Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant
Written by Nolan Thomas, Monday June 08 2009
With Kobe Bryant dominating in the NBA playoffs this year, the question has come up again as to if he is as good or better then Michael Jordan was.
I still wonder why this question even comes up. There is no comparison between these two players as to what they have accomplished in the NBA. Now granted, I am not saying that Bryant is not one of the best players in the NBA today, because he undoubtedly is. He might even be considered one of the best of all time at some point down the road.
However, there is no way, no how, that Bryant could even be considered to be on the same level as his Airness.
Michael Jordan was one in a million. He holds more NBA records then anyone else in the history of the league. He has more accolades on his resume then rabbits have offspring.
Sure, you can say that Bryant holds a large number of NBA records himself, and I cannot argue with that, he does. However, Bryant’s NBA records consist mostly of “the youngest player” records and not the overall NBA record holder for that particular feat.
Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances and three All-Star MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA record for highest career regular season scoring average with 30.12 points per game, as well as averaging a record 33.4 points per game in the playoffs. In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second only to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century.
Bryant on the other hand skipped college and went right to the NBA, starting his first game at the ripe young age of 18. He currently holds NBA records for the youngest player to score 15,000 points, youngest player to score 18,000 points, youngest player to score 20,000 points, youngest player to score 23,000 points, youngest player to be named to the NBA All-Rookie Team, youngest player to be named to the NBA All-Defensive Team, youngest player to start a game, and the youngest player to start an All-Star game.
Bryant is one of only three players to reach 20,000 points under the age of 30. The other two are Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. In addition, Bryant did not break the record by very much. He beat out Wilt the Stilt by only 12 days and Michael by 204 days.
Once again, not to take anything away from Kobe Bryant, as he is an excellent player and one of the best in the game. However, as the chart reveals below, he has a long way to go before he can be put in the same class as Michael Jordan.
The fact that people even mention Bryant’s name in the same breath as
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27 comments
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I just want to say one thing... you compared NCAA national championships... I feel that field is a little unfair only because if I recall correctly one of these guys didnt even go to college! that comparison should be dropped from the article ;). PS. No one is CLOSE to MJ. If anyone will be able to get in the same breath... it will be the other #23.
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Why ppl comparing kobe n jordan he is not playin n e more i love jordan but damn if yall wna watch him youtube old videos of him instead of knockin kobe..he is da best player of our time right now hes jus placin his footsteps down in da nba as jordan did..ppl jus dnt like to see a threat..like serious?? N e thing kobe does somebody gotta find a way to knock him...jordan didnt have a lebron or wade in his era..n when magic n dem was around wat was jordan doin?? So relax its a team game at da end cuz jordan couldnt have done it without pip or phil..
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Peever that's exactly my point a lot of this Kobe hate is based on a rape case that never went to court and was never proven. So Michael over all is a Saint because he was never accused of rape but did cheat on his wife? Huh, interesting logic there. As a black woman myself I wonder if it would be that much uproar about this if a woman of color was involved then a white chick with as reported by many media outlets clearly had mental problems who also as I recalled had sex with her then boyfriend before hooking up with a what 6ft9 black man? So I thank you for confirming that for me.
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I sure am glad to see so many people agree with me that Jordan is the superior player to Bryant. Jordan won all 6 of his rings as the number one option on his team. As evidenced by the fact he won 6 NBA Finals MVP Awards. Shaq won all 3 of his team's Finals MVP Awards. It is very refreshing to hear some clear and intelligent comments from tfismu,jwh2413, Benn Hodapp, peever. Glad I am not alone in the thoughts I expressed in my article about Kobe's scowl. Thanks guys.
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bama bama bama, your emotions are going to kill you. First of all I don't see where anyone said Kobe sucked. Kobe is an excellent B-Ball player. There is no doubt about that. And yes, at the present time, he is one of the best in the game of players currently playing. I don't care how may rings Kobe wins in his career. Unless he can win three in a row, take a year and half off to play baseball, an then come back to win three more rings in row, then he will never be equal to MJ. Oh by the way, if you had actually looked at the chart in this article, you would have seen that Kobe has been to 11 all-star games not 12-13 like you stated. You can believe what you want, but it is obvious that absolutely NO ONE agrees with you. MJ is by far superior to Kobe in every way! Deal with it! I would also like to comment on you bringing up the unconfirmed statement that MJ cheated on his wife. Well at least it was mutual consent and not sexual assault! Big difference.
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Dream on sweetheart. After Kobe wins this title he'll only be two away from Jordan so it's not impossible for win a few more before all is said and done. And I will bet you right now, Kobe will win 2 more rings before Wade gets to his next Final. Wade will be like Dr. J whom I love, ONE AND DONE. Yeah and Kobe is stucking so bad right now that he ONLY had 17 points in the 1st quarter. LOL
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Kobe is definitely one of the best players of his time; however, Jordan is the best player of all-time. Who was better than Jordan before his time? Who IN THE HELL has been as good as Jordan since he retired? When did Shaq carry a team by himself? From 2000 to 2002 he won three championships and three Finals MVPs...How many Finals MVPs has Kobe won? The same number I have, which is one less than Wade. Living in the past? I did not mention Magic or Larry until you brought it up...If Kobe wins more titles than M.J., I'll be the first to say Kobe is just as good as Jordan. You can find me in hell on my ice skates...Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!? The only thing that's bullshit is anyone who says Kobe is as good as Jordan...There is a player in the NBA today who might pass Jordan as the best-ever, luckily we'll get to see D-Wade and LeBron battle for that distinction on the court...
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How can you say he is not succeeding in that when he is going for his fourth ring and he is only 30. And if anybody thinks he's done after this they are crazy. Homer said it right the other day when he said that it will be easier to compare the two after Kobe has retired from the game. But I can tell you right now if Kobe win's one more championship then Jordan, there will be someone who will still not give the man his props because they don't like him personally. I just think personally he doesn't get enough credit for being one helluva player. To say this man is garbage is bullshit. To say he doesn't win championships is bullshit. To say he isn't one of the greatest players of our time is bullshit. This man has been a what 12 or 13 time All-Star? Has been to how many Finals already? MOre then Dewayne Wade,Lebron James, Steve Nash and Dirk COMBINED. Has carried the Lakers when there was no one there BUT him? Shaq hasn't carried a team by himself as good as he is, he was basically no help to the Suns. I think we are looking at one of the greatest athletes of our time and it bothers the hell out of me that a lot you refuse to see that because you too busy living in the past. I give Jordan his due for being one of the greatest players of all time but everyone here acts like that before there was Jordan, basketball never existed. There were players before Jordan who were just as good or better then him and there are players who are just as good or better at times then him in the future. Love him or Hate him, Kobe deserves his props and respect.
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Basketball in the early 90s was not as good as basketball in the 80s. That is fact. However, this was not due to lesser competition, it was due to #23 in red (or white, depending). I don't remember who said it, but someone said that 'Jordan beat you before the tip-off.' That is absolutely right. People saw him and they freaked the eff out. He so intimidated the competition that the Bulls started every game with a 15 point cushion it seems. The last shot he ever took (or so we thought) was a championship winner against a Jazz team that was one of the best of the decade. The argument you made, Bama, about him not making the Wizards better is 1) false and 2) has no real bearing on anything. The Wizards went from 19 wins in 2000-01 to 37 wins in both seasons he played. But to expect a 40 year old Jordan to make THAT team a title threat is silly. No one is suggesting that Kobe shouldn't try to emulate Jordan either. I, and others, just disagree that he is succeeding in that. I think pretty much everyone WANTS to be like him. They just aren't. It's ok to be second best. Ask Buzz Aldrin.
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Absolutely right, jwh2413. Kobe has that killer instinct too! LOL....Kobe's garbage. Kobe=Dirk
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Tell that to Chuck Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Gary Payton, and Stockton and Malone. Luckily for G.P., he rode D-Wade's coattails to his only championship, something Kobe (and Shaq, and Malone) couldn't do....It is even more impressive that Jordan won all these championships while denying these other great players and teams their 1st title. Barkley was MVP the year (1993) he lost to M.J., so was Malone either '97 or '98. Jordan had no 'nemesis' because he dominated unlike anyone before or since
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Kobe better than Jordan? At what? He can make every shot Jordan made. He just can't make them when, ahem...the NBA Championship is on the line. Lose to the Pistons when you got Karl Malone, one of the all-time leading scorers, The Glove who went on to be an integral part of the Heat's championship TWO years later, and of course Shaqtus, who at the time I believe averaged close to 34 and 14 that series...in 5 games. Lose to the Celtics, including one game being up by 26 at HOME, in the SECOND half, when you already got by the Spurs (got to give Celtics a lot of credit though, but Jordan never had to give anybody credit...on the championship stage) A pure case of shark smelling blood in the water as Flobe likes to claim so much?... Magic and Bird? All-time first team, but better than Jordan? 6...wait 6 rings...with only one other potential Hall of Famer (Pippen) and he can thank His Airness for that too if it happens.
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Michael never really had a nemsis like Magic and Larry were foils for each other. About time when Michael started rolling off the rest of those Championships, Magic, Larry and Isiah were gone.
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I do remember Magic-Larry. LOL. You are right. When they played against each other they were the 2 best players in the league going at each other.....You must not remember Michael Jordan. When he was on the court you knew he was the best player on the floor, every time. I even remember Jordan winning four straight games against Magic after losing Game 1 at home.
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I bet you don't even remember Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. lol When the Celtics played the Lakers for the NBA Championship, you knew you were seeing the two best players in the league at the time. Nothing has come close to that since. Maybe Kobe and Lebron when Lebron gets better players around him will be the next great thing.
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Magic better than Jordan?...zzz....yawn....zzz
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I'm talking about NBA trophies,his rings, his MVP award. See A lot of this dislike of Kobe is media generated because they don't like him either and don't want to give him his props. From what I know, Jordan likes Kobe and even talks to him on occasion and said to be FLATTERED that Kobe wants to be him. Why would he be upset about that? As good as Michael was, then why weren't the Wizards a better team with him on it? I dare say and I know this will upset you guys, Jordan I think in today's NBA wouldn't have won six rings because the competition is better. One reason I think Magic is better is because of the competition he had to go against to win his five rings.
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Don't take this the wrong way, Bama, but I have no idea what you are saying/writing (trophies?), but, again, no Kobe is not M.J....as far as Jordan saying that Kobe is as good as himself, good luck with that. Don't you think Jordan is the most annoyed observer of these idiotic comparisons? As much as Kobe tries to be Jordan with his fake scowls (great article, Daniel) Jordan is the original "killer", and I put in quotes to emphasize the exaggeration. Jordan beat his opponents before the jump-ball. Kobe beat his opponents, well, when Shaq was on his team, I guess.
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Well put tfismu.
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Again I say so take away his trophies because he isn't MJ? When the day comes and MJ says Kobe is one of the best there is even as good as him then what? MJ will be wrong too I guess