Michael Jordan is, without a doubt the greatest player of all time, capturing 6 NBA titles and forming one of the most dominant runs for a franchise with the Chicago Bulls.
In many ways, Jordan changed the game and brought an influx of fans from all over the globe who wanted to see His Airness glide and fly all over the court. His dominance as a two-way shooting guard was unprecedented, and until today, we haven’t seen a player compete with him as a two-way guard. As much as people try to compare their skills to his, very few come close because he achieved the highest level of success. But perhaps one player comes closest in terms of playing style, achievements, and success, and his name is Kobe Bryant.
There should never be a discussion that Kobe Bryant is considered the second-best shooting guard of all time with relative ease. Outside of Michael, no one has earned as many honors in his Hall of Fame career as Bryant, who also served as the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty that won five NBA titles. The greatest tough-shot makers, leaders, and competitors to ever grace the court, Kobe Bean Bryant captivated fans every night with his similarities to Michael Jordan in the way he played the game, walked, and talked. While fans and pundits compare the two, Bryant formed his own legacy and deserves credit as arguably a top-5 player ever.
Obviously, Jordan and Bryant had amazing careers and should be honored as two of the top 10 players to have ever graced the court. But both players also have similarities in the fact that they became multi-time NBA champions and achieved three-peats with their franchises. But which superstar truly had the better career? Michael Jordan is always considered the GOAT, but do his career accolades truly hold up against Kobe’s, with bias aside? It is time to find out.
Championships
Michael Jordan: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
Kobe Bryant: 5 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)
Through two different 3-peats with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan won six NBA championships. That should be enough to put an end to the comparison in championships because winning six titles as the team’s greatest player is extremely uncommon. As great as Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen were alongside him, shooting guard was unquestionably the main reason the Bulls were so successful. The quantity of Jordan’s championship rings—which include victories over teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals—is his strongest justification for being regarded as the best player ever.
Meanwhile, with five rings under his belt while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant has one of the most outstanding resumes ever. The shooting guard’s debut in 2000 was spectacular as he followed Shaquille O’Neal’s example while supporting him with clutch scoring and two-way perimeter play. Along with Shaq, Bryant won the titles in 2001 and 2002 to achieve a spectacular three-peat. As dominant as Shaquille O’Neal was on the inside, the franchise benefited greatly from Kobe’s clutch shooting and outside scoring. Bryant was, of course, a part of the 2009 and 2010 championship teams that saw Kobe Bryant’s ascent to the status of a two-time Finals MVP and the undeniably best player of his era. As great as Kobe’s 5 rings are, it still does not equal Jordan’s amount of 6, and the difference is clear.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Finals MVP Awards
Michael Jordan: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
Kobe Bryant: 2 (2009, 2010)
Michael Jordan was the star of every Chicago Bulls game, and that was on display over each of his Finals appearances. Making the Finals 6 times, Jordan went 6-0 without ever playing a Game 7 and winning Finals MVP each time. On each of the championship Bulls squads that defeated the opposition during the two separate three-peats, the star shooting guard was the team’s greatest player. Sure, Michael had 10 scoring titles, 5 MVP awards, and a Defensive Player of the Year accolade, but his greatest individual achievements have to be his 6 Finals MVP awards that undoubtedly rank 1st all-time.
Kobe Bryant won 2 Finals MVP awards with the Los Angeles Lakers, all coming after Shaquille O’Neal was traded out of Los Angeles. O’Neal won all three Finals MVP awards during the 3-peat together because his statistics and dominance in the paint were unquestionably great. Many claim Shaq and Kobe were always 1 and 1A with regard to their roles, but O’Neal’s stats were simply ridiculous. But Kobe managing to win two Finals MVPs was critical in his career because he firmly solidified himself as a top-10 player ever and the closes thing to Michael Jordan.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
MVP Awards
Michael Jordan: 5 (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
Kobe Bryant: 1 (2008)
Even if there is still debate as to whether Michael Jordan should have received more than five MVP trophies, there is still a sizable list of accomplishments. Jordan, the best guard to ever live, was a force on both sides of the court and deserved every MVP award. No player could get buckets as easily as Michael Jordan, thus, being the best scorer in the NBA and earning 10 scoring titles undoubtedly helped him receive more MVP votes each year. As he matured, Michael became more dominant because he controlled the pace of games better than anyone else and once again has an edge over Kobe Bryant in this career comparison category.
Kobe Bryant’s first and only award came in 2008 when the superstar shooting guard posted a 28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 5.4 APG while shooting 45.9% from the field. Finally, Bryant earned his MVP award after leading the Lakers to a 57-25 record, which led all teams in the Western Conference. Kobe probably should have won it between 2005 and 2007 when he was carrying the Lakers every single night, but Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki shared those MVP awards. Regardless, Bryant managed to win an MVP award before his retirement in 2016.
Ultimately, there is a separation between the two superstars because Michael managed an extra 4 MVP awards over Kobe Bryant. Both superstar players are recognized as the franchise players for their teams in their respective periods and also the best players at their position almost every season of their absolute prime, but Michael has the edge in this category.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
All-NBA Teams
Michael Jordan: 11 (10 First Team, 1 Second Team)
Kobe Bryant: 15 (11 First Team, 2 Second Team, 2 Third Team)
Michael Jordan has been named to 11 All-NBA Teams, including 10 First Teams. That means in a 15-year career (which includes two seasons where he played under 20 games), he missed out on 4 All-NBA appearances. Considering two of them do not count due to injury and retirement, Jordan missed out on the All-NBA Team only twice. Had Michael not retired and stayed in the league over those 5 seasons, he might have had 16 All-NBA Team appearances. But Jordan did not have Bryant’s longevity, meaning the Black Mamba has the edge.
Kobe Bryant has made 15 All-NBA Teams, with 11 First Team appearances. A long-lasting performer who showed up every game, hurt or not, Bryant lived and breathed basketball. The superstar shooting guard’s 15 All-NBA appearances rank second all-time (tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and he even has an extra All-NBA First Team appearance over Michael. As things stand, Kobe Bryant has an edge over Michael Jordan because the GOAT was never able to equal Kobe in terms of All-NBA selections due to his two retirement stints.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
All-Star Selections
Michael Jordan: 14
Kobe Bryant: 18
Michael Jordan had a total of 14 All-Star appearances as he only missed the All-Star Team in 1995 when he came back at the end of the season from retirement to only play 17 games. Jordan’s two retirement stints limited the number of All-Star Teams he might have participated in, but the reality remains that he has fewer All-Star appearances than The Black Mamba. Making 14 All-Star Teams is no small feat, and he would have had at least 19 All-Star Teams if he had never retired from the game.
Very realistically, the greatest Laker ever, Kobe Bryant, had a total of 18 All-Star appearances. The legendary scorer is one of the most intelligent players ever, and he was able to impact the game for a very long time. As a bonafide All-Star offensive player, Bryant simply captivated audiences with his scoring and perimeter play year after year. As the man driving the Purple and Gold franchise after Magic Johnson, Bryant was a fan favorite and one of the most dominant individual talents of his generation. Longevity is the key here, as Bryant has an edge over Michael Jordan.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
All-Defensive NBA Teams
Michael Jordan: 9 (9 First Team)
Kobe Bryant: 12 (9 First Team, 3 Second Team)
As great as Michael Jordan was on offense, he might have been equally as great on defense. The 6’6″ shooting guard was tasked with defending the opposing team’s best players on countless occasions, especially when he was younger, because his physical and mental skills were off the charts. But his defense was off the charts, considering how well he moved his feet, played passing lanes, and suffocated ball handlers. Not to mention, Jordan is one of the few guards to ever win the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988 when he posted averages of 3.2 SPG and 1.6 BPG.
One of the most accomplished defensive players in NBA history, Kobe Bryant was named to 12 All-Defensive Teams, including 9 First Team selections. Bryant maintained his ability to stay with on-ball defenders and also play spectacular team offense for nearly two decades. He was athletic enough to be a force because he could move his feet and also explode to contest shots in his younger days. Bryant’s final few selections were given to him due to his ability to play team defense and come up with clutch defensive plays (along with reputation), but he still earned more All-Defensive Teams than Michael.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
Total Win Shares
Michael Jordan: 214.0
Kobe Bryant: 172.7
Win Shares is a statistic that tries to allocate a team’s wins for each player on the roster. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owns the single-season record for Win Shares with 25.4 during 1971-72 on a Milwaukee Bucks team that won 63 games. In terms of contributing to a winning side and helping his side to win games consistently, it is obvious Michael Jordan has a better win shares rating than Kobe Bean Bryant.
Michael Jordan has a win shares rating of 214.0, as the shooting guard was obviously a player that impacts winning because his scoring and defense were astronomically great. Whether he imposed his athleticism on games or did it through skill such as scoring, Jordan won a ton of games over his career, meaning he was extremely responsible for his team’s successes. Michael’s win shares figure ranks 5th all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, and Karl Malone.
Kobe Bryant’s win share rating ranks 16th all-time, which is certainly nothing to sniff at. The superstar shooting guard influenced the game in various ways, including scoring the ball at superstar levels and making clutch plays. Kobe won a ton of games over his career because he had Shaquille O’Neal as a teammate early on and also Phil Jackson on the sidelines for most of his career. But Bryant also lost a ton of games in between Shaq leaving and Pau Gasol arriving, and even more so towards the end of his career. Overall, Michael has a big advantage over Kobe in win shares rating.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Career Player Efficiency Rating
Michael Jordan: 27.9
Kobe Bryant: 22.9
Player Efficiency Rating, better known as PER, is a statistic created by John Hollinger that’s goal is to give each NBA player a comprehensive rating. Hollinger’s PER metric is unique because it combines a player’s positive and negative contributions on the court.
With a PER of 27.9, Michael Jordan is the best player of all time, according to the statistic. Jordan has winning potential because of his incredible offensive skill set, and he managed to have shooting splits of 49.7% FG, 32.7% 3-PT FG, and 83.5% FT while averaging 30.1 PPG over his career. Michael’s efficiency as a 10-time scoring champion is scary to consider, and he never failed to dominate the charts with his play. His PER could be yet another example as to why Jordan is the GOAT because if accolades and the eye test don’t prove it, advanced stats will.
Kobe Bryant ranks 28th all-time with a PER of 22.9. Bryant has a positive influence on winning due to his incredible two-way skill set, but let’s be honest, he took a ton of difficult shots over his career. Kobe needed to get into his rhythm before exploding on offense, so deep two-pointers and fadeaways needed to happen. As a result, Kobe managed shooting splits of 44.7% FG, 32.9% 3-PT FG, and 83.7% FT while averaging a career 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 4.7 APG. It didn’t hold Kobe back one bit, even if he manages to succumb to Michael Jordan in this career comparison.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Final ScoreMichael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant 5-3
In the end, to close the GOAT debate once and for all, Michael Jordan has the edge over Kobe Bryant. Jordan won more NBA titles, more Finals MVPs, more MVPs, and has advanced statistics on his side against the legendary Lakers star. Michael’s 10 scoring titles were not even taken into consideration either, but that is yet more proof that Jordan was one-of-a-kind. Kobe has the edge in longevity accolades, including All-Star, All-Defensive, and All-NBA appearances, but at 5-3, there is no doubt who the better player is.
The fact that Michael Jordan has beaten out LeBron James and Kobe Bryant proves who the king of basketball is. Many argue for those two players while throwing in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as well, but Jordan is beating out all of them. A 6-0 Finals record with 6 rings beats out every other player’s record (barring Bill Russell, who played on an all-time great Boston Celtics side) and MJ seems to be a better player overall, considering how high his field-goal shooting and defensive stats were.
Kobe Bryant comes close to playing so long and mimicking exactly what Jordan did on the court, but there is only one Michael Jordan. There is absolutely no shame on the late and great Kobe Bryant’s part because coming second to MJ is considered standard when discussing basketball. Bryant retired knowing he might be the greatest Los Angeles Laker ever and certainly a top-two scoring talent to have ever played, so both players can rest easy knowing their legacies are secured.
Source: fadeawayworld
