National Basketball Association

Relive Michael Jordan's greatest game on its 26th anniversary

Published Mar. 28, 2016 1:02 p.m. ET

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Michael Jordan is the best basketball player who ever lived. (Until Steph Curry retires) this is an inarguable fact, like "2+2=4" or "Michael Keaton is the best Batman."

Jordan won six championships, never lost in the NBA Finals and did approximately one million other unfathomable things throughout his Hall-of-Fame 15-year career. But 26 years ago today, Jordan was at his absolute most Jordan-est peak:

It sort of feels like Jordan's career high should be more legendary, right? That number doesn't even rank in the top 10 for all-time points scored in a single game (it's currently 11th). David Robinson dropped 71 against the Los Angeles Clippers four years later, and, of course, Kobe Bryant scored 81 against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. 

But Jordan stands out for his remarkable consistency. He averaged 30.12 points per game for an entire career, which is more than, um, everybody who ever lived. Any talented player can get hot on the right night, find himself in the zone and make every shot he tosses towards the rim, Jordan included. 

But to average a number that would qualify as a single-game career high for most NBA players, is entirely unreasonable. More than the titles and the MVP trophies and the All-Star games and the commercials and the sneakers, this night-in, night-out focus best explains why Jordan is the greatest athlete ever. 

He also dropped 55 on the New York Knicks five years later.

And for the record, scoring 69 points in one game definitely doesn't hurt his legacy.

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