There are some people that say Michael Jordan (MJ) is the best player ever to play the game of basketball. There is, however, a player that sport writers have been comparing to Jordan: Kobe Bryant, the shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sports writers have broken down these two players by three things: their ability to make their team better, scoring ability, and ability to make big shots for their team in key situations. Both players have played with their share of all-star teammates like Michael Jordan played with hall of famer Scottie Pippen. and won 4 NBA Championships and six division titles together.
Once these two parted ways, Scottie Pippen never won an NBA championship for the rest of his career whereas Jordan ended up winning two more. Kobe Bryant also played with a future hall of famer and his name is Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal. Shaq is labelled as one of the best centers to have ever played basketball. Shaq never won a championship with the Orlando Magic but once he signed with the Lakers, they took off.
They won three championships back to back to back and were considered the best pair of teammates in
the NBA at that time. With Kobe drawing so much attention in the front court, the other team would leave Shaq in a one on one. Kobe took advantage of that and Shaq was named NBA MVP two years in a row. In 2007 when Shaq left the Lakers, he ended up winning one more NBA title with the Miami Heat. Kobe would then move on and win three more NBA titles and an NBA MVP.
In terms of scoring titles, which go to whoever averages more points in a game, MJ lead Kobe nine to six. This might not be very accurate though, as Kobe is still playing in the NBA. Their ability to score when they have the ball are also almost the same with MJ’s career scoring average being 26.4 while Kobe’s is 25.9.
These two players were go-to players when their team was in dire need of a core. ESPN Sports writer Stephen A. Smith said “when you break down these two superstars’ game, they are almost the same.” He went on to add that “Kobe and MJ are the best scorers to have ever played in the NBA.”
I believe that careers are made in the playoffs. For example, Robert Horry has won seven NBA titles and in every single playoff games he’s been in, it always seems that he hits a big shot to win a game. While Horry has always been a bench player, he will probably be a hall of famer simply because of his ability to hit big shots in the playoffs. Kobe and MJ never shied away from big moments like that either.
When ESPN interviewed Kobe and MJ’s coach, Phil Jackson, he said he “never coached two players that demanded the ball in the final seconds like Kobe and MJ”. When looking at these two players’ performance under pressure, Kobe has hit ten game winning shots in the playoffs while MJ has only hit eight. He does, however, beat Kobe five to two in terms of championship game-winning shots.
Who is the best NBA player of all time? The debate will go on for as long as time exists. That’s what makes sports so great, everyone can freely give their opinion. There is no doubt that Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are some of the best scorers to ever play basketball and that they have both changed the game in their own way. ESPN did a poll on who the better player is between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant: the final result said Kobe Bryant was a better player… by two percent.