On Michael Jordan's 50th Birthday, The Search For The Next Airness Continues

Michael Jordan: Searching for the Next Airness
SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES: Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls takes a shot against the Utah Jazz 14 June during game six of the NBA Finals at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. The Bulls won the game 87-86 to win their sixth NBA Championship. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES: Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls takes a shot against the Utah Jazz 14 June during game six of the NBA Finals at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. The Bulls won the game 87-86 to win their sixth NBA Championship. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan turned 50 today, and while His Airness has been out of the game for a while, we're still looking for his replacement among the NBA's stars past and present. Jordan won six titles despite a one-year hiatus from baseball during his prime years. He represented a persona bigger than the game itself: "Is it the shoes?!" He was to basketball as Ali was to boxing: perfection.

After all, we’re talking about a guy who averaged 37 points a game during one season, the same guy who shot 50 percent or better five years in a row, and yeah, the same guy who once recorded ten triple-doubles … in eleven games. MJ has been retired for a decade now, and you’d think that we’d stop looking for his heir apparent, because there is only one Mike.

With that in mind, here is a look at the top eight guys who have come closest to 23 or resembled his playing style the most.

Kobe Bryant

Michael Jordan: Searching for the Next Airness

Email me at jordan.schultz@huffingtonpost.com or ask me questions about anything sports-related at @Schultz_Report.

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