he's got awhile before he makes a case against jerry west or kaj. as richard pryor said, "i wish jerry west couldn't play basketball...cuz that muhf*ckah can play some basketball, jack. he be makin' n***** look ridiculous out there. n***** be over here, and jerry done made 22 points." or something like that.
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He is the closest player in the game today that compares to jordan, but jordan still better.Comment -
Big year for Kobe, looks like he may get mvp if he keeps it upComment -
jordan is just not touchable.
Kobe is good. even great but he has long way to go to prove himself as the best....
and that nick fellow is just retarded. so people quit picking on the idiotComment -
Nicky are you serious or are you just stirring shit?Comment -
As a player, yes. As a product endorser: no. The public (outside of Laker-land) will always hate him.
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Jordan was much much more electric and more explosive but as the years go on it is very close to see who is better.
Jordan was a much tougher defender but lets wait and see when it is all overComment -
The rules in todays game are completely different then they were when Jordan was playing.
Skill-wise they are comparable, Kobe is still a douche, don't care what anyone says, Jordan will always be the better teammate.
We poll all the great players that have played in the League and ask them who they would rather play with, I guarantee Jordan wins in a landslide.Comment -
MJ never lost two finals in embarrassing fashion, MJ never quit on his team, MJ never got bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs.
Kobe has 1 ring in which he was the best player on his teamComment -
Kobe is closer to MJ than I thought it would be, maybe when it's over he can be 1A? MJ started it his freshman year championship shot and then the game 5 winner against the Cavs early in his career. Mr Clutch, move over Jerry West! Plus he did a better job of cheating on his wife!
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It's always funny when people think Jordan was a better teammate.
Do you think Jordan was a good teammate when he punched couple of teammates?
Do you think Jordan was a good teammate when he froze teammates out because they shot the ball instead of passing the ball to his greatness?
Do you think Jordan was a good teammate when he abandoned the team to go play minor league baseball so he can avoid his gambling allegations?
What Jordan had was a great public persona and a public relations team that carefully crafted and protected his image. The media also protected him. Had Kobe punched his teammates, carried on an affair for 10 years and had a gambling problem, he would be raked over the coals by the media. But since it was Jordan, the media swept them under the rug for fear of being blacklisted.
Kobe w/o Shaq (4 seasons) = MVP, 2 Finals, 1 Championship, Finals MVP
Jordan w/o Pippen (5 seasons) = 1 playoff game win
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I like LeBron better than Kobe.Soccer record (2010) : 244-160-24
2010-2011 season (soccer) : 144-95-11
NBA Record (2010-2011 season) : 17-12-1
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Jordan without pippen is just another Clyde drexler. Kobe #1 of all time u haters!
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Sorry Nickay i shouldnt have done this.
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People forget that Jordans era was an absolute joke. The number of great players were so small in the championship years of his era. Guys like, REggie,.ewing, pippen, barkley, hakeem, thomas are not comparable to the amount of great players now.
kobe, lebron, wade, paul, durant, howard, paul, pierce, dirk.
Kobe is doing it when there are way better players and way more of them.Comment -
Written in 2007 before Kobe won the MVP & Championship.
Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan.
Not more successful.
Hasn't had a bigger economic impact.
Hasn't won more MVPs.
Kobe Bryant did something Michael Jordan never
did -- score 50-plus in four consecutive games.
Hasn't won more titles.
But he's a better player.
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.
At the very least, Kobe's scoring spree over the last week should put to rest any lingering doubts that he's the best player in the NBA. Yes, better than Steve Nash, who is the best point guard, but not the lethal force that Kobe is. Yes, better than Dwyane Wade, who is certainly closer to the Kobe-Jordan level than LeBron James, but D-Wade's game is not as polished as Kobe's.
Kobe's streak of four straight 50-points-plus games is something none of those players can do, and it's something that hasn't been done since Wilt Chamberlain, who had an NBA-record seven straight 50-point games. Truthfully, Kobe should have tacked another 50 on Golden State on Sunday night.
Of course, the idea that Kobe is better than Jordan -- or even the best player in this league -- is as repugnant to some folks as a rectal exam. Even though Kobe has proven himself under pressure countless times, he gets the A-Rod treatment.
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.
Besides a different level of media scrutiny, there was definitely a difference in the level of competition during Jordan's heyday compared to now.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
We ask you to step back and take an objective look. Isn't Kobe the best player in the NBA?
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.
The shame of it is that Kobe might finish his career without a MVP, even though his ability can be compared only to that of Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. All this time we've been looking for a player who is better than Jordan, but most of us can't get beyond whether we like or dislike Kobe as a person to recognize his contributions to the game.
Ultimately the MVP award will go to either Nash or Dirk Nowitzki, who are deserving this season, but neither are as good as Kobe. Dallas and Phoenix are strong enough to make the playoffs without their stars. The Lakers, however, are a lottery team without Kobe.Comment -
dags, i love you man.. you always have my back.. there you have it boys.. ESPN just backed me too.. what else can you say except i was right. It's safe to say ESPN knows more about this topic than a bunch of gambling degenerates..Written in 2007 before Kobe won the MVP & Championship.
Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan.
Mods, you can lock up this thread now. there is no use to continue it. Verdict is in.
Kobe is better than MJ..
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Jordan #1 easily... lakers have a ton of talent bought and paid for around KobeComment -
lame thread. this stuff needs to stay in "players talk" with the rest of the panty wastes that like to chat about stupid subjects.Comment -
It's always funny when people think Jordan was a better teammate.
Do you think Jordan was a good teammate when he punched couple of teammates? YES
Do you think Jordan was a good teammate when he froze teammates out because they shot the ball instead of passing the ball to his greatness? YESComment -
I will stop back in thread when Kobe has won/lakers bought 6 rings...Comment -
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This is one of the all time classic Santoro threads. Great stuff. Have a read newbies.Comment -
Will not read this entire thread, no, I won't... but-----Jordan > Kobe. The disparity isn't huge, though.Comment -
kobe has lost in 2 finals but michael never did, kobe will lose his 3rd finals this yr,Comment -
Nicky high as hell right now. Everyone excuse him. We all kno will ever play the gamew m.j. The greatest that. If u got points 2 spare send them 2 me for this post. Mj the best there ever will be and we all know itComment -
jordan will be the best player ever in history hands down, in a game where defense is a forgotton besides fouls.... and most of kobes points are from the line after drawing fouls (which he is great at) Jordan was great at getting to the hoop and putting the ball in, not taking the easy 2 every time from the line after driving through the biggest pack of defenders he can find and then throwing the ball wildly, sad but true, plus Jordan wasnt a rapist...Comment -
kobe has the best mid range shot in the history of the gameCause Sleep is the Cousin of DeathComment -
23 is betterComment -
the only year kobe has been the best player on the lakers they missed the playoffs and he wanted traded from the Lakers...Comment -
jordan ever score 81 ? didint think soComment
