By admin 
After Michael Jordan won back-to-back NBA titles in 1992 and two consecutive MVP and Finals MVP awards, his fans and media members began anointing him as the greatest basketball player ever. However, Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson disagreed.
Read more Stephen A. Smith Praises Josh Allen After Bills Win Over Texans
According to the Big O, while Jordan can claim that he is the best player of his generation, he is not the best ever. In fact, Robertson even implied he was better than MJ, though he did not claim to be the GOAT.
“I would say Michael Jordan is a great basketball player. He’s head and shoulders above everybody else playing today. But if you say he’s the greatest ever, check the record,” said Robertson. “For almost six years in the NBA, I came within percentage points of averaging a triple-double.”
In October 1992, freshly off Michael Jordan’s back-to-back titles, Oscar Robertson pushed back on calling Jordan the greatest ever:
“Michael Jordan is a great basketball player… head and shoulders above everybody else playing today. But if you say he’s the greatest ever, check… pic.twitter.com/frGSFsVNia
— WiltStats (@WiltStats) September 12, 2026
Big O was the first player to average a triple-double in a season
Before Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic came along, Robertson was the only player to average a triple-double during an entire NBA season. He accomplished the feat during his sophomore year in the NBA in 1961-62 when he put up an amazing 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game in 79 games played.
But before and after that, he had two seasons where he was less than one assist shy of averaging a triple-double, plus another two years where he was less than one rebound away from averaging a triple-double.
Meanwhile, MJ never averaged a triple-double in a season during his 15-year NBA career, nor did he even come close. MJ’s best statistical year came in 1988-89, when he put up 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game.
However, while Robertson made a valid point, Jordan wasn’t after stats; his goal was to win as many championships as he could. As a result, he ended up with six rings, as compared to Robertson’s one. MJ also had five MVP awards, while Big O only has three. But Oscar insisted on individual stats.
Read more Paul Finebaum Hasn’t Changed His Mind On Alabama After Two Weeks
Related: “I didn’t know it would be my last NBA season” – Jeremy Lin on not getting an NBA contract after winning a title in Toronto
Kareem said Big O was better than both MJ and Bron
Long after Robertson said that, the greatest of all-time debate became a two-man conversation between Jordan and LeBron James. In 2013, Robertson’s former teammate and six-time MVP winner Kareem Abdul-Jabbar argued that the Big O trumps both Jordan and James because of his statistical production.
“LeBron is awesome, MJ was awesome,” said Kareem. “But I think Oscar Robinson would have kicked them both in the behind. Absolutely. Oscar was awesome. He had brains. He had all the skills. He could rebound and box out guys four and six inches taller than him. He was ruggedly built.”
“He had fluidity and quickness and just understood the game. No flair, he just got the job done every night. Who’s going to average double figures in points, assists, and rebounds?” he added.
In fairness to Robertson, there was nothing very extraordinary about Jordan in 1992 because, as mentioned earlier, the Bulls had won only two titles during that year. However, knowing now that MJ finished his career with six NBA titles and went 6-0 in the NBA Finals without needing a Game 7, perhaps Robertson would consider finally bowing down to Mike.
Related: “I can’t say that” – Michael Jordan refused to rank himself over Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain
Read more Maxx Crosby’s Load Management Continues Into Season
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 9:31 AM.