It was once common knowledge that nobody in the world did anything as well as Michael Jordan played basketball. Jordan dropped 28 points per game as a rookie. He put the pride of the city of Chicago on his back and delivered six championships. In 15 seasons, MJ averaged 30 or more points eight times (that's more than Carmelo, Wade, Durant, Dirk, LeBron and Kobe combined).
Jordan has his own empire: a logo, a line of shoes and clothing. He's the new face of NBA 2K11, a game in which players can relive several key moments in the career of basketball's greatest icon.
Money was epic. Once he got past the bad-boy Pistons (it took four tries), it was his league. He murdered the great ones, one by one. First Isiah Thomas. Then Clyde Drexler, Magic and Charles Barkley. After a brief hiatus, the next two in line were Reggie Miller and Shawn Kemp. And to cap it off, MJ managed two cutthroat titles against Karl Malone and John Stockton. Jordan had no mercy. He was a ruthless, insensitive and vicious villain — in the most entertaining way imaginable.
History is meant to be rewritten and records are destined to be broken. But not until 2010 has the thought arrived that someone may be just as good, or even better, than Michael Jordan. That someone is Kobe Bryant.
Right now, there is no comparison. Bryant only has five rings, while Jordan has six. But if Bryant gets No. 6, the Kobe-Jordan whispers will become headlines. (Side-note: check out Kobe vs. MJ at the Garden in '98. A young, driven Kobe squaring off against the ultimate legend.)
Although statistics aren't the only indicator, there's no better place to start a comparison. Take a look at the chart to the right so we can begin our analysis.
Jordan has the edge in almost every category, including scoring numbers. Diving deeper, however, we see that MJ averaged about 1.316 PPFG (points per field goal attempt) during his career, while Kobe has averaged 1.312. Not bad.
Regardless of scoring numbers, the most important stat is championships, and Bryant isn't done yet. But at age 32, how many "Kobe" years does Kobe have left? Opinions vary, but I say one or two. If he completes the three-peat this year, and somehow manages to grab another title in 2011, there is a strong case to be made for Bryant. But with the freakishly talented Miami Heat and the emerging Kevin Durant in his way, Bryant's road is filled with a ton of booby-traps and land mines.
Let's take a look at some other factors in the Kobe-Jordan comparison.
The "He Can't Win Without Teammates" Theory
Critics will say Kobe can't win without strong support. True. But in five years without Scottie Pippen (1985-87, 2002-03), Jordan never won either.
Defensive Comparison
Both players had great defensive players surrounding them. Pippen was like a mini-LeBron, pinning shots at will. Bryant has Ron Artest, who is, bar none, the best one-on-one defender in the league today. Both Pippen and Artest, not Bryant or Jordan, guarded the other team's best player.
The Competition
Jordan had to go through Magic, Bird, the whole Detroit Pistons squad and Karl Malone, just to name a few.
Kobe has gone through Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, a young Kevin Durant and the entire Boston Celtics team. And if we want this debate to actually be a debate, Bryant will have to conquer the Miami Heat, a team loaded with more talent than Jordan ever faced.
Is Kobe better than Jordan? That's for you to decide. But regardless, he is certainly one of the best athletes to ever grace the hardwood. Bryant has already left his imprint on today's game and the record books. He is the king of the current NBA, and will remain so until dethroned. Once a hopeful teenager in suburban Pennsylvania, he is now, undisputably, a legend.
