Michael Jordan is considered the greatest basketball player ever by many and Kobe Bryant came the closest to dominating in the same way that MJ did.
Both players played for Phil Jackson during their best years, Jordan won six championships with the legendary Head Coach and Bryant won five. And in 2001, he spoke about which of them was the better all-around player.
“Kobe’s become the floor leader of a basketball team that was kind of looking for that nature of a player, who could not only be a scorer but also be a playmaker or consistently make big plays at critical times,” Jackson said to ESPN.
“And I think it’s the best that I’ve ever seen a player of mine play with an overall court game. I’m asking him to do so much, and he’s accomplishing it.”
Asked about where that leaves Michael Jordan, Jackson added, “I never asked Michael to be a playmaker,” Jackson said. “That’s the greatest player that I’ve ever had, that I could consider the greatest player in the game, and I never asked him to be a playmaker in those terms.
“I asked him to be a playmaker when he was doubled or tripled. But Kobe has to set up the offense, to advance the ball, to read the defense, to make other players happy, and he’s doing a great job of that.”
A big part of Michael Jordan’s evolution as a player and becoming a champion was his learning to trust his teammates. Neither Kobe nor Michael would ever pass before they thought to score, but Bryant seemingly was the more willing passer earlier in his career. At another time, Jackson said the main difference between the two superstars was their leadership styles.
Was Kobe Bryant A Better Playmaker Than Michael Jordan?
When it comes to accolades, Michael Jordan has Kobe Bryant trumped when it comes to championships, Finals MVPs, and MVPs, he won more in each category. But Bryant had more All-Star appearances, more All-NBA selections, and more All-Defensive Teams to his name. The question remains about their playmaking.
The wild thing is that Michael Jordan averaged more assists for his career than Kobe Bryant did. MJ averaged 5.3 assists per game while Bryant averaged 4.7.
Between 1999 to 2004, Kobe averaged 5.4 assists, so maybe that’s what Jackson was talking about, but even then the difference isn’t clear cut. Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest ever, but Phil Jackson was likely giving him confidence when he called him a better all-around player than Michael Jordan.
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