Ranking Michael Jordan's Top Opponents in the NBA Finals

Watching 'The Last Dance' documentary series on ESPN has brought back memories and has also served as a history lesson on Michael Jordan's historic run with the Chicago Bulls. The episodes have broken down some of his biggest rivalries and is making its way through showing all six of his championships. Jordan took down some absolute legends of the game in his two three-peats, so let's look at eight in particular who had title hopes taken away by the great MJ.

8. James Worthy

James Worthy and the Los Angeles Lakers faced Jordan in 1991. / Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

James Worthy had won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers by the time he took on Jordan and the Bulls in the 1991 NBA Finals. The seven-time All-Star was also the 1988 NBA Finals MVP and averaged 21.4 points during the 1990-91 season. He is in the Hall of Fame and also has his jersey retired by the Lakers organization. Yet he was not able to lead his Lakers to victory over the Bulls and Los Angeles did not win another title until 2000.

7. Gary Payton

Gary Payton and the Seattle SuperSonics faced Jordan in the 1996 NBA Finals. / VINCENT LAFORET/Getty Images

Jordan roasted Gary Payton in "The Last Dance" after Payton said he should have been guarding Jordan throughout the 1996 NBA Finals. The man known as "The Glove" was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 and helped lead the Seattle SuperSonics to a 64-18 record. Payton was a nine-time All-Star throughout his career and averaged 19.3 points in the 1995-96 season. After falling down 3-0 against the Bulls, Payton ended up covering Jordan and the Sonics took the next two games. But Jordan recovered and the Bulls took Game 6. It took until 2006 for Payton to win a championship when he did so with the Miami Heat.

6. Clyde Drexler

Clyde Drexler led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1992. / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Clyde Drexler won his first and only NBA championship in 1995 with the Houston Rockets. Yet the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was taken down by Jordan in 1992 while with the Portland Trail Blazers. Drexler and Jordan were rivals and the series was tied 2-2 after four games. Jordan prevailed for the second straight year and the Bulls took the series 4-2. To Drexler's credit, he averaged over 26 points-per-game in the playoffs. He is just another superstar who crossed paths with Jordan and came out on the losing end.

5. Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan squared off in the 1991 NBA Finals. / TIZIANA SORGE/Getty Images

Magic Johnson had won five titles with the Lakers in the 1980s before meeting up with Jordan and the Bulls in the 1991 Finals. He was a three-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, and a perennial All-Star, but it was clear a new era was coming in the NBA. The Bulls took down Magic and the Lakers in five games in what ended up being Johnson's final full year in the league. He received his HIV diagnosis later in the year. Magic and Jordan were part of different eras, but the Lakers great still averaged over 21 points and 12 assists in those '91 Finals.

4. Shawn Kemp

Shawn Kemp was part of the 1996 Seattle SuperSonics team that made the NBA Finals. / Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Shawn Kemp was a key reason why the SuperSonics made the 1996 Finals. He was a face of the team alongside Gary Payton and averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 1996 postseason. This was the height of Kemp's career before his weight ballooned in the following years. The six-time All-Star dropped 32 points in Game 1 of the Finals, but Jordan and the Bulls were just too much to handle. Kemp finished his career without a championship ring.

3. John Stockton

John Stockton and the Utah Jazz faced off against Jordan in consecutive NBA Finals. / JEFF HAYNES/Getty Images

John Stockton is a Hall of Fame player who lasted 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz. He led the team to the postseason all 19 years and the culmination was two Finals appearances against the Bulls. Both series ended in 4-2 defeats and Stockton retired without a ring. Yet he is still a 10-time All-Star and his number is retired by the Jazz. The point guard averaged over 13 points and 10 assists in his postseason career and gave Jordan one of his toughest tests in the Finals.

2. Karl Malone

Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz could not overcome Jordan and the Bulls. / JEFF HAYNES/Getty Images

Karl Malone joined the Jazz in 1985 and played alongside Stockton until 2003. He was a two-time NBA MVP and an 11-time All-NBA first-team player. Malone averaged 25 points-per-game during his career and averaged a double-double in both postseasons in which the Jazz reached the Finals. Yet like Stockton, Malone retired without a ring and is remembered by younger generations for showing up in iconic Bulls highlights.

1. Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley was a star player with the Phoenix Suns in 1993. / Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Charles Barkley won the MVP award in 1993 and that was enough motivation to fuel Jordan. The all-time great led the Phoenix Suns to the Finals in a year when he averaged over 25 points and 12 rebounds per game. He scored 42 points in Game 2 of the Finals but it was still not enough for the Suns to win. Barkley finished his career as an 11-time All-Star and is in the Hall of Fame. He never won a ring and the greatness of Jordan stopped that quest in Barkley's best season.