I wasn’t too happy when people started drumming up all the Kobe/MJ comparisons during the playoffs this year. Many folks in the media were prematurely anticipating Kobe winning his fourth ring. As I’ve said before, Kobe’s Kobe and MJ’s MJ. They both have been the best basketball player in the entire world at one point or another in their lives. Isn’t that good enough? Well, just for all you curious folks out there, Michael Jordan answered the question of a camper at his Flight School at UCSB. Who could take who, Michael Jordan, or Kobe Bryant? Let’s find out what His Airness said:
Come on, did you really expect anything less of him — especially in front of his campers?? As for the debate at hand, MJ will always be the best in my eyes. That is, until the next Michael Jordan comes around, of course.
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one the coolest videos that I have ever seen
There will never be another Jordan. In skill, yes… but Jordan was much more than skills. He created a culture around his skills, which in my opinion made him even greater than if he was just about skills. Who doesn’t remember thos jordan/jackson commercials? Or with spike lee? People still clamor for his shoes… Jordan was the right player to come along, at the right time.
And I agree, def. a cool video. Almost as good as the “Failure” nike commercial
Jordan had 5 losing seasons without Pippen 84, 85, 86 Bulls and 2001, 2002 Wizards for a combined winning percentage of .443% and won a whopping ONE playoff game playing in the JV Conference. Missing the playoffs 2 times in those 5 seasons. In fact Scottie Pippen had gone further in the playoffs without MJ than MJ has gone without Pippen.
Jordan’s competition. The Pistons were done after 91, Celtics were in decline and done in 92 and the Lakers dismantled after the Finals in 91. So until 1998, His competition was the Pacers, Hawks, Knicks, Cavs, and Heat. And they are hardly Kobe’s Western Conference that has produced 9 out of the last 10 MVPs and 7 of the last 9 Championships.
As for the teams. Those teams I just mentioned are NOTHING compared to what Kobe played against over this past decade. The Spurs, The Kings, (2000-2004), The Rockets, The Jazz, The Suns, The Mavericks, now the Nuggets and the Hornets all in Bryant’s conference. Pacers, Knicks, Heat, NOT EVEN CLOSE
So anything Bryant accomplishes now will be more monumental for the simple fact that the competition Kobe has is better than Jordan had.
Bryant has done things on the court that MJ could only dream of.
And the capper is, Kobe Bryant is ONLY 29 YEARS OLD.
So you haters keep dreaming and we’ll all see who is the greatest in about 10 years.
As for the author even bringing up this comparison shows the FEAR of Bryants greatness. Especially when he is comparing an entire career to half a career.
I guess we could say that half a Kobe Bryant can be comparable to a WHOLE Michael Jordan.
Either that or he could just be so ignorant to the fact that comparisons like this are idiotic until both careers have made their accomplishments and retire.
Its one thing to win with Hall of Famers on your team but it is another to do it without any. That shows the trueness of someones ability.
As the facts have proven from my last comment. Jordan has NEVER WON without Hall of Famers. Not even ONE winning season. ALL LOSING RECORDS.
Yet Bryant has done it. And that is the Truth.
Jordan will always be the king. He has the respect of none Chicago fans.
Kobe can play until he is 50.
He will never match the respect that Jordan had.
Jordan had a shoe before he was in the NBA.
Did Kobe have a shoe?
Jordan won the NCAA and what
Award Year
Regular Season MVP 1988, 91, 92, 96, 98
Finals MVP 1991, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98
Rookie of the Year 1985
All-NBA First Team 1987, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98
Defensive Player of the Year 1998
All-NBA Defensive First Team 1988, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 97, 98
NBA All-Star 1985, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98
All-Star Game MVP 1988, 96, 98
Slam Dunk champion 1987, 88
Let’s see Kobe match that. In what maybe three or four years. I don’t think he can. I guess I can wait and see. I don’t think he will or will get the respect that Jordan has. I grew up a Hawks fan and I respect Jordan. And he had about the same level of competition. You had the Knicks, Pacers, Hawks, Jazz, Houston, Lakers, Boston, 46ers and Suns. So get off your high house Lakers fans.
Xrism, nice try. I will preface this by stating that I am a big Kobe fan.
Shaq > Pippen by a landslide, even though I think very highly of Pip. Hmm, think Kobe had a little less on his shoulders than MJ during his ride through that supposedly tougher competition?
Even if the competition was worse for the Bulls, the bottom line is they beat them all. Who is to say any of those Western Conf. foes the Lakers faced would have beaten MJ’s 90s bulls. That’s what your suggesting. I’m all for debates, but your stating that those teams would have knocked the Bulls off when teams with Hall of famers failed to do so in the finals 6 times vs. the Bulls.
You ignore the hall of famers MJ had to beat to win those rings in the finals. Karl Malone/Stockton (twice), Barkley, Drexler.
The whole Eastern conf. elite teams built their defenses to stop MJ in the mid 80s because he had no legit 2nd and 3rd scorers. The Pistons and Knicks were single-mindedly trying to beat MJ up for the better part of a decade of his career. Shaq is the one who took that kind attention and beating on the Lakers, not Kobe.
Just look at their career stats and then call me back.
And I almost forgot the most latest sample, this year’s finals. Lakers got embarrassed by the Celtics, not just losing, but losing badly. Yes they beat the returning champs, the Spurs, but the ring is the thing.
Okay, 2 equations:
Pierce > Gasol
Odom = Ray Allen : ray allen is past his prime otherwise he’d be better.
And that leaves Kobe vs. Garnett. Garnett is a HOF lock, and obviously so is Kobe. But MJ had an unbeaten record vs. his HOF competition in the Finals (Drexler, Barkley, Malone, Stockton), and totally dominated them. If he was in MJ’s universe Kobe would have won that series and made any comparison between him and the other HOF on the floor look silly, or at least made the series interesting by himself even if his teammates played like dung.
And yet another: getting killed by the Pistons in the Finals several years ago. A team with zero HOF players dominated Kobe and Shaq. That, my friend, is ball game.
For many seasons Jordan had no shot. His shot got better at the end of his career. That comeback to the Wizards was terrible. Nobodies was blocking his shot. Kobe shoots better than Jordan did. Kobe does not get beaten up like Jordan did. One person has it right. Two different times in basketball. I never liked Jordan. I am from Atlanta and Wilkins was pretty good. I liked Worthy and Big Smooth or Big Easy. That tongue thing was stupid also. Now Kobe licks his lips to be like Jordan. B.J. Armstrong and other guards helped Jordan win those rings. Jordan and Pippen get all the credit for those wins. People forget about those 7 footers the Bulls had. Jordan disgraced himself with his gambling problem. He was dismissed by the league because of it. I am not a Jordan fan. No player can touch Connie Hawkins or Ice Man Gervin.
Kobe is not half the defender that Jordan was.