Michael Jordan played with some all-time greats as a member of the Chicago Bulls.
Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen are the two standout names, having helped MJ win a total of six NBA championships across two separate three-peats during the 1990s.
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman starred for the dynastic Bulls of the ’90sGetty
But one particular teammate of Jordan’s was arguably better than both — and he played alongside ‘His Airness’ way before Rodman and Pipper were ever on the scene in Chicago.
George Gervin is one of the greatest players in ABA and NBA history.
Gervin was nicknamed the ‘Iceman’ because of his scoring ability and effortless style of play, which rarely saw him break a sweat.
He was also famous for his patented underhand finger roll which he executed with elegance and precision, sometimes as far back as the free-throw line.
Gervin was a three-time ABA All-Star and was named to the ABA All-Time Team, having played for the Pontiac Chaparrals and Virginia Squires between 1972-1974.
The super-cool shooting guard was traded to the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs for $228,000 in 1974 before becoming one of The Association’s best players.
He was a nine-time NBA All-Star and four-time scoring champion who lit up the league in an era dominated by big men.
Franchise legend Gervin played for the Spurs until 1985 and later had his No. 44 jersey retired by the organization.
The 6ft 7in star was inducted into the Hall of Fame and named to the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, cementing his status as one of the greatest players in basketball history.
However, many people fail to remember that George spent the last year of his NBA career with the Bulls, alongside a young phenom by the name of Michael Jordan.
The ‘Iceman’ is one of the greatest players everGetty
He’s a Spurs legend who played in the same era as Lakers icon Magic JohnsonGetty
Gervin was traded to Chicago before the 1985-86 season, the year after Jordan’s rookie season, after skipping preseason and incurring the wrath of both Spurs’ owner Angelo Drossos and coach Cotton Fitzsimmons.
“We feel we have acquired a guy who is a future Hall of Famer. He still has a lot left and we have solved a lot of problems in the backcourt with him,” former Bulls vice president Jerry Krause said at the time.
Jordan, though, was far less receptive to the trade.
There were concerns that a then-33-year-old Gervin’s arrival in Chicago could create some problems between himself and the Bulls’ rising superstar.
“I have no comment on the trade,” Jordan said after the trade went down.
“Just say I am unhappy.”
Jordan’s and Gervin’s issues stemmed from the All-Star Game the year before.
Gervin allegedly took part in a scheme to make Jordan look bad in front of 43,000 fans in the Hoosierdome and a national television audience.
There were reports that several members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team also plotted to keep Jordan — an All-Star starter — ‘frozen’ out of the offense to teach the rookie a lesson in humility.
In addition, Jordan’s teammates reportedly plotted to leave him alone when he guarded Gervin, refusing to help out on defense.
Gervin finished his NBA career with Jordan’s BullsGetty
His last ever NBA game came against the Celtics in the 1986 playoffsGetty
However, Krause said he was certain that once Jordan and Gervin begin playing together, they’d figure out their differences.
“These guys will be all right,” he said.
Individually, Gervin’s 1985-86 season was pretty decent.
He was past his prime but still averaged 16.2 points per game and had a season-high 45 points against the Dallas Mavericks while playing all 82 games.
Jordan, on the other hand, missed 64 games after breaking his foot in the third game of the year, meaning Gervin is one of the rare Jordan teammates to outscore him in a single season.
The Bulls made the playoffs despite Jordan’s injury and a 30–52 record, and ‘His Airness’ returned for the series against Larry Bird‘s Boston Celtics.
The very last game of Gervin’s NBA career was Game 2 of that series, when Jordan famously scored a playoff record 63 points on a pantheon of Celtics greats, prompting Bird to say, “That was God disguised as Michael Jordan.”
Gervin and MJ caught up in 1988 and played a casual game of 1-on-1YouTube@inallairness
An older Gervin still had the moves as he scored over JordanYouTube@inallairness
Gervin played around Europe for several years after that, and returned to coach the Spurs between 1992-1994.
His relationship with MJ certainly improved after their frosty early days with the Bulls.
They caught up in 1988 and played a friendly game of 1-on-1 while discussing George’s career.
Many think Magic Johnson and Larry Bird — who played with Jordan on Team USA’s 1992 Olympics squad — are the greatest stars MJ played alongside.
But as a member of the Bulls, at least, Jordan never had a teammate as talented as the ‘Iceman’ himself, George Gervin.
