NBA icon Michael Jordan bragged about his basketball knowledge being “really high” while playing for the Chicago Bulls. 

Jordan told ESPN in 1998 that he knew “every facet of the game.”

“But it’s my knowledge of basketball that is really high,” Jordan said. “I know every facet of the game, every trick of the trade, every little motivation, every little technique. But mostly I know how to attack people. Over time I’ve learned how to beat double teams, to see them coming and exploit them. A double team is a very familiar situation for me. The other night against the Pacers when I made that three before the quarter ended, I saw Reggie Miller coming from behind me and Antonio Davis in front of me, so I moved to the right and hit the shot, and it was all instinctive. I do it because I’ve been there before. Now, at certain times, things move in slow motion for me. I can see the picture, see it being painted.”

Jordan played in 1,072 NBA games with the Bulls and Washington Wizards. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks. 

Arguably the greatest player in NBA history, Jordan played for the Bulls twice. He won five MVPs, three steals titles, 10 scoring titles, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, six championships and six Finals MVPs. 

“I’m not really into stats, either, except if they can help maintain the drive for me,” Jordan said. “For instance, scoring championships. Sure, I know what it takes to win one. I can average 32 points a game and know I’ll win. Eight points a quarter. Three baskets, two free throws. It’s as easy as that. I’m down four, I get can 12 the next quarter. But I don’t let anything like that take away from what the team is trying to do. I can sense my points. I can tell early when it’s going to be a big night or average or when it’s just not clicking.

“If it came down to me needing a basket to win the scoring title, I would only take it if the team was where it needed to be. I would never go to Phil Jackson and say, ‘I want to do this.’ Like Nykesha Sales and that basket they gave her so she could get the record, I would take the opposite approach. If some team gave me an open lane for a layup for the scoring title, I’d pass the ball. I wouldn’t want it. Things like that happen to me a lot in the fourth quarter. Phil puts me in to give me an opportunity to get my scoring up, but if the game’s decided, I look to do other things.”

A Hall of Famer, Jordan made 14 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine All-Defensive teams during his career. He’s first in NBA history in points per game, fourth in steals, fifth in field goals and second in player efficiency rating.