Michael Jordan was already one of the best players ahead of the 1990-91 season. Unfortunately, he had no championships prior to that campaign. When his Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the final, Jordan felt honored certain feelings.
In the 1980s, there was a consensus that Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird were the best players in the NBA. As the decade approaches the end, the two superstars were getting older and the other stars were rising. One of them was Michael Jordan. He was already dominant based on his number.
Despite the surprising statistics, Jordan did not have a championship in his trophy cabinet. They were still considered the best in the NBA, as Johnson and Byrd had already had multiple titles in their careers.
The 1991 NBA Finals changed when Jordan finally won their first championship. He beat the Chicago Bulls in a 4-1 series against Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a magical run for the Bulls, including the infamous Detroit Pistons strike after the Bulls won.
After a much-anticipated victory with the Pistons, Jordan solidified himself as the league’s best player in the 1991 final. Johnson had an incredible series with 12.4 assists in five games, averaged 18.6 points, 8 rebounds and 12.4 assists.
However, the young superstar averaged 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game, making Jordan surpass him despite some foul trouble.
It was the series that finally confirmed the Jordanian hype. People counted him because he never won a championship in his first six seasons. In his seventh, he finally took the top step and proved he is the biggest star of the NBA.
Johnson confirmed his thoughts when he hugged and spoke after Game 5. Jordan paid tribute to the fact that Johnson anointed MJ as the NBA’s next superstar after him and Byrd.
“He came to our locker room and gave me the biggest hug. He blessed me. He didn’t have to do it from a competitive standpoint. But he understood what it meant.
The 1991 final was magical for Jordan. He was an overview of six Bulls championships in the 1990s. Jordan led to six NBA Finals in a decade, earning all six appearances in the last series of the year.
A clean 6-0 record in the NBA Finals proves that Johnson is right to oil Jordan as his next superstar. This was confirmed with Jordan’s star power throughout the decade, including when they played together at the 1992 Olympics.
Jordan eventually became the greatest NBA player of all time for many people. That was the consensus that led to LeBron James entering the picture. He and Jordan are now considered the best players in the NBA in heated debate. This is a unique space that only they can occupy.