There was a time when they were both among the best in their respective sport. Michael Jordan is considered by many as the best basketball player to ever play the sport. Derek Jeter can make a case for being one of the greatest Yankees ever or possibly the best shortstop Major League Baseball has ever seen. The two have 11 championship rings between them and there was a time when Jordan made it loud and clear he had six and Jeter only had five.

Is Michael Jordan the best NBA player in history?

It’s often asked who the best NBA player of all time is and Michael Jordan is always in the mix, usually at the top of the list. 

Not only did Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls win six championships, but he was also named Finals MVP in all six of them. Jordan’s career numbers are astounding. In 15 seasons in the NBA, Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game. In 10 of those seasons, Jordan led the league in scoring average and in 11 seasons he led the league in points scored. Three times he led the league in steals and in three seasons he led the league in minutes played.

Jordan was a 14-time NBA All-Star and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player five times. He was also named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1988 and on nine occasions he was named NBA All-Defensive First Team. For three straight years (1991-93), Jordan was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year.

Jordan even skipped the 1993-94 NBA season to give professional baseball a shot, signing a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox. When that didn’t work out, he returned to the NBA as if he didn’t miss a beat. He played four more seasons with the Chicago Bulls before retiring. After three years of retirement, he came back as a member of the Washington Wizards, where he played two seasons.

Derek Jeter remains a New York Yankees legend

Like Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter was a 14-time MLB All-Star. Jeter was also the best player and captain on a team that won five World Series titles.

Jeter finished his 20-year baseball career (all with the Yankees) with 3,465 hits, which is good enough for sixth place in MLB history. Twice he led the league in hits and he was voted Rookie of the Year in 1996 when he finished the season with a .314 batting average. He smacked 10 home runs and has 78 RBIs. He finished with 104 runs scored and swiped 14 bases.

For his career, Jeter had a .310 batting average and a five-time Gold Glove Award winner at shortstop. He has more hits than any other shortstop in MLB history. During his 20-year career, he showed durability, playing fewer than 145 games only three times. In his final season, Jeter scored the 1,900th run of his career, becoming the 10th player in MLB history to do so.

Jordan taunts Jeter about championship rings

Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter have a lot in common. Both were all-star selections for 14 years of their career, both own professional sports teams, and both are winners.

Back in 2012 when Jeter was doing an interview with ESPN’s Rick Reilly, Jeter said Jordan would always remind him that he had one more ring.

Reilly asked, “Ok, you have five world championship rings. How much do you think about Michael Jordan having six?” Jeter responded by saying, “Think about it? Of course, I think about it. He reminds me all the time.”

Reilly, trying to clarify, asked if Jordan texts him to remind him, and Jeter replied, “All the time.”