Chicago Sports Mount Rushmore: All-time greatest Chicago athletes

Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls (1984-1993, 1995-1998)

The single greatest NBA player of all-time, Michael Jordan was an obvious selection for the Chicago Sports Mount Rushmore. All seven voters obviously included Jordan on their Mount Rushmore. If someone didn’t, I would have questioned their sanity.

Khari Thompson sums up Jordan well when describing why the GOAT topped his list:

"As much as people love football in this town, was there ever any doubt as to who belonged at the top of this list? One of the greatest professional athletes in any sport and certainly the all-time king of basketball, Jordan’s accomplishments speak for themselves. And in return for the glory he brought the city (six NBA titles), Chicago has claimed the old North Carolina Tar Heel as their own. Think about this: guy got his own statue outside the United Center and was called “the greatest there ever was” after his first retirement (nine seasons and three championships). If he was already that respected in Chicago then, I’d say the next three championships have put his legend more or less out of reach."

A competitive nature that will never be rivaled, Jordan simply refused to lose. He was obviously gifted with incredible natural talent, but Jordan’s raw determination is what will always stand out to me.

Also, it has always been impressive to me how effectively he was able to change his game dramatically later in his career. Early in his legendary career, Jordan was an athletic freak, a high-flyer if you will. But as his natural skill set deteriorated, Jordan continued to be the best player in the game, expanded his skills on the outside.

Michael Jordan in his last few years with the Bulls was the single greatest mid-range shooter in NBA history. He was absolutely automatic, especially if the game was on the line.

There will are many memorable athletes in the history of Chicago Sports and there will undoubtedly be more. However, nobody is ever going to top what Michael Jordan did. If you look up “legend” in the dictionary, there should simply be a picture of Jordan in a Bulls uniform.