Who is the better player: Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?
With all the reasoning by analysts and diehard fans, this heated debate will never have a legitimate answer until Kobe Bryant retires.
Anyone can compare the numbers, records, or awards that both players have achieved, but very few people factor the differences between the Jordan era and the Kobe era.
Let’s take a look at several key factors that are omitted in this Jordan vs. Kobe debate.
Defensive Players
I'm surprised that players in the '80s and '90s receive little credit for their defensive skills compared to players after Jordan retired. Since Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, the league has produced many stellar first and second All-Defensive players featuring:
Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Cooper, Maurice Cheeks, Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Joe Dumars, David Robinson, Dennis Rodman, Alvin Robertson, John Starks, Gary Payton, Dikembe Mutombo, Charles Barkley, Dan Majerle, and many others.
Since Jordan’s retirement in 1998, the Kobe’s generation has produced first and second All-Defensive players featuring:
Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning, Jason Kidd, Ben Wallace, Ron Artest, Bruce Bowen, Scottie Pippen, Doug Christie, Andrei Kirlenko, Dwyane Wade, Marcus Camby, Larry Hughes, Tayshaun Prince, Gary Payton, Eric Snow, Theo Ratliff, PJ Brown, and several others.
Based on this list alone, my conclusion is that defensive players Jordan’s era are more intimidating than players in Kobe’s era.
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10 months ago
You had me right up until here - "I believe Kobe Bryant is a more talented offensive player than Michael Jordan. Looking at both players’ game film, Kobe is a better ball handler and plays much more comfortably on the perimeter than Jordan.
Kobe also has better shooting range and a wider variety of moves compared to Jordan, who prefers to use mid-range game and post game."
That's just crazy talk a more talented offensive player? That is not only false it ludicrous! Kobe might have a slightly better handle but that's where it ends period. A wider variety of moves, come on that is the most ridiculous thing I have EVER heard, watch the tapes man! I am old enough and live in Chicago so I was able to see MJ and his never ending array of moves, his catalog is immense and by NO WAY I mean NO WAY does Kobe have a wider variety. If you think about it Kobe's moves are all taken from the Jordan handbook anyway, he's on about page 3 of 500.
10 months ago
Dave is wrong
10 months ago
Kobe had the advantage of studying Jordan's game and adding his own spin onto it. He's has more moves and dribbling skills than Jordan and a better outside shot. He has more moves off the dribble than Jordan did most definately. That doesn't put Jordan at a disadvantage though. Jordan was a bit quicker, had bigger hands, and was more explosive so he could play in the post more than Kobe. You can easily see this when watching tape of them. Jordan was dominant inside and as a result his FG% is higher than Kobe's.
Kobe has to compensate by outsmarting people these days instead of using his athleticism, similar to what Jordan did from '96 to '98. He has the athleticism of a '93 Jordan to match with that.
As a pure scorer, I believe Kobe is better. But overall, Jordan is the superior player. Kobe is close though...
10 months ago
Kobe is a great player, but Jordan is the mold for most of these great players today. I believe if you put Kobe in his prime against Jordan in his prime, Jordan would win. Jordan is a smarter player and more physical. Kobe is close but you cant deny that Jordan is better. Maybe I will be proven wrong but only time will tell. Kobe's got a long way to go to prove it.
10 months ago
jordan is a mold for today's player, just as other players were a mold for jordan. jordan and kobe in their primes would be a draw i think. just like the author said, kobe is equally, if not more, talented as jordan, but in terms of greatness, jordan is better...so far
10 months ago
Last but not least for those saying Kobe has more moves I just don't see it, please take a look here for a small glimpse of MJ's moves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWvxijHNWB4
10 months ago
hahahahaaha. dave dave dave. you wanna bring up stats? let's analyze them (and by "analyze" i don't mean the simple and incredibly dumb side-by-side comparisons i'm sure you were planning on doing)...i DARE you to. awards? yep, jordan's got kobe there, i'm not saying anything against that. and OOOOOOOH, you posted a link to a video that showcases jordan's move! this MUST prove jordan has more moves than kobe! you still don't get the point that kobe and jordan are equally talented but that jordan is greater in terms of accomplishments. i'm sure everyone is really having a toot at reading your inane comments, just like matt homdis's article!
10 months ago
No, I'm just trying to show something concrete all you are doing is talking and talking as usual. You would DARE to compare stats, cmon you are kidding here right? As a matter of fact I do get the point, they are both talented but there is a difference, MJ was more talented than Kobe simple and plain it seems that you are the one unable to grasp this simple concept. Jordan was greater in terms of accomplishments, moves, skills, leadership, I mean come on do you really believe the shit you are writing? Too much L.A. Sun for you. Put the drinks down talk to us when you are sober.
10 months ago
hey dave: something concrete? where's the concrete? i already proved everything you said is nothing but garbage. i just DARED you to compare stats. what? you can't? i thought so...the only reason why you think jordan has kobe on stats is cuz you don't know how to analyze numbers except to compare them side by side like a freaking preschooler. you're almost there dave! they are both talented, but the DIFFERENCE is that jordan is more ACCOMPLISHED than kobe.
from 10 months ago
Make it a double dog dare will ya.
10 months ago
Hey anonymous: Where is your proof? You have basically stated your opinion. If you wanna go down that lane here are some stats for you, please take a look at FG%, steals, blocks points. Please tell me what there is to argue. Oh go ahead and do all your analyzing for us, please.
YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
84-85 CHI 82 82 38.3 .515 .173 .845 2.00 4.50 6.50 5.9 2.39 .84 3.55 3.50 28.2
85-86 CHI 18 7 25.1 .457 .167 .840 1.30 2.30 3.60 2.9 2.06 1.17 2.50 2.60 22.7
86-87 CHI 82 82 40.0 .482 .182 .857 2.00 3.20 5.20 4.6 2.88 1.52 3.32 2.90 37.1
87-88 CHI 82 82 40.4 .535 .132 .841 1.70 3.80 5.50 5.9 3.16 1.60 3.07 3.30 35.0
88-89 CHI 81 81 40.2 .538 .276 .850 1.80 6.20 8.00 8.0 2.89 .80 3.58 3.00 32.5
89-90 CHI 82 82 39.0 .526 .376 .848 1.70 5.10 6.90 6.3 2.77 .66 3.01 2.90 33.6
90-91 CHI 82 82 37.0 .539 .312 .851 1.40 4.60 6.00 5.5 2.72 1.01 2.46 2.80 31.5
91-92 CHI 80 80 38.8 .519 .270 .832 1.10 5.30 6.40 6.1 2.28 .94 2.50 2.50 30.1
92-93 CHI 78 78 39.3 .495 .352 .837 1.70 5.00 6.70 5.5 2.83 .78 2.65 2.40 32.6
93-94 Retired
94-95 CHI 17 17 39.3 .411 .500 .801 1.50 5.40 6.90 5.3 1.76 .76 2.06 2.80 26.9
95-96 CHI 82 82 37.7 .495 .427 .834 1.80 4.80 6.60 4.3 2.20 .51 2.40 2.40 30.4
96-97 CHI 82 82 37.9 .486 .374 .833 1.40 4.50 5.90 4.3 1.71 .54 2.02 1.90 29.6
97-98 CHI 82 82 38.8 .465 .238 .784 1.60 4.20 5.80 3.5 1.72 .55 2.26 1.80 28.7
98-99 Retired
99-00 Retired
00-01 Retired
01-02 WAS 60 53 34.9 .416 .189 .790 .80 4.80 5.70 5.2 1.42 .43 2.70 2.00 22.9
02-03 WAS 82 67 37.0 .445 .291 .821 .90 5.20 6.21 3.8 1.50 .48 2.11 2.10 20.0
Career 1072 1039 38.3 .497 .327 .835 1.60 4.70 6.20 5.3 2.35 .83 2.73 2.60 30.1
10 months ago
Before this argument goes on further, I just wanted to say that I believe Kobe is more talented overall offensively, which is really my and others' opinion. However, Jordan does have a better post game and equally good, if not better mid-range game than Kobe because that was what made Jordan unguardable. Kobe at times will rely on his jumpshot, and sometimes he will have off shooting nights.
I didn't mention how stellar Jordan's defense was, but I think his and Kobe's defense are equally excellent.
It's similar to saying Wilt Chamberlain was a more dominant player than Bill Russell, but Russell kept winning the games and championships. Peyton Manning is accumulating many impressive stats and records, but Tom Brady has more Super Bowl appearances and wins. Jordan has been the better leader and team player, which makes him better than Kobe presently.
OK, let the argument continue.
10 months ago
dave dave dave. even after fair warning, you stubbornly do the stupid thing i advised you against doing.
let's take a look at kobe's career under the same context as jordan's. (i'm not comparing season by season because that is too variable and doesn't provide any insight, so the best we can do is to compare their career stats)
jordan went to 3 years of college, and since kobe came into the nba straight out of high school it's fair to ignore his first 3 seasons in this comparison. i don't want to go through some tedious calculations, but kobe's approximate average in this situation would be something close to
28.5ppg, 5.5apg, 6.1rpg, 1.7spg, .6bpg, .46% FG, .34% 3FG, .85% FT
plus, jordan was drafted by one of the worst teams in the nba that didn't even make the playoffs (hence their number 3 draft pick), but kobe was drafted to the lakers that was already a playoff contender (not to mention that the most dominant center of the time, shaq, was also his team mate). so what does this tell us? that as good as kobe was, his role on the team wasn't as the number one go to guy because it was shaq's team and the offense was designed to run through him, while the bulls on the other hand ran everything through jordan since day 1. kobe could have had jordan's situation if he stayed with the hornets, but he didn't. if he did, everything would have run through kobe and kobe would have been having amazing stats from the start of his career instead of a few years into his career. it's crazy what kobe did statistically while sharing the stage with shaq's dominant years and being second fiddle to him during his initial years in the nba.
so let's go back to the stats above. those are pretty much more identical to jordan's stats than you thought they'd be huh? plus, jordan played more of a post-up/midrange game than kobe, so his literal fg% is better than kobe's who plays more of the perimeter game, even though he's just as capable of driving to the hoop like jordan. but if you look at the true fg%, kobe and jordan would have similar percentages. jordan did have a slightly better post-up game than kobe, though, but that's due to the fact that kobe had a dominant center so didn't need to develop a post-up game, while jordan didn't.
on the other hand, just as spectacular as kobe has been in the playoffs, jordan has only a slight upper hand on kobe in this case, which is why i regard jordan as more legendary and great (note: not more talented) than kobe. again, dave, the point isn't to say jordan's worse than kobe (that's hogwash), but that kobe is equally, if not more, talented and skilled as jordan, but just not as accomplished as jordan.
well dave, i told you not to touch the hot stove, but you did it any way and got burned. you're either some baby who doesn't know any better, or some retarded adult.
from 10 months ago
Wow you are reaching with all your qualifiers I mean analyzed stats. That shit you wrote is laughable " jordan did have a slightly better post-up game than kobe, though, but that's due to the fact that kobe had a dominant center so didn't need to develop a post-up game, while jordan didn't." I'm still laughing at that one! I mean really how much farther can you stretch, I thought he was equally skilled/talented, please, your argument is shite. I mean we can say that hey Mike's stats would have been better if he had not played in Washington etc but the fact is he did and that hurt his stats. Wake up man Kobe is a great player but he is not as good as Jordan I don't know how many times I can explain this to you. By the way here are Kobe's real stats
.454 % from the field, 24.9 ppg, 1.5 steals, 4.6apg, 0.6 blocks, .839 FT%, 5.3 Rebounds
Here are MJ's
.497 % from the field, 30.1 ppg, 2.3 Steals, 5.3apg, 0.8 blocks, .835 FT%, 6.2 Rebounds
By the way MJ's best from the field .539 Kobe's .469, Analyze that. I am an adult, not sure about your status with all the name calling. Go get some milk and cookies it's past your bedtime.
10 months ago
They are different but both are great. Kobe's greatness in the game reach to the point as being compared to another great player, Jordan. The difference is that, Kobe is greatest this days and Jordan is the greatest on his days, its a matter of time. No argument needed and we should be thankful that we have a great player Like Kobe this days. His doing great and we should have to appreciate it. Kobe can overcome what Jordan had achieved and that can make the difference too. Go Kobe and nice to have you, Jordan. They are both great, the two of them.
10 months ago
PAUL, exactly my point. I'm trying to give fair dues to one of the greatest of all time while simply recognizing that Kobe is on the same skill level as Jordan, just not as accomplished as jordan is. but this david can't even open his mind to realize that. these are 2 players playing in 2 different eras, and there are way too many variables to make such simple stat comparisons as david did. my argument just proved that things aren't what they appear when you compare things on a deeper level. my comparison isn't even the end-all-be-all comparisons: there are so many other variables to consider, but the insinuation is that even when you keep adjusting things in order to level the context, both jordan and kobe will ultimately have similar stats in every one of those cases, so stats don't work in the kobe vs jordan comparison. what does work is watching both play and realizing that both have supernatural skills, and although kobe's not as decorated as jordan is, kobe still has so much more time left in the nba to close that gap.
10 months ago
hahahahah, dave....you seriously embarrass yourself more and more every time you desperately try to defend your position. i don't need to continue this discussion with you anymore because i and every rational person know that what i wrote is valid and true. (no wonder you were defending matt homdis. just like jordan and kobe are equally talented, you and matt are equally mentally retarded). you're clearly lost and buried in the past, and it's obviously a waste of time arguing with a person who can't face reality and solidly argued points....so seeya homer! i have concluded that you're a retarded adult- at least an infant who doesn't know any better eventually learns from its mistakes.
from 10 months ago
If I have embarrassed myself then you by measure have made a complete ass out of yourself with your nonsense, name calling, delusions, feelings of grandeur, shall I go on? So go and learn from your mistakes and come equipped next time you face an adult, till then try to not shit your diaper! Which coincidentally I'm sure is what you were in when MJ was doin his thing.
10 months ago
By the way what is desperate about this?
.454 % from the field, 24.9 ppg, 1.5 steals, 4.6apg, 0.6 blocks, .839 FT%, 5.3 Rebounds
Here are MJ's
.497 % from the field, 30.1 ppg, 2.3 Steals, 5.3apg, 0.8 blocks, .835 FT%, 6.2 Rebounds
By the way MJ's best from the field .539 Kobe's .469
Facts Son!
10 months ago
Hey Anonymous,
Don't even listen to Dave. Just take a look at his profile, he's obviously a Jordan jock rider. Apparently your argument can't even get through his head by the fact that he repeats the same dumb claims again and again (maybe he can't think AND read?). If logic doesn't get through to him, nothing can. Let him wallow in his ignorance. Like a wise man once said, "Never argue with an idiot, he'll drag you down to his level, then beat you with experience".
from 10 months ago
A Jordan jock rider? Is that a joke?
Anyone who saw Jordan play rides his jock. After all, he is THE GREATEST PLAYER EVER.
There is no argument here. Jordan's stats are far more impressive, and to boot he's the greatest winner and clutch player in the history of sports. Hands down.
Think of it this way: Jordan can do everything Kobe can, but Kobe can't do everything Jordan can.
They are comparable on defense, have comparable mid range games, and are comparable in terms of athleticism and dunking ability. Jordan is undeniably a better winner, clutch player, and teammate.
Simply put: Jordan has all the intangibles that Kobe still has to prove.
Kobe is great guys, but until he walks away with 6 championships to his name and all those game winning shots—not to mention a career average of nearly a .500 FG percentage and over 30 PPG—no one should be comparing him to Jordan.
10 months ago
wow, i feel like i'm walking into a message board with a bunch of immature jr high kids talking about shit they don't even know about. and the sad thing is, you're not even man enough to get yourself a name so that we can snicker at your adolesence.
so here's what you should do:
1) Accept that Jordan is the best there ever is was and ever will be and he's got the rings, trophies, and stats to prove it
2) Accept that comparing Kobe to Jordan is an insult to 23 because Kobe will never have the drive, the desire, and the fire to win that made MJ clearly the greatest
and...
3) Grow a pair, get yourself a domain name so that we can all laugh at you!
Props to Dave for being able to recognize greatness
from 10 months ago
Brenden, I can't agree with you more.
Respect.
10 months ago
i don't want to get in the middle of everyone's argument here, but i can't help it (you guys are pretty entertaining), but aren't you a 19 year old athelete at a midwest college brenden?
1) this means you probably didn't get to watch jordan play so you're not even qualified to make a comment here, not the least your claim that jordan is the best there will ever be
2) athlete at a midwest college? you've got 2 things going against you buddy- being an athlete (a bit slow on the intelligence, anyone?), and going to a college in the midwest (is there any school in the midwest worth mentioning?)
thanks for revealing what your credentials are.
and dave, you're obviously pretty ignorant. anonymous has you owned man.
from 10 months ago
i dont know why this got deleted earlier but...
yea your right that fullride tuition to play the sport i love, man that sucks. and i guess my 3.5 gpa and 32 ACT score makes me pretty slow too. and as for my age, i'm old enough to remember watching jordan in person and recognize that kobe won't come close. what are your credentials? i'm going to make an assumption and say that at 19 with a full ride, an outstanding gpa and act score, a state championship ring, and 3 published articles/short stories, i've accomplished more than you and your patheticly unsuccessful insecure life, which is why you pitifully waste your life on here quibling over meaningless debates and making them a bigger deal than they need to be, because thats all you have left to hold on to.
it's a damn shame...
10 months ago
Man up kids your comments are baseless and asinine. I can't help but call it as I see it. Stop all the name calling, this internet tough guy shit is real old.
10 months ago
Dave, I think the first guy was right about you. When he clearly said that he watched both Jordan and Kobe play, you ignore that and later try to insult him by saying that he was in diapers while Jordan was playing. HOWEVER, when Brenden, someone who happens to share your view, claims that Jordan is the best, you say "Respect", while completely overlooking the fact that he is only 19 years old. You think HE watched Jordan? You just gave away your blind hatred and inconsistencies, hence lack of well-founded arguments.
from 10 months ago
I have to tell you I did not do "research" about brendan to find out that he was 19 years old, he still seems to "get it". I am sure anon has watched jordan on tapes and on highlight films, kudos to him on that.
10 months ago
Kobe may have more "moves" on offense but MJ didn't need to use as many moves and Kobe decides to use. Kobe is flashier then Jordan if that's possible. If it came down to it and MJ needed to points, he would take his defender to the post, dribble a couple times, and shoot that sweet, sweet fadeaway so many players have fallen victim too. I don't ever want to hear Kobe is better then MJ again because MJ did it in every aspect of the game. Kobe won't come close to any of Jordan's records in his career.
MJ - 5 MVPS
Kobe - 0 MVPS
MJ - One time NBA Defensive player of the year and NBA record 9 time NBA All-defensive first team selection.
Kobe - 5 time first team selection
MJ - Most NBA scoring titles (10) and most consecutive years leading the league in scoring (7)
Kobe - 2 time scoring champ
The last thing we need to remember is that MJ retired, twice! He had already won three championships and had almost every award you can win. He retired because he didn't have anything left to prove but he just wanted more. My god, had MJ never retired he probably would've had at least 8 championships, maybe 10. Would've definitely won the MVP at least one more time. Likely would've kept leading the league in scoring and being on the All-NBA defensive first team. Who knows what he would've done? His team success is what really messed up his individual accomplishments. MJ is the best basketball player of all-time, period.
from 10 months ago
Finally some sanity has come to the comments, thank you.
10 months ago
Alright, I think Marcus just put the nail in the coffin here.
The only way to argue against the overwhelmingly evidence he presents in Jordan's favor would be to assert that both journalists and statisticians alike have had such a bias against Kobe over the years—and such a bias towards Jordan—that MJ's clobbering of Kobe when it comes to awards and statistical records are null and void.
I don't think anyone in this room can say that this is true. In fact, I seem to remember a year when Karl Malone was given an MVP that was rightfully Michael's because "Michael had won so many."
Things may change by the time he retires (though I sincerely doubt it), but as of right now Kobe is nowhere near MJ in the "all time greatest" discussion. Period, end of story.
Just to reaffirm: my top 10 all time players. You will notice that Kobe is not on here (he probably falls between #20 and #30):
1) Michael Jordan
2) Bill Russell
3) Magic Johnson
4) Larry Bird
5) Kareem Abdul Jabbar
6) Wilt Chamberlain
7) Oscar Robertson
8) Tim Duncan
9) Jerry West
10) Shaquille O'Neal
Honorable Mention: Hakeem Olajawon, Elgin Baylor, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Moses Malone
from 10 months ago
You are freaking retarded there is not way you put shaq over hakeem how much did you accutaly watch baksetball in the last 15 years no one that knows a damn thing about the game puts shaq about the dream ill put a real twist on your top 10 see what you think
1) Michael Jordan
2) Magic Johnson
3) Bill Russell
4) Larry Bird
5) Kareem Abdul Jabbar
6) Wilt Chamberlain
7) Oscar Robertson
8) Hakeem The Dream Olajuwon
9) Jerry West
10) Kobe Bryant
Alright, I think Marcus just put the nail in the coffin here.
Just to reaffirm: my top 10 all time players. You will notice that Kobe is not on here (he probably falls between #20 and #30):
1) Michael Jordan
2) Bill Russell
3) Magic Johnson
4) Larry Bird
5) Kareem Abdul Jabbar
6) Wilt Chamberlain
7) Oscar Robertson
8) Tim Duncan
9) Jerry West
10) Shaquille O'Neal
Honorable Mention: Hakeem Olajawon, Elgin Baylor, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Moses Malone
from 10 months ago
2. HAKEEM OLAJUWON
He was unstoppable.
That turnaround jumpshot he developed was unstoppable.
That spin move he incorporated into his game, along the baseline, was unstoppable.
When he was on defense, everyone else was stoppable.
He was the cleaner.
He cleaned up everyone else's mess.
He's the all time career leader in blocked shots.
He's 11th all time in rebounds.
And, he's 7th all time in points scored.
When talking about ultimate game changers of the 1990s, Hakeem Olajuwon should be one of the first names spoken out of your mouth.
It's that simple.
Numbers are nice, but the fact that you can change a game before you even step foot on the court is the ultimate test as to how good of a player you are.
from 9 months ago
Let's be clear: Hakeem Olajuwon is one of my favorite players of all time. Watching him dream shake defenders left and right and bat down their shots on the other side of the floor was a true pleasure. He's by far the most dazzling big man I've ever watched play basketball.
In fact, I have a framed photo of Hakeem Olajuwon up in my office at Bleacher Report!
He is without question one of the most significant changers of the 1990's and deserves to be in any discussion of the greatest players ever. Thus he is #11 on my list of all time greats.
I wish I could put the Dream in the top ten, I really do, because he was so damn fun to watch. But I think Shaq squeaks him out just slightly.
Both have multiple rings and multiple MVPs. Hakeem is one of the best at his position defensively and Shaq is one of the best ever at his position offensively. As you pointed out, Hakeem is also the better rebounder.
But here's what gives Shaq the nod in my opinion: appearances in the championship game with three different teams.
Unlike someone like Robert Horry, Shaq was not a role player on these teams. He was one of the focal points, if not the focal point.
Sure, he misses a lot of free throws—but Diesel has shown steady leadership throughout his career no matter what team he played for that gets him into the top ten.
Honestly though, I could go either way with these two. It's pretty damn close in my opinion between Duncan, Shaq and Hakeem in terms of where on the list big men after Kareem/Chamberlain fall...
10 months ago
dude guys, why are you even arguing for who the greatest is? nobody on this page said kobe's the greatest (in fact, if you read them, they specifically say jordan is greatest, and greater than kobe). i think what people are saying is that kobe and jordan have pretty equal skills and talent, but that kobe still needs to win some more awards to be considered as one of the greatest. by the way, your top 10 list is an opinion, it means or proves nothing. so please, stop this whole jordan-is-the-greatest argument because it's not even what's being argued here.
10 months ago
i wish all you young kids (including the author) got to see mj when he still had hair... utter dominance. 37.1 ppg, 32.5-8-8, only player to ever get 200 steals/100 blocks... and he did it in multiple seasons, defensive player of the year... dunking on all the great centers of the 90's, stealing from the legendary pg's like isiah, stockton, magic, etc... defense is lame today with no hand-checking. look this up: larry brown thinks jordan could average 50 in today's game. pippen says defense doesn't really exist anymore in his view since no one can get physical like the old school pistons, riley's knicks and heat, etc. kobe has it much MUCH easier than mj did.
talent/skill-wise, kobe only compares to older jordan of the mid to late nineties... no one can touch the skill-set of the young mj... wish you kids got to see or could remember pre-championship mj in the 80's.
from 10 months ago
Again someone who apparently "saw it in person" who can truly understand how ridiculous some of these comments are on this article. I was beginning to think that perhaps I had lost my mind.
Respect.
10 months ago
AMEN To that!
10 months ago
Chuck, I understand what you are saying, my only argument is that these are things that happened Kobe could have gone to college he chose not to. MJ could have stayed in the league those 2 years and padded his stats and legend even more but he did not. I guess I just feel the need to compare the stats straight up.
Respect.
10 months ago
Why argue? KOBE BRYANT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kobe won't surpass Jordan but LeBron has now surpassed Kobe.
MJ > LeBron > insert 2-3 other players here > Kobe
10 months ago
Michael Jordan is the most overrated guy in the history of the league. He was averaging 30 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds against people like Jeff Hornacek and Matt Geiger. The league was watered down then, and there were no truly elite wing man. Remember, basketball players in the early 90's were still taught that the big man was the most important player on the floor, and as a result there weren't that many good wing players. If Jordan were playing today, he'd be an average athlete, have an average jump shot, and be just another good player surrounded by the likes of Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo, D-Wade, and Chris Paul. Get off your knees fans, Jordan was good, but the only elite wingman back then were Clyde Drexler, maybe LJ and Penny Hardaway, the rest of the guys were second rate stiffs that were taught the pass the ball to the big man.
Jordan was overrated. Get off your knee fans, cuz Jordan wasn't that good.
from 10 months ago
You sir are bat shit crazy! Back to the asylum now.
from 27 days ago
You don't know what you're saying man. Jordan played against the likes of Magic, Bird, Hakeem, Shaq, Drexler, Barkley, Malone, Stockton, Thomas, Robinson, etc. All of them the 50 GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME. Now who has Kobe played against? Carmelo, Wade and Paul are nobodies compared to these guys. Defense in today's NBA sucks big time!
Your comments make me laugh. Really...
10 months ago
you are right mj does more dunks then kobe like mj does more moves then kobe and has more shoes and other stuff now kobe ha shoes. mj is
10 months ago
with the rougher game allowed in the past, kobe would be having twice as many steals and blocks, and his points would be minimally affected because he's a better perimeter shooter. kobe's dunked on every big man of the league too. who cares if mj has shoes? if you can't recognize that kobe is the best thing since jordan, you are just plain stupid.
10 months ago
oh yea and one more thing chuck's right, who the hell compares stats straight up when the situation's so different. you like to ignore the facts because you just can't stand the fact that kobe and jordan are pretty much identical and that kobe has a chance to catch up to jordan in terms of rings and mvps. you can pretend the world is flat but you would just be delusional
10 months ago
oh yea you think kobe didn't have a chance to pad his stats even though he came straight out of high school? he could have stayed on the hornets and possibly be the fastest and youngest to any scoring milestone and have a huge career average, but he decided he wanted to go to the lakers that was already loaded with proven players.
10 months ago
Jordan played with a combination of creativity and talent that Kobe has no chance of ever approaching, it isn't even close.
The tongue, the up-and-under right to left layup, the game winners over Craig Ehlo and Bryon Russell, scoring 40 with the flu, he is simply the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of JORDAN'S.
Kobe is a nice player and capable of an offensive explosion once in a while when his jumper is really on, but is not now, has never been and will never be, the talent and competitor that Jordan will always be.
You are really comparing apples to stale oranges for anyone over the age of 23 who grew up seeing both players in their respective primes.
No comparison.
10 months ago
creativity? creativity????!!!!! you're saying kobe can not match jordan's creativity???? i don't know what games you're watching but kobe has jordan matched on the creativity department...wow, i can't believe you just said t