Would Michael Jordan have won six titles if he played for the Mavericks?

Tyler Watts
Dallas Mavericks Michael Jordan (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO JEFF HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks Michael Jordan (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO JEFF HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks Michael Jordan Dennis Rodman (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /

Teammates

The Dallas Mavericks began rebuilding after the 1990 season and did not make the playoff again until Dirk Nowitzki’s first time in 2001. Obviously, they would not have done that with prime Michael Jordan on the roster. It was clear MJ was one of the league’s best players from the moment he came in.

Winning six titles is not easy. Only 13 players have ever done that in NBA history. Jordan, Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen, and Robert Horry are the only three to do it since free agency entered the league in 1988. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and MJ are the only two star players to win at least six titles since 1970. It is rare air.

Remembering Dennis Rodman's time with the Mavs. More

Jordan never made it out of the first round until Pippen joined the team in 1988. It was three years before they broke through for their first title. The 1991 Bulls won it all with the two stars, Horace Grant, and a roster full of role players. Jordan needed a reaching his prime Pippen to dethrone the “Bad Boys” Pistons and Magic’s Lakers.

Who would have surrounded him in Dallas? That question is impossible to answer. Every transaction has a domino effect. Think about the current Mavs, would they have traded for Kristaps Porzingis if they did not make the draft night deal for Luka Doncic? Likely not. The Mavs would have needed a solid supporting cast around Jordan. Even the GOAT needs a team to win.

Next: Win 6?

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