George Gervin?s final year in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls is often overlooked. In 1985, Gervin was traded to the Bulls from the Spurs in hopes that he would help mentor a young Michael Jordan and improve the team’s backcourt.? Gervin is a legendary basketball player known for his finger roll and his impressive scoring record during his time with the San Antonio Spurs. However, the NBA veteran has a very strong opinion about Michael Jordan‘s GOAT status.?Let’s find out.

When Gervin joined the Bulls, Jordan wasn’t thrilled about the trade and didn’t want Gervin on the team. MJ held a grudge against him for his part in the “MJ Freeze-Out” during the 1985 NBA All-Star game. Despite Jordan’s reservations, Gervin joined the Bulls and quickly became an important player on the team.

George Gervin talks about Michael Jordan and his GOAT status

In his first start with the Bulls, Gervin played 28 minutes and scored 15 points. He followed that game up with his first of many 20-point games wearing red and black. Gervin’s best game with the Bulls came on January 27th against the Dallas Mavericks, when he scored 45 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists. Very recently, Gervin made a confession about Michael Jordan, that might put a lot of things into perspective.?

In conversation with Michael Cooper on NBA History & Legends on CLNS podcast, Gervin said, “He definitely, man, one of the best to ever do it. Everybody say he’s the greatest of all time. I always say, what criteria are you using to say that?”

“Because you can’t forget about that brother that played with a coop named Magic Johnson, yeah, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Wilt Chamberlain, or Bill. Ain’t nobody got more championships than Bill Russell, yeah, or Sam Jones, or Satch Sanders, and Tim. I mean, so you know when you say all time, man, you know come on, man, what is all time, you know? That’s uh, that’s the thing that you can use for separation, man. Everybody played in their own era.”

“Is Mike the best in his era? Hell yeah, you know, but he ain’t the greatest of all-time in my[opinion], you know, I simply because I don’t know what criteria you’re using to say that. But he’s a bad mother…shut your mouth,” Gervin concluded. The former Bulls star admitted Jordan’s greatness but denied him the GOAT status ahead of so many legendary names.

Read more: Having Taught Michael Jordan ?A Lesson? in His First All-Star Game, His Rival Isiah Thomas Probably Regretted it Just Two Days Later

Gervin?s season with the Bulls

Jordan’s return to the court after a six-week injury left Gervin with fewer minutes and fewer opportunities to shine. The Bulls struggled in the playoffs and were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round. Gervin played only 11 scoreless minutes in the series. His time with the Bulls and in the NBA was up, and he knew it was time to move on. He even remarked in a 2017 interview that he never thought about returning to the Bulls. Instead, Gervin went overseas.

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