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Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant: Battle of the GOATS

Matt Huff, Director of Recruiting and Development
Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: A mural depicting deceased NBA star Kobe Bryant, painted by Isaac Pelayo, is displayed on a building on February 16, 2020 in Burbank, California. Numerous murals depicting Bryant have been created around greater Los Angeles following their tragic deaths in a helicopter crash which left a total of nine dead. A public memorial service honoring Bryant will be held February 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Bryant played most of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant. It’s a debate that will last a lifetime. While LeBron James is currently chasing Jordan, it’s the Black Mamba who mirrored MJ’s game to near perfection. While Michael Jordan is considered the greatest of all time, and for good reason, Kobe Bryant has more of a case than most people think.

Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant

Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant: The Case for Kobe

Kobe is the closest some (like yours truly), will get to see Michael Jordan playing. His game mirrored Michael Jordan’s almost perfectly. Take a look at this video down below. The similarities are uncanny.

Forget the signature fadeaway. Some of Kobe’s numbers are insane and even better than Jordan’s. For his career, the late and great Kobe Bryant averaged a three-point shooting percentage of 32.9 compared to Jordan’s 32.7 percent shooting from deep. On top of that, Bryant has also notched more All-Defensive Team selections with 11 compared to MJ’s nine. Even his other stats are nothing to frown at. The man still tallied 25.0 points, 4.7 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in his career. As if his five titles, 18 All-Star appearances, MVP, 15 All-NBA Team selections, and two Finals MVPs weren’t enough.

The Case for Jordan

What is there left to say about Michael Jordan? Not only did he inspire Kobe Bryant, but he is also considered almost universally as the best basketball player ever. He has six championships, 14 All-Star selections, three steals titles, a Defensive Player of the Year, six Finals MVPs, 10 scoring titles, 11 All-NBA team selections, and five MVP awards.

In his career, Jordan tallied 30.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game. He showed out on the defensive end as well, putting up 2.3 steals per game. All of these totals beat out Kobe’s in these categories, though it is close. Not only did Jordan change the game, but he also rattled off two three-peats, in which he was the Finals MVP every time.

The Verdict

We are going to give the edge to Jordan in this battle. Of course, this is meant as no disrespect to the late Kobe Bryant, who is still one of the best to ever do it. However, Jordan outdoes him in too many statistical categories to overlook. Not to mention, his success rate (six rings in eight years) is absolutely insane.

Bryant has a bit of an edge in terms of accolades, but Jordan was always the clear-cut best player on the championship Chicago Bulls teams. Many argue that Bryant wasn’t even the best on the team when he won his first three titles.

Regardless of the verdict, these two are both incredible players, and the battles they had reflected that.

Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images

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