When it comes to talking about one of the most competitive players to ever play in the NBA, most will think about the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant. Kobe spent 20 seasons in the league, and in each and every one of them, he wanted to be better than the rest of the players.
For most, Kobe Bryant will forever remain a legend of the game. But when it comes to the GOAT debate, Kobe’s name is often omitted. Usually, the debate features Michael Jordan and LeBron James. But did Kobe really ever want to be part of the GOAT debate? Well, in an old interview, the Mamba clarified his stance on the debate and why he never wanted to be a part of it.
“I will never say I am better than Michael. In all honesty, he taught me so many things, by observation, and also through conversation. It’s a bit of an unbalanced comparison too, because when he came to Chicago, he was able to do things individually that I didn’t have the freedom to do, coming to Los Angeles. I came in playing a support role for Shaquille, which was very hard for my personality to do. That would be like asking Michael to do the same thing. Our careers tracked on different paths, but I would never ever say that, just because I learned so much from him.”
The relationship between Jordan and Kobe was something that surpassed basketball. In fact, the two players considered each other brothers, which is something special knowing how competitive they were during their respective careers.
A Quick Comparison Between Michael Jordan And Kobe Bryant’s Career
Kobe and Jordan may not have played a lot of games against each other, but the games that they did play were always exciting. In total, the two legends faced each other 8 times. During those matchups, Bryant ended up with more wins, but Jordan’s stats were slightly better.
Adding to Bryant’s point about him never really being better than Jordan, the comparison between Kobe’s MVP season and Michael’s rookie season is a pretty easy way to understand it. It is debatable that MJ arguably had a better rookie season than Kobe’s MVP year.
To conclude, let’s shed some light on the accolades that the Los Angeles Lakers legend and the Chicago Bulls legend won during their playing time in the NBA.
Kobe Bryant: 18x NBA All-Star, 2x Scoring Champ, 5x NBA Champ, 15x All-NBA, 1996-97 All-Rookie, 12x All-Defensive, 4x All-Star MVP, 1x MVP, 2x NBA Finals MVP.
Michael Jordan: 14x NBA All-Star, 10x Scoring Champ, 3x Steals Champ, 6x NBA Champ, 11x All-NBA, 1984-85 All-Rookie, 1984-85 Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Defensive, 3x NBA All-Star MVP, 1987-88 NBA Defensive Player of The Year, 5x MVP, 6x NBA Finals MVP.
It seems clear that Michael Jordan surpasses Kobe Bryant’s career. But at the end of the day, instead of comparing the two players, we should be happy that the two legends gave us numerous unforgettable memories.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyl8ICTRg6U
