‘The Only Stats That Matter To Me’: Michael Jordan Explains His Unique Approach To Analyzing Statistics

Many regard Michael Jordan as one of the greatest of all time. Jordan has been credited with revolutionizing the game of basketball, the NBA in particular, globally. However, when it comes to some all-time stat leaders, Jordan doesn’t boast of leading these rankings.

The likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain lead the stat list, but they are not much involved in the GOAT debate. Jordan may not be in the NBA record books for leading the top stats, but his performances and consistency are something that statistics can’t prove.

Chicago Bulls All-Star forward # 23 Michael Jordan file photos. (Photo by Tom Berg/WireImage)

In fact, Jordan himself admitted that these numbers never drove him and he only feels that they are there to remember a player. In an old video, Michael Jordan has talked about the impact of stats on him.

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Michael Jordan opens up on the impact of stats on himself

An old interview of Jordan has resurfaced on social media, where he was asked about the impact of stats on himself. To this, Jordan said that ‘it’s all about winning championships’.

“Well, that never drove me. Stats only add up,” Jordan replied when asked about stats’ impact.

“When you put in the effort, you don’t worry about it. Good things happen if people work hard. If I’d play for the stats, I’d never retire in 1993? Or I’d still be chasing all-time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring lead. That doesn’t drive me. Sure, it defines to some extent for people who don’t know me. 20 years from now, we never know who Michael Jordan really is. But based on the stats, he must’ve been pretty decent.”

He continued,” Those are the only ways that I look at stats. It’s all about winning championships and winning. The stats that matter to me is games that we win and rings that you collect.”

Michael Jordan Speaking On STATS #NBA #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/hlkTu54tVt

— The Jordan Rules (@Rules23Jordan) December 13, 2021

Indeed, the statistics don’t explain everything about a player. In fact, if Jordan had not retired twice in his career and had played continuously, he would have had better stats. However, that doesn’t speak much about Jordan.

Jordan was influential in winning two three-peats with the Chicago Bulls and those are the only championships the Bulls ever won. That is something that speaks a lot about Jordan. He was also an influential figure during the 90s and promoted the NBA globally. Despite him not being an active player, he is a huge brand in the sports arena and is the richest athlete of all time.

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