Michael Jordan: "I would beat Kobe in my prime"

Once the truth is ascertained on the Kobe vs. Jordan debate, what will be done with this most prestigious finding?

We throw the loser into a volcano.

Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I was more pointing out the fact that I have seen both of them play and both of them can pretty much dominate whenever they want to. I couldn't tell you who is better but I know, even if it is Jordan, that it is a lot closer than a lot of people (including Jordan) think it it.

That's a fair call. Of course, Michael Jordan is bound to talk himself up a bit at his own camp.

Once the truth is ascertained on the Kobe vs. Jordan debate, what will be done with this most prestigious finding?

Well, nothing really. It's just one of those perpetual topics basketball fans are bound to talk about. Ben's suggestion has merit though.

Secondly, my opinion would be that Kobe has a better shot than MJ. MJ may have been the better defender and more athletic. It's hard to judge that. At the end of the day though, I do have to believe/admit that MJ was a mentally stronger competitor so if it all came down to both guys being equally or nearly as equally talented as eachother, perhaps MJ's will and desire would help put him on a level higher than Kobe's.

Why do you think Kobe has a better shot? And what makes you think Jordan was more athletic? That has to be one of the vaguest comparisons between the two I've ever heard (or read:crazy:)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqlBUj9bFC4[/youtube]

1st of all, Kobe is a better shooter. Period
Kobe=35% 3pt
MJ= 33%
The smaller hands seem to be effective with his jump shooting. Kobe, that is.
2nd of all, nobody in the history of the NBA has hit hot streaks like Kobe Bryant has. That being said, Jordan is WAYYYYY more consistent. Especially when it matters most, in the playoffs.

Defense: Kobe could clamp down on you. But MJ could REALLY lock down on you.

Overall Kobe is the better shooter, but MJ is just too smart, too good in every other aspect.

Jordan wins, but not by much.

1st of all, Kobe is a better shooter. Period

SEASONS WITH:

30+ ppg: MJ 8 > KB 3
25+ ppg: MJ 12 > KB 6
Shooting over 50%: MJ 6 > KB 0
Shooting over 47%: MJ 10 > KB 0
Shooting over 45%: MJ 12 > KB 7
Shooting over 40% in 3 ptrs: MJ 2 > KB 0
Shooting over 37% in 3 ptrs: MJ 4 > KB 1
Shooting over 35% in 3 ptrs: MJ 5 > KB 2
Yrs Shooting WORSE than his team: KB 9 > MJ 0

kobe takes 400+ 3pts attps and his % sits at 34%, while jordan did around 200+.

Jordan's best three point years were at the shorter line. You have to adjust 1994-97 downwards because of that.

Shooting over 47%: MJ 10 > KB 0

Ugh. Field goal percentage... Of course Kobe's would be lower, he takes more than twice as many three pointers.

Except Jordan didn't play in 94 and played a handful of games in 95.

Since Kobe needs someone who can formulate a coherent argument. I asked an expert who Andrew approves of:

Kobe can do everything Michael did, and even a few things Michael couldn't do.

Kobe is just as good a defender. His killer instinct is just as pronounced. He can shoot, finish and explode. And just like Jordan, the more he's pissed off, the more unstoppable he is.
...
Kobe can't please anyone. And it doesn't help that most people suffer from revisionist history when it comes to Jordan, forgetting that he was just as poor a teammate and a ball hog and that he ran off coach Doug Collins like Kobe ran off Phil Jackson the first time.

In fact, you could argue that Jordan was even worse. Far as we know, Kobe hasn't jacked up any of his teammates the way Jordan punched out Steve Kerr and Will Perdue at practice.

Kobe will never be forgiven for Shaq's departure, but you're delusional if you think Jordan wouldn't have had any ego issues playing alongside a player with Shaq's star power.

The best-player argument shouldn't be determined by personal dislike. But if you want to take it there, fine. Jordan was hardly the ideal husband, but only the tabloids were brave enough to venture into his personal life. And what about those gambling issues? If Jordan's life had been covered like Kobe's, we would have an entirely different opinion of His Airness.
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Yesterday's NBA player certainly was more fundamentally sound, but there's no question that today's player is bigger, stronger and faster. When Jordan played, he was a singular force that could not be equaled. Jordan was guarded by the likes of John Starks and Joe Dumars, who were fine players but weren't nearly as skilled or physically imposing as LeBron, D-Wade, Tracy McGrady or even Vince Carter.

The NBA is tougher now.

Kobe, like Michael, is surrounded with mediocre to below-average talent, and Phoenix, Dallas and San Antonio are all better than the Utah, Portland and the Charles Barkley-led Phoenix team that Michael met in the NBA Finals.

Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Patrick Ewing will be among the best centers ever, but none of them affected the league the way Shaq and Tim Duncan have. There are two two-time MVPs in Kobe's own conference (Duncan, Nash), which is a problem Jordan never faced during his championship runs. Seven-footers weren't launching 3s back then. Magic Johnson and the Lakers were on a downward spiral, and the Pistons were on their last legs. It was Michael and everyone else. That's not the case for Kobe.
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Kobe is just as good or better than MJ on the defensive end. Jordan was an unbelievable defender, but some of you seemed to forget he was playing alongside a defender who was just as capable -- Scottie Pippen. If you think that didn't help Jordan beef up his defensive stats, you are delusional. The reason I give Kobe even more credit is (A) he's the only player in the league even remotely interested in being a good defender and he's been named to the All-Defensive first team four times during an age when every rule is geared to create more offense. Will Kobe ever win Defensive Player of the Year? Probably not. But then again, he probably won't win a lot of the awards Jordan received because people really, really hate Kobe.
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Kobe will never be the best player who played the game. That achievement belongs to MJ alone. He'll never impact the world the way MJ did. But from a skill perspective, Kobe has MJ beat.

And Sharone Wright ends the discussion:

"Hello, I'm Sharone Wright, a former top-six pick in the NBA. I was around Kobe my first and second year with the 76ers (Bryant worked out with the 76ers when he was in high school). Kobe would be the first to be at practice and he would be the last to leave. You want to talk about a will to win? This kid was amazing. He has a mad streak only the good ones have. When he wants to stop you, he will. When he wants 50, he'll give you 50. Simple as that. "I played a lot of games against Jordan, and truthfully Michael was the greatest I've ever seen, but Kobe has everything and even more to his game. The comparisons are so equal. So many critics let their displeasure for Kobe in his personal life blind them when it comes to his game and his place as one of the top-three players of all time. Kobe should be going on his fourth MVP, but they are so blinded by what their perception of Kobe is. Say what you want, but poll 20 NBA players right now, the ones that don't hold a grudge against Kobe, and they will tell you that it isn't even close to him and another player in the league. That's real talk for you."

btw, i think she pretty much said what kobe fans wanna say in perfection.

Except Jordan didn't play in 94 and played a handful of games in 95.

That's excellent news! But how does it apply to anything I said?

Except Jordan didn't play in 94 and played a handful of games in 95.

That's excellent news! But how does it apply to anything I said?

Jordan's best three point years were at the shorter line. You have to adjust 1994-97 downwards because of that.

You forgot what you wrote? lol..

I guess you didn't read what I wrote or any of the posts before it.

1994-97 obviously means: 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97. The three years the line is shorter. If we included 1993-94, it would be 1993-97. But not only wasn't the line not shorter, Jordan wasn't in the league. (As you duly pointed out.)

This is relevant because in 1994-95 and 1995-96, Jordan shot 50% and 43%. These are his only two years over 40% and zanshadow wrote:

Shooting over 40% in 3 ptrs: MJ 2 > KB 0

Maybe you shouldn't assume so much.

I guess you didn't read what I wrote or any of the posts before it.

1994-97 obviously means: 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97. The three years the line is shorter. If we included 1993-94, it would be 1993-97. But not only wasn't the line not shorter, Jordan wasn't in the league. (As you duly pointed out.)

This is relevant because in 1994-95 and 1995-96, Jordan shot 50% and 43%. These are his only two years over 40% and zanshadow wrote:

Shooting over 40% in 3 ptrs: MJ 2 > KB 0

Maybe you shouldn't assume so much.

But he never played in 1994!

AND LULZ ABOUT THE ASSUME JOKE OH EDIT!!! IMO LULZ HAHAHA

Aw thats cute.

Games played by Jordan in 1994: 0.

Games played by Jordan in 1994: 0.

I'll do my best to be as literal as possible.

Benji was talking about the 1994-1995 NBA season.

You're talking about 1994.

He's talking about the 1994-1995 NBA season where Jordan played 17 games.

Does it make sense now? Maybe? No?

How many games did Jordan play in 1994?

Make sense now? Maybe? No?

Who cares if he didn't play a game in 1994, you retard. He's talking about the 1994-1995 season. Your little fun fact isn't even relevant to the discussion.

OHHH STOP ATTACKING ME!

Hahaha

I don't care if he's talking about 94/95 or 69/70, the fact remains Jordan didn't play one game in 1994.

Everybody is correct with the points they were making. Let's move on.

I would agree that Kobe is the superior three point shooter and that is an example of the game/players evolving though it has nothing to do with shooting techniques. The NCAA didn't adopt the three point line until after Michael Jordan had left North Carolina and it wasn't used in high school either so until he reached the NBA, he had never played with the three point shot in effect. Players these days are working on their three point shooting (or at least have the opportunity to do so) basically from the time they start playing the game, so it's a skill they can develop much earlier on.

iono where people are getting the impression that kobe is a better shooter than jordan. kobe IS a better 3pt shooter. he takes more cuz he has that much more confidence in the shot. jordan didnt really incorporate consistent 3's into his game until way later in his career. and jordon DOES not have the range and the fade away down on the 3 pt line as kobe( there's not many players that can do turn around fadeaways from 25+). however, with that said it certainly does not mean he's a better shooter than jordan.

jordan got most of his pts from midrange and freethrow-line-below and he was very successful at it.

kobe finds balance in scoring from both inside and freethrow-line-out but he certainly does not have jordan's athleticism to drive in as more frequently and successfully.

But how does it apply to anything I said?

How many games did Jordan play in 1994?

Make sense now? Maybe? No?

You missed the question.

Who cares who would win? They're both egomaniacs who don't understand the meaning of humility. That's the reason I've never liked either of them.

Well, doesn't that just make their world come to a crashing halt?

Well, doesn't that just make their world come to a crashing halt?

They could never crash and burn quite like you Jackiee. mwah