“King of Kings”: Celtics Legend Disregards Bill Russell to Give Michael Jordan Ultimate Credit

If there’s one NBA player who has it all, it’s Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls legend has a resume that is unlike anything else we have seen in the sport so far. Apart from being credited for taking the game global, there is one more thing he deserves the credit for. Kevin Garnett recently showered praise on MJ for making the sport more financially viable for other athletes. One might argue that there were players before him who did that too, but KG isn’t willing to listen to those arguments.

Garnett said, “He’s the GOAT of GOATs, King of Kings to me. All the luxuries we have today, all the structure we have, and a lot of business…he initiated all of that.” The 15x NBA All-Star believes that the pre-Jordan era wasn’t at the same level as what it has become over the years. The Big Ticket also credited MJ for breaking the glass ceiling that often demanded NBA players to be a certain way.

“He broke that boundary for us…a lot of people will go back to Bill Russell for creating all that stuff but Michael Jordan took us from where Bill Russell…and Oscar Robinson…Michael Jordan took us universal.” KG believes that the global dominance of the league and the influence of players comes from what MJ was able to accomplish during his career.

“The business of basketball went to another level because of Mike,” KG said. When you think about it, Garnett’s argument makes a lot of sense. Not denying anyone else’s contribution to the sport, but nobody really did it at the level Jordan did.

Michael Jordan and the trillion dollar claim

KG further said, “Mike made the league a trillion and he made Nike a trillion.” Although the numbers are more figurative than literal, the sentiment attached to it is pure. Jordan did help grow Nike, a brand that was barely breaking even when he came on board, and went on to change the sneaker culture worldwide.

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As for the league, MJ did bring more attention to it, which generated more viewers, which converted into better deals and more money for the league. This also helped the franchises make more money which then translated into the players getting paid some mindboggling amounts to shoot around on the hardwood floor. And as per KG, it is only fair that those contributions get recognized.

What are your thoughts on Garnett’s take? Do you agree Michael Jordan helped grow the business of basketball? Let us know in the comments below.

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