Hall of Famer Dwight Howard was asked to rank Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant on the latest episode of Above The Rim with DH 12. After much deliberation, Howard decided against ranking the three in the traditional way and instead proclaimed them as the best in different categories.
“Out of all three, I believe Kobe is the best one as far as scoring,” Howard said. “… Winning, Michael. Longevity, whole basketball player, LeBron.”
Howard was then urged to rank them, but he stated that this was his ranking. The 39-year-old hailed them as one-of-ones. He made some interesting choices here, though.
Howard believes Bryant was the best scorer among these three, and he was undoubtedly an exceptional one. He won two scoring titles in his career and averaged 25.0 points per game over 20 seasons. Bryant put up a ridiculous 35.4 points per game in 2005-06, and there haven’t been too many who can score like he could.
That said, Jordan is someone who certainly can argue that he was a better scorer. For starters, he won a record 10 scoring titles in his career. Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game in the regular season and 33.4 points per game in the playoffs, both of which are also NBA records.
Jordan’s best scoring season was 1986-87, when he averaged 37.1 points per game. That’s the fifth-highest scoring average in a single campaign, with only Wilt Chamberlain having surpassed that mark.
So, you can certainly make the case that Jordan was the best scorer among these three. As for winning, well, he won more than the other two, too.
Jordan won six titles in his NBA career while Bryant won five. James currently has four titles to his name, but can still add to his tally. He will be entering his 23rd season in the NBA in a couple of months and remains a force on the court.
James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024-25. That kind of production in the 22nd season is ridiculous. Only one other player has played a 22nd season, and that was Vince Carter. Carter only managed to put up 5.0 points per game in that campaign.
There is simply no one in NBA history who can match James when it comes to longevity. Jordan only played 15 seasons in comparison, while Bryant walked away after 20. James, who has a strong argument to be regarded as the most complete player ever, can carry on for a couple more years, too.
James’ accomplishments have led to him becoming the closest challenger to Jordan, who is still widely regarded as the GOAT. Neither of them is Howard’s pick for that title, though, as he went with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar instead.
Dwight Howard On The Difference Between LeBron James And Kobe Bryant
Howard got to play alongside both James and Bryant on the Lakers in his career. So, there aren’t too many people who are more qualified to speak about them, and he was once asked to share the differences between James and Bryant.
“Kobe’s an a**hole. Not saying he’s an a**hole to me. I’m just saying, like his personality, he’s an a**hole. He doesn’t give a f**k. Bron give a f**k. He wants everybody to like him. He wants to joke around, laugh, and have a good time. I just think they’re two ends of the spectrum.”
James and Bryant succeeding despite their different approaches shows there’s more than one way to skin a cat. The former’s approach might be more suitable in this day and age, though.
