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Reading: Gilbert Arenas Says Kobe Bryant Was Never Even Close To Prime Michael Jordan
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Home > NBA News & Analysis > Gilbert Arenas Says Kobe Bryant Was Never Even Close To Prime Michael Jordan

Gilbert Arenas Says Kobe Bryant Was Never Even Close To Prime Michael Jordan

Gilbert Arenas says Michael Jordan was way better than Kobe Bryant in his prime.

Gautam Varier
Jun 7, 2024
5 Min Read
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Credit: Fadeaway World

Kobe Bryant idolized Michael Jordan growing up and as he modeled his game after his idol, it ended up being the one that resembled Jordan’s the most. That led to both men being compared with each other, with some even believing that Bryant was the better player. Gilbert Arenas doesn’t believe that, though, and on Gil’s Arena, he delivered an interesting take on the Jordan-Bryant comparison.

“Kobe was nothing like Mike,” Arenas said. “The only things that Kobe resembled from Mike, was Mike 2nd 3-peat. Kobe was not even capable to compare ’84 Mike, ’85 Mike, ’86, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 2, 3… That Jordan was not even capable of being reached.

“When people say he’s a carbon copy of Michael Jordan, please just say the old n***a when he was on his three-peat run because you think about putting him against the 80s Michael Jordan, it wouldn’t be no competition with that man,” Arenas concluded.

(starts at 0:13 mark):

If you look at what Jordan accomplished before he retired for the first time, it was truly incredible. From 1984-85 to 1992-93, he averaged 32.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Chicago Bulls and shot 51.6% from the field.

Jordan won three titles, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, a DPOY, and seven scoring titles in those nine seasons. Arenas said no one was capable of reaching that level he was at and while you might argue for someone like LeBron James, I don’t think Bryant was ever that dominant.

In his entire career, Kobe won five titles, two Finals MVPs, an MVP, and two scoring titles. He also averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game and while all that is very impressive, it’s just not as impressive as what Jordan accomplished. There is no denying that in terms of style, Kobe was the closest to the great man, but in terms of greatness on the court, there was a bit of a gulf between them.


Kobe Bryant’s Thoughts On The Comparisons With Michael Jordan

While Kobe is no longer with us to share his thoughts on all the comparisons, he obviously did speak about them at length in the past. Bryant explained why the comparison with Jordan didn’t work.

“I appreciated them, but after a while it just got old,” Bryant told ESPN. “They eventually faded away because I was putting together my own identity. But I’ll never forget how much I learned from MJ. I got so much from him. I knew what he did, I knew his moves and I used them.

“But for me the comparisons didn’t work because our situations were totally different,” Bryant continued. “I came straight out of high school and played with a dominant big in Shaquille. Man, I was so young when I got to the NBA. What was I, like, 17? I mean, 17! The more you think about it, my situation was completely different than MJ’s, so the comparisons were just, you know, I stopped paying attention to them.”

That was an interesting way to look at this topic. Their situations were indeed so different, with Bryant entering the NBA out of high school and playing second-fiddle to Shaquille O’Neal while Jordan was the main man right away after spending three seasons in college.

Despite Kobe not believing the comparison worked and not paying any attention to it, it never stopped others from bringing it up from time to time. That’s not going to change in the future either.

Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.

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Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.

TAGGED:Gilbert ArenasKobe BryantMichael Jordan
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ByGautam Varier
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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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