Michael Jordan opened up on how he would navigate today’s NBA landscape, including the very real impact of sports betting, brand-building and other issues.
Fans love discussing what would happen if Michael Jordan joined the NBA today. For many older fans, he is and will always be the greatest of all time. In his era, MJ’s popularity was unprecedented, and he dealt with the sort of fame that only few human beings have ever experienced in life.
Today’s NBA poses different challenges. Social media has increased scrutiny from game to game, and fans have more access to stars than ever before. Another big difference is the influence of sports betting. Multiple NBA stars have spoken about how difficult people’s bets and such impact their lives.
Michael Jordan claims he would simply focus on his opponent and winning without worrying about all the other noise
NBA stars in the modern era are confronted with all the stats and numbers about their games in real time. With sports betting companies being partnered up with the league and different players, too, it isn’t possible to shut it all out for any player.
MJ says that is what he would do, though. Speaking at the SBC Summit in Lisbon, MJ explained how he would approach it all.
“I’ve thought about it,” Jordan said, as per TalkSPORT. “If I were to play today, what would the game be? It’s a totally different game. But I think ultimately, the conclusion that I come to is that I just play the game. I can’t worry about what people are betting on. I can’t worry about what the stats are. I never worry about the stats. All I care about is the end of the game.
“If we win, I couldn’t care less who won the bet, who didn’t win the bet. I know I won the game. Ultimately, that’s all that I even focused on… Today, you’ve got to build a brand… That takes away from the team aspect… I don’t envy that. I’m glad I was born at the time that I was born.
“Would I have acted differently? I’m very true to the game, so I don’t think I would have changed my perspective about the game. Opportunities may have changed outside the game, but in terms of my true passion for the game of basketball, I don’t think that would have changed.”
Jordan was always the ultimate competitor, he was never one to be focused on anything other than winning. That’s what made him one of the greatest athletes in human history. While there is no way to know how exactly he would fare in the modern era, it is safe to say that he’d still be quite unstoppable.
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