The Complete History of NBA Players Being Called "The Next Jordan"

Back in 1991 after the Bulls won the NBA Finals, Gatorade began their "Be Like Mike" ad campaign featuring the league's biggest star. The "Be Like Mike" catchphrase soon became common in households and playgrounds across America. And honestly, who wouldn't want to be like Michael Jordan?

MJ has racked up hundreds of millions of dollars over the years, has six rings, his signature sneakers are the most coveted on the market, and he's widely regarded as the Greatest Basketball Player of All time. But is there anyone who could really be His Airness? Over the years everyone from Harold Miner and Grant Hill to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have been compared to MJ. Check out The Complete History of NBA Players Being Called "The Next Jordan."

Year: 1986

All we have for this comparison is speculation and conjecture as the 1986 No. 2 overall pick died from a cocaine overdose before ever setting foot on an NBA floor. Like Michael, he won the ACC Player of the Year (two seasons after Jordan) but we'll never know if he would've lived up to the insane precedent Jordan set. The closest thing we do have is the two of them facing off in a Maryland vs. UNC game from 1984.

Year: 1990

While Miner was still in Los Angeles at USC he got tagged with an ambitious nickname, "Baby Jordan." Talk about setting the bar high. Later, George Raveling, Harold's Head Coach at USC, said "I always thought the worst thing that happened to Harold was the 'Baby Jordan' tag." He scored 1,801 points in his NBA career (less than Jordan had in eleven different seasons) and it ended in an ironic way, going scoreless while losing by 26 points to MJ's Bulls.

Year: 1994

Hill's career started out with a bang, taking home co-Rookie of the Year honors (with future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd) in the '94-'95 season; he then made the All-Star team in six of the next seven seasons. During those first six seasons, Hill was one of the premiere players in the L. His skill level and his personality helped Grant net tons of endorsements. Unfortunately, Hill broke his ankle in the 2000 Playoffs and was never the same again.

Hill only made the Conference Finals once (2009-10 with the Suns) and that was as a member of the bench squad. Hill's a smart guy and a heck of a talent but like everyone else on this list he failed to live up to the ridiculous expectations of "The Next Jordan."

Year: 1995

Penny Hardaway was on pace to be a surefire Hall of Famer, but injuries derailed any possibility of that happening. Hardaway's size and athleticism were a unique combination. Penny's handles were so good he didn't have to worry about protecting the ball from smaller guards. At his peak, Hardaway was drawing comparisons to MJ in terms of league dominance. And his Orlando Magic became a major foe for the Chicago Bulls, eliminating Jordan back in the '95 Eastern Conference Semis—the year he came back wearing that four five. While Penny impressed, his game and style were very different from Jordan, and Jordan never was hit with the injury bug. Those injuries still have us asking what if?

Year: 1996

While Jerry Stackhouse might be a fellow Tar Heel and similar in stature to MJ, the idea that he was the next Jordan was easily erased after a few seasons. Stackhouse has had a solid career with a couple of All-Star appearances, but he's probably more famous for singing the national anthem at NBA games nowadays.Once again, solid career but not even remotely close to His Airness.

Year: 2002

A lot of people could (and do) make an argument that Kobe is the greatest threat to MJ's reign. Kobe has five rings, MJ has six. Kobe has 15 All-Star appearances, Jordan has 14. Kobe's a 12-time All-Defensive selection, Michael made the squad nine times and won Defensive Player of the Year in 1988.

We'd argue that Mamba's still not as great a scoring threat as MJ, but the real reason that we believe Kobe hasn't made it to Mike's level is outlined in their MVP comparisons. The argument that MJ makes all those around him better isn't just empty bullshit; the dude has five MVP's (to Mamba's one) and took home Finals MVP awards in all six of his appearances (not to mention he won them all). By comparison Kobe "only" brought home two Finals MVPs and lost the Finals twice (something we're sure just eats at a player as competitive as Bryant). This is not to say that Kobe isn't a legend, it's just evidence of how elevated Jordan's status is. There's also truth behind the argument that MJ never had a Shaq, though it's bullshit to imply that Kobe's nothing without big Diesel.

Year: 2003

The truth about LeBron is that he is currently the most dominant player in the NBA, and has been for the past five seasons, winning four out of five MVPs. LeBron and Jordan have both been dominant, but the way that they affect games is completely different. Bron Bron affects a game more like Magic Johnson—LeBron is at his best when he facilitates. While we all want to compare King James to MJ, his struggles in the postseason dead that notion, for now at least. James still has a lot to prove.

For a full breakdown on how LeBron compares to both MJ and Kobe Bryant statistically, peep this infographic.

Year: 2005

Interesting that McGrady was compared to Jordan when Jordan won six championships and McGrady just won his first playoff series this past week as a benchwarmer for the Spurs. McGrady also failed to match up with Jordan defensively. Whereas Jordan was a nine-time All-NBA Defensive Team rep, McGrady was "inconsistent." That leaves Tracy's offensive prowess. He was a stud with the rock (winning two scoring titles) but he only topped 30 PPG once (2002-03) when Michael did it eight times and actually averaged 30.1 PPG for his career.

Tracy also went through a string of injuries and declined sharply in his later years, never averaging over 10 PPG after the age of 30. On top of all of that we find it hard to believe MJ would ever be forced to play a full season in China. in fact, at that age (33), Jordan hadn't even won the first championship of his second "three-peat."

Year: 2005

Within a few months Dwyane might be halfway to matching MJ in championships. LeBron's not exactly Pippen, but the marvel of players like Jordan and Wade is how well-rounded they are/were. D-Wade's a three-time All-Defensive Team member (Jordan nine), has made the All-NBA Team seven times (Jordan 11), and one scoring title (Jordan's won 10).

As much as he has accomplished "Flash" hasn't matched MJ. He is more of a poor man's Jordan. It's just impossible to take the comparison seriously when he's not even the best player on his team.

Year: 2011

While you may not think "next Jordan" on the surface, the NBA's perpetual bridesmaid has established himself as a close-to Jordan like scoring threat (KD currently has three scoring titles compared to MJ's 10). At only 24 years of age, there's no doubt that Durant hasn't yet reached his ceiling and can still bud into an offensive A-bomb like Mike (not to mention win a ring). His defensive game getting to Jordan's level however is a total pipe dream.

Year: 2012

As the only two members of the Chicago Bulls to ever win MVPs, D-Rose is playing for the right franchise to be compared to the GOAT. Like MJ, D-Rose won Rookie of the Year, has become a perennial All-Star, and has won MVP honors all within the first few season of his career. That being said, we hate to be "those guys" but it would be hard to believe Jordan wouldn't return to his team ASAP after suffering an ACL tear like Rose.