Steph Curry’s former teammate questions Michael Jordan’s legacy without the Bills’ powerhouse roster

NBA fans and the media have agreed on Michael Jordan being either the greatest player of all time or the second greatest. However, as legendary as Jordan was, this is still a team sport first and he needed his teammates to get to the mountaintop.

At least, that’s how Gary Payton II, Steph Curry’s former teammate, feels. Talking on the “JAXXON Podcast” on August 7, the former Golden State Warriors star put more weight on Jordan’s supporting cast.

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"It was everybody. Everybody played their role. Scottie (Pippen) played his role, Steve (Kerr) played his role," Payton said (Timestamp 35:31). "I think that without Scottie and Dennis (Rodman) and them, I think he wouldn't have been able to get six off."

Jordan had a friendly back-and-forth with his father, Gary Payton, whom he beat in the NBA Finals.

Also, he was coached by Steve Kerr at Golden State, so while he definitely has some inside intel on Jordan and his era, he potentially has his personal interests at stake, especially now that he's a free agent and could be back in the Bay Area.

Gary Payton II says the NBA has gotten softer

Payton is a defensive-oriented player who likes to get his job done on the defensive end of the floor first and then, if he has to, get to the rim and score.

When asked about today's game, he criticized the way it's being officiated, as he believes the NBA wants to push all the trickery and crafty moves, and it's not allowing defensive players to do their jobs:

"They want to see all the tricks and what Kyrie [Irving] do and what Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] do and all that," Payton said. "That's what they want to see, and that's how you get more revenue. So, I feel they just going in that trend and just trying to slow the game down but protect us. But I feel like you got to let us play. This is what we here [for]. We come out to compete, just let us go."

Per Spotrac, Payton's last deal was for three years and $26,145,000, and he's now a free agent despite being an elite defender with championship experience.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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