a dominant force in the NBA throughout the 90’s with the “Triangle Offense”. Thomas, a Chicago native, had to watch as Jordan transformed his hometown Bulls into one of the greatest teams of all time.