I don't think he'll ever be surpassed. First you have to match his talent level , which is already impossible. The imaginery player that talented will naturally not going to give the same effort on defense as Jordan did.
Second, that player has to match his incredible tenacity and mastery of the art of defense. Its just crazy to me how someone as absurdly talented as Jordan was also the most tenacious player on the court at all times, playing every game like it was his last. Trying to steal every ball , to block every shot and to shut down down his man completely.
In Jordan's prime, teams didn't even bother attacking the side of the floor he was defending. That's how scary of a defender he was. He averaged 37 ppg and still had time for 256 steals and 131 blocks in a season. He did it twice back to back, the only player to ever do so. His blocked shots in the 86/87 and 87/88 season were comparable to starting Centers in the league. He is very arguably the greatest ball thief in NBA history with maybe only Alvin Robertson being in the discussion. But Jordan did it for longer. I don't consider Chris Paul to be as good a ball thief as either one.
In his prime, he was the best offensive and defensive player in the league quite clearly and perhaps the best offensive and defensive player to ever play. Certainly the best offensive player. He was the total package and had no flaws or weaknesses.
Offensively, his skill set is so advanced, it defies any logic. Even to this day, sometimes I think about the way he played and it still makes no sense to me. No human being should be able to play basketball like that.
He has moves he created no one else can do. He'll lean into his defender facing the opposite way and make a layup without looking at the rim. He'll do reverse layups attacking the rim from right to left, from left to right, sometimes through the middle and finish with either hand. He'll shoot free throws with his eyes closed. He'll hang in the air, double or triple pump his jumper and release it when he pleases or release it when he is descending to the ground. Another move is when he palms the ball with one hand and can still shoot it in the basket with one hand. He'll make layups without looking at the rim. He's the only player that can do this stuff.
This is why I always laugh when people say Kobe's playing style is just like Mike. Actually that isn't entirely true because Jordan has played in different ways throughout his career. The way Jordan played from 84-88 was not the way he played from 89-91. And it was not the way he played from 92-98.
Kobe's style of play is most similar to the Jordan of 93-98.
Back to the main point, I just don't see how anyone can ever surpass him. And so far, I've only mentioned his attributes as a player. Never mind the 6 rings and 6 Finals MVP's.
