Michael Jordan’s takes on today’s NBA have been refreshing to hear

Michael Jordan is on a roll. First, he let us know that he thinks Kobe Bryant is better than LeBron James — a scorching hot take, to be sure. Then, on Thursday, he also said he thinks Kawhi Leonard is the best “two-way” player in the game. He even took the time of day to trash talk Lavar Ball.

Jordan’s response came when he was asked if Kawhi could score on Kawhi, the very same question featured in a Jordan Brand commercial in June. Leonard is a Jordan Brand athlete, so it makes sense that he would get a glowing endorsement from Jordan himself.

But his takes on Leonard, Bryant, and James, are refreshing in their own way.

Jordan’s opinion on Kobe vs. Bron is off. There’s really not much of an argument for Bryant being better than James outside of RINGZ. With respect to Kawhi, what is a “two-way” player anyway? All players play both ends of the floor.

But that really isn’t the point. Hearing Jordan speak on something other than his own legacy is always interesting. We always want to know how retired legends feel about the game today, even if they try to invalidate it. Fact is, they have insights and knowledge the layman doesn’t.

Jordan, who is considered by many the greatest player of all time, is at the top of that totem pole. What he says is gospel to some, and whenever he says it, people are going to tune in. He might be wrong, but he’s also Michael freaking Jordan. That matters.

Jordan has become more accessible to the public over the last few years. Not only has he given his opinions on players, but he’s also donated to different causes he believed in, provided the most enduring meme of all time, gave a vote of confidence to Russell Westbrook, and gave us one of our favorite inspirational quotes.

Many of these takes are trivial, but we weren’t hearing them from Jordan even five years ago. For so long, Jordan seemed to be an unimpeachable figure that sat up in his ivory tower, away from the basketball common folk. Now, he’s as close to them as he’s ever been.

Much of Jordan’s legacy has been mythologized. He’s been made out to be this perfect figure that all players must strive to reach. James, Bryant, Leonard, Kevin Durant, and even Stephen Curry have all faced their share of comparisons to the legend. But as time has gone by, those comparisons have become less and less relevant. Part of that is because the impenetrable armor of Jordan actually has some chinks.

And of course it does. He’s human, just like everyone else to ever think about basketball.