There are superstars and then there are those rare figures who change the air in a room the moment they step in. They don't need to speak or gesture. Everyone just feels it. Call it presence. Or maybe the better word is aura.
For David Adelman, head coach of the Denver Nuggets , that aura belongs to one man above all. On a recent appearance on "The X&O's Chat," he said it straight — Michael Jordan. To Adelman, no one ever carried himself with that same commanding force.
You might ask what connection Adelman really has to Jordan. You might also wonder whether he was ever close enough to the Chicago Bulls legend to speak with real perspective. Truth is, he was. The Nuggets head coach essentially grew up inside NBA locker rooms.
His father, Rick , coached teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers , Golden State Warriors , and Sacramento Kings . That meant the younger Adelman, born in 1981, spent his youth surrounded by All-Stars, Hall of Famers and franchise icons.
He saw what NBA greatness looked like long before most kids even understood the game. Still, one presence stood apart. When asked on "The X&O's Chat" who left the strongest impression on him during those formative years, Adelman didn't hesitate. It was Jordan . Period.
What stayed with the 44-year-old Oregon native wasn't just the résumé. It was the feeling.
Some fans today might have caught a glimpse of that through the Netflix documentary "The Last Dance." But even that doesn't come close to what it was really like. Adelman made that point clear, saying, "This younger generation doesn't understand the aura and the competitiveness and what it was like to see him run out of a tunnel."
And how could they? Most weren't even born yet, never heard the low murmur that spread through opposing arenas the second Jordan appeared from the tunnel — a wave that always turned into chaos, recounted Adelman.
During Bulls home games at the United Center, the Nuggets coach said, it only grew louder.
"When he'd run out of the tunnel and that place would start shaking — I've never been around anything like it since. Nothing comes close to just his presence," remarked Adelman.
That presence was on full display every time MJ stepped on the floor. Even former opponents acknowledged it. Larry Bird once called him "God disguised as Michael Jordan." The Boston Celtics icon said it after MJ's 63-point playoff explosion in 1986.
Adelman's memory falls right in line with that long-standing reverence. The aura wasn't a myth. It was real. Still, there was a bittersweet side to it. With a sly grin, he conceded there was something unforgettable about being around Jordan in those days.
That held true even if his father's Blazers were the team that came up short against him in the Finals. That went down in 1992 , when Chicago beat Portland 4–2 and Jordan took home another Finals MVP. He finished his storied career with six in total.
Nowadays, Adelman is around an unbelievable player almost every day in Nikola Jokic . The three-time MVP stands in rare company. For some, he's actually the greatest center the game has ever seen.
But when it comes to aura, "The Joker" doesn't come close to what "His Airness" had — and still has. Don't get it twisted, though. That's not a knock on the Serbian, just a nod to the legend whose mystique may never be matched.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
