The Great Kobe vs Jordan Debate

When Kobe Bryant announced his retirement from the NBA, fans began to revisit the a hypothetical “Kobe vs Jordan” one-on-one matchup. Today we take a look at this tantalizing scenario.

Kobe vs Jordan

Although the Kobe vs Jordan scenario is usually discussed as a hypothetical one-on-one matchup, the two players did in fact meet in eight regular NBA games between 1996 and 2003. Unfortunately for fans, however, these matchups didn’t feature both men in their prime. Jordan first faced Bryant in 1996 when the players were 33 and 18 respectively. The last matchup occurred in 2003 a month after Jordan’s 40th birthday.

Below is an excellent compilation of clips when the two men faced each other during those games.

The 8 Games

In the 8 games when the two men faced off, Kobe’s team went 5-3, although Jordan scored 24.5 points to Bryant’s 22.8.

Because fans were never able to see both men at their peak in a head-to-head matchup, speculation by those closest to the topic is probably the next place to look.

Michael Jordan

When asked who he would want to face while in his prime, Jordan gave Kobe a special mention on that list. “If I was in my prime, who would I want to play one on one with,” Jordan said. “That list is very long. Start off with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant in his prime, LeBron is his prime, D-Wade in his prime, Melo… that’s a good start, and I don’t think I’d lose. Other than Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves.”

Kobe Bryant

In December 2015, Bryant spoke with Robin Roberts of “Good Morning America” about his upcoming retirement. He listed his Top 5 players of all time, which included Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Jerry West.

“I would never put myself in the starting five, ever,” Bryant said.

When asked about a head-to-head matchup against Jordan, Kobe said, “You can debate that until the cows come home.” When pressed on who might win such a matchup, however, Bryant said, “He would win some, I would win some.”

Phil Jackson

As the man who coached both players to a total of 11 NBA Championships, Phil Jackson has been put on the spot in the Bryant vs Jordan debate on several occasions. When asked who would with this “Dream 1-on-1 Matchup,” Jackson has said, “It’s gotta be MJ.”

In another story recounted by Jackson in the video, he tells of a meeting between Bryant and Jordan. “First thing Kobe says is, ‘I could kick your ass one on one.'” When asked about MJ’s response, Jackson quoted him as saying, “You might.”

In Jackson’s book Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, Jackson notes Michael’s “superior skills as a leader” over Bryant’s.

Key Stats

Career scoring averages and shooting percentages are often cited when comparing Kobe and Michael.

Jordan clearly wins the career field goal percentage category, with 49.7% vs Bryant’s 45.2%. Jordan’s career average points per game is also higher, at 30.1 vs Bryant’s 25.5. Kobe, on the other hand, wins the 3-point percentage matchup with 33.4% vs 32.7%. Free throw percentage is roughly the same at 83.7% (Bryant) vs 83.5%.

Another way some fans compare the two men is to look at their single best season – or even their single best night.

Jordan’s best scoring season was in 1987 when he averaged 37.1 points per game, versus Bryant’s 2006 season when he notched 35.4 ppg.

Kobe’s best single-game performance was a stunning 81 in 2002 against the Toronto Raptors, while Jordan’s top night was 69 in March 1990 against Cleveland.

Other Comparisons

• Magic Johnson in late 2015 said of Bryant, “He’s the closest thing we’ve seen to Michael Jordan. He’ll probably go down as the second greatest scoring guard.”
• Land of Basketball. This website includes an extensive comparison of stats for the two men.
• ESPN has a nice graphical comparison of the two careers, offering many key stats.

Some fans also note that while stats are meaningful in the debate, those numbers notched in a team environment may not directly translate to the hypothetical one-on-one game debated by fans.

Search History

As you can see from the Google Trends chart below, search history on the topic has been rather consistent over the years.

Bottom Line

So who wins the Kobe vs Jordan matchup? That is one for the ages to debate, although the general consensus seems to be that Jordan in his prime still holds a very slight edge. That said, both MJ and Bryant have said that Kobe may have a shot to at least win some matchups between the two.

What do you think of the Kobe vs MJ debate?