You’ve seen the highlights. The shrug against Portland, the flu game in Utah, and that final, iconic jumper over Bryon Russell. But when people start arguing in barber shops or on Twitter about the GOAT, they usually just throw around the "six rings" argument and call it a day. Honestly, that’s lazy. If you really want to understand why his ghost still haunts every superstar in the league today, you have to look at the Michael Jordan overall stats with a bit more nuance.
It’s not just that he scored a lot. It’s how he did it while the league was trying to physically break him.
The basic Michael Jordan overall stats everyone knows (and some they don't)
Let’s get the big numbers out of the way first. Jordan finished his career with 32,292 points. That puts him fifth on the all-time list, which is wild considering he took nearly five years off in his prime. He played 1,072 regular-season games and averaged 30.1 points per game. That is still the highest career scoring average in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain is right there with him, but Jordan did it in an era with actual defensive schemes.
He wasn't just a gunner, though. People forget he grabbed 6.2 rebounds and dished out 5.3 assists per game. He was basically a 6'6" Swiss Army knife.
But here is the kicker: the playoffs. Most players see their efficiency dip when the defense tightens up in May and June. Not Mike. His scoring average actually jumped to 33.4 points per game in the postseason. Think about that for a second. He played 179 playoff games—basically two full extra seasons of the highest-pressure basketball imaginable—and he got better.
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Why the midrange was actually his cheat code
Today’s NBA is all about the "three or layup" math. Analytical departments hate the long two. But Michael Jordan overall stats tell a different story about efficiency. From 1991 to 1993, during the first three-peat, Jordan shot over 50% from midrange on nearly 15 attempts per game. In the modern era, that’s considered an "impossible" shot. For him, it was a layup.
He didn't need the three-ball. He only shot 32.7% from deep over his career, and even that is inflated by a few years where the NBA shortened the line. Honestly, if he played today, he’d probably just master the corner three in a weekend and ruin the league again.
The defensive side no one talks about
You can't talk about his "overall stats" without mentioning the steals. He didn't just play one side of the ball. Jordan is fourth all-time in career steals with 2,514.
He won the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) in 1988. That same year, he averaged 35 points per game. Just let that sink in. He was the best offensive player on the planet and the best defensive player at the same time. Only a handful of guys like Hakeem Olajuwon or Giannis Antetokounmpo have ever even come close to that kind of two-way dominance.
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Advanced metrics: Does MJ hold up in 2026?
A lot of younger fans try to use advanced analytics to say LeBron or Jokić have passed him. It’s a tough argument to win once you dig into the "per-game" advanced Michael Jordan overall stats.
- PER (Player Efficiency Rating): Jordan retired with a 27.91 PER. Until very recently, that was the gold standard.
- Win Shares Per 48 Minutes: He sits at .2505. For context, the average NBA player is around .100.
- Box Plus-Minus: His career playoff BPM is 11.1. That is essentially off the charts.
The most "mind-blowing" stat is his On-Off impact. Tracking data from his Bulls years shows that when Jordan was on the court in the playoffs, the Bulls had a net rating that was roughly +18 points better than when he sat. He wasn't just a "system" player. He was the system.
The Wizards years: Did they ruin the average?
Basically, yes. If Jordan had stayed retired in 1998, his career scoring average would be over 31 points per game. His field goal percentage would be over 50%.
Instead, he came back at age 38 with the Washington Wizards. He was slower. His knees were creaky. He shot 41.6% in 2001. But even then, he had a 40-point game at age 40. Those two years in D.C. dragged down his "Michael Jordan overall stats" on paper, but they sort of proved his greatness in a weird way. He was still a 20-point-per-game threat while being old enough to be his teammates' father.
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What we get wrong about the "Weak Era" argument
You’ll hear people say Jordan played against "plumbers." That's nonsense. He played against the "Bad Boys" Pistons, the 90s Knicks, and the Showtime Lakers. The "Illegal Defense" rule actually made it easier to double-team him in some ways, yet he still led the league in scoring 10 times.
He didn't have the spacing of the modern era. There were no "stretch fives" clearing the lane for him. He was driving into a congested paint filled with Hall of Fame centers who were legally allowed to clothesline him. And he still shot 49.7% for his career.
Actionable Insights for the GOAT Debate
If you're using Michael Jordan overall stats to settle an argument, don't just look at the 32,292 points. Look at the efficiency relative to his era.
- Check the TS% (True Shooting Percentage): Jordan was consistently 5-7% above the league average, even without a high volume of threes.
- Look at the "Usage vs. Turnover" ratio: Jordan handled the ball more than almost anyone, yet he rarely turned it over compared to modern point guards.
- Compare the "Peak" years: Between 1987 and 1992, Jordan’s statistical output is arguably the greatest sustained run of individual play in sports history.
To truly understand Jordan, you have to look past the shoes and the dunks. Look at the "boring" stuff—the defensive rotations, the lack of turnovers, and the midrange efficiency. That's where the real GOAT lives.
Next Step: To see how these numbers stack up in real-time, you should look up the year-by-year "Era Adjusted" scoring leaders on Basketball-Reference to see how Jordan's 37.1 PPG season in 1987 translates to today's faster pace.