Former Iowa Hawkeye Luka Garza is Above Michael Jordan in This Stat

With the NBA Conference Finals heating up, in the midst of what has been a wild and unpredictable playoffs as a whole, NBA Twitter remains undefeated when it comes to trolling and unearthing the craziest stats. One stat that's been making the rounds is pretty unbelievable, and involves a former Iowa Hawkeye star who has turned out to be a strong roleplayer for one of the final four teams.

If you pay attention to Iowa sports, the name Luka Garza will probably ring a few bells. Garza spent five seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes (2017 - 2021), where he led the Big Ten in scoring in back-to-back seasons to end his NCAA career. Per Sports Illustrated, Garza averaged a career-high 24.1 points per game during his final season, and was a reliable rebounder and blocker to boot during his collegiate career.

After being drafted in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, Garza only spent one year in the Motor City before signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's waffled back-and-forth to Wolves' G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, who play in Des Moines, where he was a two-time Next Man Up Winner in 2023 and 2024.

Garza might not be as productive as Keegan Murray, the Sacramento Kings forward and Cedar Rapid natives who also suited up for the Hawkeyes basketball team, but he remains an accomplished local boy in his own right. The NBA chews up and spits out young players who don't shine early, and second round picks more often than not end up playing overseas in places like China, Taiwan, and Israel before they're even 25-years-old.

Now, the 26-year-old Garza can say he has this stat over Michael Jordan, the widely regarded GOAT, who himself needs no introduction.

During the Timberwolves' Game 3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, which occurred on Saturday, May 24th, Garza came off the bench to score seven points in five minutes. That placed him above Michael Jordan in one key category: points per minute.

It was Bill Heyen of Sporting News that pointed out that Garza is now averaging 1.03 points per minute over the course of his NBA career. Jordan average 0.8 points per minute during his NBA career.

So, obviously this means Luka Garza is a better and more reliable scorer than Michael Jordan ever was. Where's his shoe deal?

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I kid, obviously. Garza has only played 38 postseason minutes, versus Jordan's 7,474 during his sterling NBA career. However, it gives Garza some tongue-in-cheek, locker-room bragging rights if nothing else. He's turned into a fine player with real staying power; someone I'd argue belongs on an NBA roster, even if he only sees limited action.

Over the course of his four-year professional career, Garza has averaged 4.9 points and two rebounds over 7.8 minutes per game. Read more about the crazy comparison between Luka Garza and Michael Jordan on Sports Illustrated's website.