“My three-point shooting is something I don’t want to excel at because it takes away from all phases of my game,” said Michael Jordan once about his three-point game. However, then, he still managed to drain six shots from beyond the arc in the first half and famously shrugged at the broadcast table during Game 1 of the 1992 Finals. This ultimate display of skills proved that His Airness ‘can score from anywhere‘. However, it seemed like his jaw-dropping 63.6% three-point shooting in the 1996 NBA Finals – ironically set in motion a rule change that would later help players like Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr revolutionize the game with his otherworldly shooting prowess and now a former NBA star has brought up the same narrative.

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has sparked a fascinating discussion in his new episode of ‘Gil’s Arena podcast‘ about the evolution of three-point shooting in basketball, revealing how Jordan’s first retirement inadvertently influenced the scoring explosion. “Jordan retired so they need more scorers so they moved it up. They just moved it up like when Jordan retired in 94, when he would go to play baseball, they moved it from 24 feet to 22 (feet)… So everybody could shoot three’s now cause it was horrible,” said Arenas during the podcast.

This three-season experiment (1994-1995 to 1996-1997) created an unexpected scoring boom that transformed the game’s dynamics. Several players benefited from the shortened line. Already an accomplished shooter, Reggie Miller raised his three-point percentage to a career-best 42.7% in 1996-97. Jordan’s teammate Steve Kerr became even more deadly from the deep, leading the league in three-point percentage during the two following seasons, going a ridiculous 52.4% in 1994-95.

Not just them, the shorter distance also proved particularly good to Dennis Scott of the Orlando Magic, who during the 1995 96 season, set what was then an NBA record with 267 three-point shots made. The forward lineup also featured the versatile Glen Rice, who expanded his scoring repertoire to become a 3x All-Star during this shortened line period.

The attempt to increase scoring was successful at first as the 3-point attempt per game had increased by 50%. The same was the case with His Airness also when he returned to the league. Before his first retirement, Jordan made only 30.1 percent of the 955 3-point attempts. Contrastingly, after he returned in 1995, he shot 40.4 percent on 589 attempts. But the three-point line was ultimately moved back to its true state, that is, to 24-feet.

After the 1996–1997 season, the line was reverted to its previous length because the modification had actually decreased the average game score. Teams scored 105.6 points a game on average in the three seasons before the new regulation was implemented. That average dropped to 100.8 over the three seasons when the 3-point line was shorter.

Today’s NBA, where teams regularly attempt 30-plus three-pointers per game, owes a debt to this period of experimentation. While Jordan’s influence on basketball is typically measured in championship rings and scoring titles, Arenas’ revelation adds another layer to his legacy. However, did you know what Arenas said about Jordan in a previous episode?

Gilbert Arenas’ stance on why Michael Jordan is still relevant

It’s been a debate for years on who’s the greatest basketball player of all time, LeBron James or Michael Jordan. The standard had long been considered for quite a while: Jordan, with his six NBA championships and his iconic games. But James has done enough with his versatility and longevity to make his case.

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas recently ignited a debate among basketball fans by claiming that Michael Jordan’s legacy remains relevant primarily to diminish the achievements of LeBron James. “I think a lot of people got mad at me when I said ‘Man Michael Jordan’s only relevant today is because everybody’s comparing them to LeBron’. You don’t bring up an older generation unless somebody’s playing with his legacy unless someone playing with his legacy. That’s why Michael Jordan’s name is being relevant so much is because anything that LeBron does today for you to discredit it, you need to bring up Michael Jordan,” said Arenas during the latest episode of The Underground Lounge podcast.

Arenas even made a comparison of how Jordan’s performance in the 1992 Dream Team is compared with James’ 2024 Paris Olympics performance. “When we talk about USA, why we bringing up the 92 Dream team? Oh because Michael Jordan’s on the 92 Dream Team. So would want to keep, like that’s the reason why his name is really high now is because you are trying to save it from LeBron surpassing it, that’s all,” added Arenas during the podcast.

If we look at the stats, James’ average stats of 14.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 8.6 APG in the 2024 Paris Olympics is quite similar to Jordan’s 1992 Dream Team performance where he scored an average of 14.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 4.8 APG. Ultimately, the decision of who is truly the greatest of all time is a matter of personal opinion and will likely continue to be a topic of discussion for years to come. But it is a refreshing piece of history to see how the Chicago Bulls icon impacted the sport even when he was not in the league.