Bleacher Report’s attempt to rank the “pure scorers” in NBA history and award Michael Jordan third place garnered immense criticism on social media.
The list placed Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry at No. 1, followed by the Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant in second. Michael Jordan at No. 3 didn’t sit well with Metta World Peace or the fans. The NBA champion made his displeasure clear by lambasting the rankings.
Why Metta World Peace Slammed Bleacher Report’s Pure Scorer Rankings
Taking to X, World Peace minced no words when he slammed the rankings. “No way. Jordan is the best scorer. Please stop,” he wrote.
“He averaged 28 points in his rookie year. Rookie year. @Jumpman23 all day. Y’all need to stop. 6 rings. 6 finals MVPs. 9 Scoring titles. 9 scoring titles. 9. 9 scoring titles. That’s 9. Do you understand? 9 scoring titles.
“This will be the one accolade that will never be reached,” he added. “It’s the number one accolade outside of MVP. MJ. Please stop mentioning MJ. It’s not even the same conversation.”
There’s credence to the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s rant. Jordan leads the pack with 10, not 9, scoring titles, an achievement that World Peace constantly and strongly emphasized. Curry and Durant have 2 and 4 scoring titles, respectively. The numbers already show Jordan’s historical dominance in the category.
The outlet relied on metrics such as shot-making, free-throw rate, and efficiency, which led Curry and Durant to take the top two spots.
However, Jordan was on a whole different level, not just with the aforementioned factors, but also his isolation skills, dominance, and creativity on offense. His scoring was near perfection, and his clutch skills further explain why he could have been in the top two instead of a third-place finish.
The other names on B/R’s list are Joel Embiid and LeBron James, who round out the top five. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, George Gervin, Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, and Kobe Bryant occupy positions 6-10, respectively.
While this debate continues to rage, what can never be taken away from Jordan is his rich vein of form on both ends of the floor. The six-time NBA champion ended his illustrious career with six NBA Finals MVPs and five NBA MVPs. He was a 14-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA First Team 10 times, and was a nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection, among other accolades.
