In the eyes of many basketball fans, Michael Jordan is the greatest hooper to ever live. The Bulls legend enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers in the history of the NBA, but not everyone thinks he’d be as successful in the modern era.
NBA analyst Kenny Smith is among that crowd, and he voiced his opinion on how Jordan would have fared during the social media era during an appearance on Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe.
“It would’ve been too much. Think about how everyone in the world knew about him. He was our version of musically Michael Jackson … he was the most recognizable person in the world,” said Smith. “It was almost too much when there was no social media, and all you saw was Michael everywhere.”
Smith didn’t raise any concerns over Jordan’s skill translating to the modern game, however he believes the constant pressure and coverage that comes with the social media era may have proven too much for the six-time NBA champion.
“Newspapers was our social media. Everyone had a newspaper back then … so we did have the device, it was just archaic. And he was in it. … To see Michael instantaneous around the world … he would be too popular. He would just be too popular.”
Jordan was a world renowned figure during the height of his NBA career, and still is today. While his dominance on the court was unquestioned throughout the 80s and 90s, and even the early 2000s, the existence of social media could have made it more difficult for Jordan to operate, due to the unrelenting access and coverage that comes with it.
