Back In The Day NBA

DPOY Controversy Causes NBA Rookie To Keep Michael Jordan Off Mount Rushmore List

Shandel Richardson

Feb 15, 1996; Auburn Hills MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (23) prior to the game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace at Auburn Hills. The Bulls beat the Pistons 112-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 1996; Auburn Hills MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (23) prior to the game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace at Auburn Hills. The Bulls beat the Pistons 112-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

NBA legend Michael Jordan has no problem gaining the support from fans in the 1980s and `90s in the debate of the greatest player ever.

Now, today's generation is a different story.

Jordan is losing fans from the newer generation after recent allegations surfaced of stat padding during his home games when he won Defensive Player of the Year in 1988. Miami Heat rookie Kel'el Ware flat out left Jordan off his NBA Mount Rushmore because of the accusations.

Instead, he chose Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Anthony Edwards and Bam Adebayo.

"I would say MJ but I heard that some of his stats was false," Ware said in an interview with Bally Sports.

Jordan is often considered the greatest player in NBA history, edging the likes of LeBron James, Bryant, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. One of the factors was Jordan winning the defensive player of the year award.

He brought home the hardware after averaging 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks, but a recent article from Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh vaulted the fraudulent part of it into the spotlight. This in-depth piece followed an excerpt from Pippen's book 'Unguarded'.

The allegations are perhaps the only blemish of Jordan's career. He is often considered the greatest player in league history after winning titles in all six of his NBA Finals appearances. Jordan also holds the league's highest scoring average (30.1) and won five regular season MVPs.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

Follow our updates and coverage on Facebook

Twitter: @BackInTheDayNBA

Published
Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com