No. 6 – Michael Jordan
I know this is shocking, but Jordan is going to show up frequently on this list. In case you missed it earlier – he is the greatest basketball player of all-time. This is my biased opinion and you cannot change it.
Jordan might never have become an irresistible force and global phenomenon if he had wilted under the pressure of teams that were far better than his in the early years of his career. The Lakers and Celtics were the driving forces of the NBA despite Jordan cradle-dunking all life on earth. His scoring abilities and Slam Dunk Contest spectacles weren’t going to be enough to compete alone against the greats. And then a division and conference foe rose to the top and attempted to beat Jordan into submission.
The Bad Boys era of the Detroit Pistons won back-to-back championships, frustrating Jordan for several years. Chicago was on the verge of greatness, but couldn’t get through Detroit. The scary thing for the league was that the Pistons were at the peak of their abilities while Jordan was just warming up.
Though this dunk didn’t herald that the end was here for Detroit, it was a definitive marker that the end was near. Despite always beating down Jordan and trying to physically intimidate him, they could only hold off MJ for so long and his athleticism eventually broke free, as did the Bulls.
Next: No. 5 All-Time Bulls Dunk