Michael Jordan is a name that will always be associated with greatness. As a member of the Chicago Bulls, he won six NBA titles, and, as a part of the Carolina Panthers, was the league’s MVP in 2005. That’s not all for the basketball legend, though. He was also a pioneer in the fashion world: Jordan Brand offers a wide range of products, including sportswear, footwear and accessories.
Michael Jordan did not shoot 40 points in a single game in his rookie year, but he probably would have if he played in today’s NBA. Since then, the league has become more fast paced and the games are more action packed and longer. While Jordan averaged around 40 points a night during his 5 year career, he did not average 40 points a game. Jordan averaged around 28.4 points per game during his 5 year NBA career. He averaged nearly 40 rebounds every night, but not 40 a night.
While it might be easy to believe that Jordan’s prowess in his prime would translate to today’s game, former and current players from all over the league have been quick to comment on the 36-year-old’s waning skills.. Read more about did michael jordan play football in high school and let us know what you think.
Michael Jordan is only fifth on the list of top scorers of all time in NBA history. But he was perhaps the most gifted attacker among central defenders in the history of the game. That’s no surprise: He is one of only eight players in the history of professional basketball to have scored 30,000 points in his career.But given today’s more open style of play, at least one of his former opponents thinks Jordan would have done even better today. This is no exaggeration considering that the pace of play in the 1990s was slow compared to the pace and space of the early 21st century. The century.
How many points did Michael Jordan score?
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In 15 NBA seasons, Michael Jordan scored 32,292 points, the third-highest number in NBA history at the time, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,374). Malone played one more season after Jordan left the NBA and finished his career with 36,928 points.
Since Jordan retired, he has been passed on the all-time scoring list by LeBron James (35,367) and Kobe Bryant (33,643). Dirk Nowitzki also joined the 30,000-point club, bringing his total to seven in NBA history. Julius Erving exceeded 30,026 points in his professional career, but 11,162 of those were scored in five seasons in the old American Basketball Association.
But Jordan is the NBA’s top scorer of all time with an average of 30.12 points per game, just ahead of Wilt Chamberlain (30.07). No other player comes close. Four players averaging at least 27 points per game are third through sixth on this list. That group includes Hall of Fame stars Elgin Baylor (27.4) and Jerry West (27.0), as well as current stars Kevin Durant (27.0) and LeBron James (27.0).
Tim Legler thinks Jordan could play up to 40 times a game in the modern NBA
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Only one player averaged at least 40 points per game during the season. Chamberlain achieved this in his remarkable 1961-62 season, when he scored 50.4 points a night. He started again the following season only 44.8 points per game. Michael Jordan’s most productive season came in 1986-87, when he averaged 37.1 points per game. That year, he and Chamberlain became the only players to score 3,000 points in a single season.
ESPN’s Tim Legler made no secret of the fact that he thinks Jordan would be in the 40-man clubhouse if he were at his best right now.
I have no doubt that Michael Jordan would be the league’s top scorer every year [if he were playing today], and probably score 40 points a night.
Tim Legler
Chamberlain benefited from the faster pace of the early 1960s. How much of this is true is debatable, but the estimates are nevertheless staggering.
Band story in favor of Michael Jordan, even at Wilt
Michael Jordan (23) in action during the 1987 NBA slam dunk contest. He averaged 37.1 points per game this season. | Andy Hite/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
While the NBA doesn’t have point-per-game stats from Chamberlain’s era, we can still extrapolate Michael Jordan’s accomplishments in a more open style of play and with more space on the court. In the 1986-87 season, Jordan averaged 37.1 points per game when teams averaged 100.8 possessions per game.
By comparison : Chamberlain’s season, in which he scored 50 points per game, came at a time when the team averaged 126.2 possessions per game. The following year, Chamberlain scored nearly 45 points per game on an average of 119.6 possessions per game.
Even without specific data on the number of games scored in 1961-62 or 1962-63, we can estimate Chamberlain’s scoring rate per 100 games by comparing his average to the pace of his team, the Philadelphia Warriors (1961-62), and after their move to San Francisco the following season.
In the 1961-62 season, the Warriors led the NBA with 131.1 points per game. The following season, San Francisco finished only third with an ERA of 123.2.
You can see here how the numbers are distributed for 100 possessions:
- Chamberlain 1961-62: 38.4 points per 100 possessions (estimate).
- Chamberlain 1962-63: 36.4 points per 100 possessions (estimate).
- Jordan 1986-87: 46.4 points per 100 possessions.
These estimates are pretty close, considering that Chamberlain rarely, if ever, left the ground. He averaged over 48 minutes per game during the 1961-62 season. This era certainly preceded the term maintenance day.
When you consider that Jordan averaged at least 30 points per game for eight seasons and that the pace of play in the NBA steadily declined from the late 1980s into the 1990s, this is a topic worthy of closer examination. Additionally, Jordan had nine seasons in his career in which he averaged at least 40 points per 100 possessions, and the highlight of his career was the incredible 1986-87 year.
Statistics provided by Basketball Reference.
COMPARED TO: Michael Jordan has rivals in the league, according to his former baseball manager Terry FranconaIn a recent interview, former NBA all time great Michael Jordan openly admitted that he would be an average player in today’s NBA, stating “I’d probably average somewhere around 40 a night”. This was somewhat surprising considering Michael averaged over forty points per game during his illustrious NBA career. Jordan also openly admitted that if he played under today’s rules, he would get “owned” on every play, stating “I would have to run to the three-point line, stop, make a move, then run to the rack again. I couldn’t get to the hole. I couldn’t get around. I couldn’t do much. I’d have to pass the ball. I would have to shoot the three-point shot. That would have been my. Read more about where was michael jordan born and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much would Michael Jordan average today?
Michael Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game in his career. If he were to average that today, he would score about 36 points per game.
How many points would Jordan average in today’s NBA?
Jordan would average about 30 points per game in today’s NBA.
Where is Michael Jordan today?
He is in the United States.
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