Michael Jordan’s NBA career is widely regarded as the greatest in basketball history. The 
Chicago Bulls‘ legend dominated his era as the centerpiece of one of the league’s most iconic dynasties.
Jordan won six championships in eight years in the Windy City, earning Finals MVP honors in all six appearances while also capturing five regular-season MVP awards.
During his 15-year career, Michael additionally led the league in scoring ten times and redefined offensive efficiency for a shooting guard.
Even beyond stats, the all-time great wing exhibited a fierce mentality that set the gold standard for greatness in sports. Jordan’s global popularity helped transform the NBA into a worldwide phenomenon, elevating the league’s cultural and commercial reach with his brand.
|
Michael Jordan NBA Career Stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Category |
Stat |
|
Points per game |
30.1 |
|
Assists per game |
5.3 |
|
Rebounds per game |
6.2 |
|
Steals per game |
2.3 |
|
Blocks per game |
0.8 |
|
Career awards |
5x NBA MVP, 6x NBA Finals MVP, 14x All-Star, 10x All-NBA First Team, 1x All-NBA Second Team |
|
NBA titles |
6 |
Nonetheless, even with Michael’s rich basketball player, a former multi-time All-Star believes that there is one quality Jordan had that isn’t talked about enough. And this trait is hard to find in today’s NBA.
Allan Houston revealed Michael Jordan’s most underrated trait
Allan Houston is a 
New York Knicks‘ legend who faced Jordan several times at the peak of his powers. The two-time All-Star plaeyd in the NBA from 1993-2005 with just two Eastern Conference teams, New York and the 
Detroit Pistons.
Houston has maintained a close relationship with the Knicks since his retirement, even acting as an assistant general manager for the beloved franchise.
At one point, Allan got to work with Michael Jordan’s former coach, Phil Jackson, when he was acting as this organization’s president of basketball operations.
Houston learned closely about how to best operate within the confines of the triangle offense, and began to understand what Michael’s most underrated trait was during his NBA career.
In a 2015 interview at Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, the Knicks’ all-time great went into detail on his newfound appreciation of Jordan.
“A lot of players, if they’re very athletic, they’re not as cerebral because you have to use your speed and strength to get the advantage. Well, Michael [Jordan] was able to do both. He never took a possession off mentally. … Michael was so good that every possession was almost like the last one. Michael knew what areas he wanted to go to, so when you were defending him, he would kind of set you up one way and get to one spot and just elevate. There was really nothing you could do. Playing against Michael, at that time, I just didn’t have as much of an appreciation for him as much as I do now. … And now, kind of understanding the triangle offense, and working with Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher, and the Knicks’ staff, I have a better appreciation for how he was able to be so effective because now I can see how he had a very intelligent way to view the game.”
Michael Jordan’s obsessive competitiveness drove his relentless style of play
Michael Jordan’s hatred of losing defined every aspect of his career. Whether it was a meaningless regular-season game or a Finals matchup, the first-ballot Hall of Famer approached every moment with the same ruthless intensity.
This mindset set the tone for Jordan and his teammates, forcing the Bulls to match a consistent level of focus and effort. Jordan’s killer instinct also made him a relentless defender and the ultimate closer when the game was on the line.
But as Houston notes, Michael’s basketball IQ and motor are what fueled him to the top of the league. It was this ability to maintain this constant effort while adapting his game that allowed Jordan to stay at the top for as long as he did.
MJ mastered footwork, mid-range shooting, and post moves, and coupled that with studying defenders’ tendencies and exploiting every weakness he could find.
Players have subsequently used this approach in the game to similar degrees of success. The most notable was, of course, Kobe Bryant, who is also among the greatest players ever.
Overall, Jordan’s relentless effort is a rare trait that few modern-day NBA players emulate. The prototype for this generation is this skill is Russell Westbrook or, on a lesser scale, a player like T.J. McConnell.
Athletes, of course, do have to pace themselves during the course of a season, but Michael’s energy, even well into his 30s, is certainly something he does not get enough credit for.
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