Michael Jordan Named His 3 Favourite NBA Opponents of All-Time

The NBA in the 1980s and 1990s saw some of the most intense rivalries basketball has ever seen, ranging from fierce battles between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, to the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. The era had many of the game’s greatest ever players, including those who are in the Hall of Fame and also made it onto the 75th Anniversary Team.

Michael Jordan was the man who became the face of the league during this time, with the Bulls icon invariably coming out on top on most occasions on his way to six NBA titles and five MVP awards. But just who can be considered to be the players to give Jordan the hardest time on the court? After all, given he played in the league from the mid-1980s all the way through to the early 2000s, there are plenty of players who the legendary MJ faced off against at one point or another.

Well, Jordan revealed the three players whom he considered as his favourite opponents from his NBA career, with the trio all being Hall of Fame stars and major rivals of the Bulls legend during both the 1980s and the 1990s.

Magic Johnson

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first name Jordan came up with when it came to his favourite opponents in the NBA, was Magic Johnson. The man who led the Showtime Lakers during the 1980s and battled against an up-and-coming Jordan, Magic goes down as one of the greatest in franchise history.

Given his unique size and strength, there were very few, if any, who could deal with Magic at the point, with the Lakers guard towering over most players at his position. But not only did he have the physical advantage, but Johnson could also pass like the best of them, dishing out on-the-money bounce passes and flashy assists too. Magic would win the title five times, with all of them coming in the 1980s, while he also picked up three MVP awards and three Finals MVP prizes too.

Indeed, Jordan was unequivocal of Johnson being the greatest point guard of all-time, snubbing current superstar Stephen Curry in the process.

Larry Bird

Now onto the man Jordan claimed was the greatest small forward of all-time, Larry Bird. The Boston Celtics legend was the on-court leader for the franchise during the 1980s, and his legendary battles with Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers were a sight to behold. Bird was as complete player as they come, able to pass, shoot and defend all at a high level, and doing so even when the game was on the line and it mattered the most.

Bird’s confidence, charisma and aura were all unmatched for a player of his era, with his ability to make his shot from anywhere on the court and from the most ridiculous of angles making him virtually unguardable. The Celtics star may not have had some of the athleticism like other forwards like the Atlanta Hawks’ Dominique Wilkins, but he more than made up for it with sheer IQ and an elite feel for the game.

A three-time NBA MVP who won his awards for three years in a row between 1984 and 1986, Bird would help win the title for the Celtics three times in the 1980s, while he was named the Finals MVP twice.

Patrick Ewing

The third and final man who Jordan declared was his favourite opponent in the NBA, is Patrick Ewing. One of the all-time great centers, Ewing was the star of the show for the New York Knicks during the 1990s, and while he couldn’t quite get the team over the line in terms of a championship, there’s no questioning the kind of ability he had as a player.

A superb defender and rebounder, Ewing held it down in the paint for the Knicks, and was the kind of tough and tenacious character that fed into the energy created by playing at a raucous Madison Square Garden – especially against the Bulls and when Jordan came to town. A genuine rim protector and dominant shot-blocker, Ewing made life difficult for anyone who dared come into the paint. That, of course, didn’t deter Jordan from doing so though, who years later spoke about what his favourite dunk was.