Stephen A. Smith says now that Tiger Woods has his 15th major championship, he will catch Jack Nicklaus for the most major wins in golf history. (1:11)

Michael Jordan has long been synonymous with greatness, so any "greatest ever" accolade bestowed by him shouldn't be taken lightly.

Take note, Tiger Woods.

"I never thought he'd get back physically," Jordan told The Athletic after Woods' victory at the Masters on Sunday. "He didn't think he'd get back physically. But he did it. No one expected him to be back the way he is now. He's probably the only person who believed he could get back. To me, that's a major accomplishment. To me, it's unbelievable.

"Mentally, you always think you can. But you can't answer to what your body has to deal with. ... To me, it was the greatest comeback I've ever seen."

Over the past decade, Woods has faced multiple knee surgeries, a torn Achilles and back fusion surgery two years ago that left him doubting whether he would ever play competitive golf again.

But with Sunday's victory -- his fifth at Augusta -- Woods has 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus' 18.

"I took two years off [from the NBA] to play baseball, but nothing like that," Jordan told The Athletic of Woods' comeback. "I'm pretty sure he questioned himself, whether he could get it back, and he had to put a lot of work in. But he took it head-on. He had to change his game; he had to change his perspective a little bit.

"Dealing with his emotions, obviously he believed in himself. But until you put that into action, sometimes it's a struggle. I think he's gotten over the hump. I think he's going to win more. It's tough mentally. It's absolutely tough mentally. And then you think about the physical. I'm elated."

Jordan told The Athletic that he called Woods to congratulate him on the win, and he is of the firm belief that Tiger has more wins in the bag.

"They got problems," Jordan said of Woods' rivals on the PGA Tour. "His confidence is only going to build from here. The unknown is the biggest thing. You don't know what Tiger's capable of doing. He's won a tour event [the Tour Championship]. He's won the Masters. He's won a major."