Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant Comparison
By Whitt Ward
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, are arguably two of the greatest basketball players to ever live. As well as two of the most exciting and entertaining players during their time, and the way they played was also eerily similar, as you will see later on in the comparison. Along with that similarity they also played a great deal like each other. Most of this is from Kobe Bryant, though as he has been quoted saying that he modeled his game after Michael Jordan who was his role model growing up. The similarities do not stop their either Kobe Bryant looks a lot like Michael Jordan which caused them both to play the same position at shooting guard in their careers, also Kobe Bryant had the
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same mentality that Jordan had. Which caused them to act similarly on the court. Some similarities and differences between them are, that Michael Jordan is older than Kobe Bryant by fifteen solid years. Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Kobe Bryant however was born on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and even though these two played at different times against different people and this may have affected their stats we will not take this into account when we discuss their careers. Instead we will just look at their stats, and compare them as they stand without any special stipulation added to them. The first noticeable similarity that you may notice when looking at them is that they don’t look too different from each other. Both of them stand at six feet six inches tall,and really the only difference is their weight, because Michael Jordan weighs more than Kobe Bryant at two hundred fifteen pounds to only two hundred five pounds. It is not very easy to tell the difference in the two’s weight unless they are standing on a scale, and either way ten pounds isn’t too much of a difference. The major difference that happened in their basketball careers before they went to the NBA was that Michael Jordan opted to go to the University of North Carolina unlike Kobe Bryant who decided to go to the NBA straight out of high school. When Michael Jordan got to the NBA after his years at North Carolina he was drafted third overall by the Chicago Bulls and at the end of his career he played for the Washington Wizards, and he chose to wear the number twenty three when he played. Kobe Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets but never played a game for them as he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and he chose to wear the number eight which he changed to twenty four later in his career. When it was all said and done though Kobe Bryant would tallie up one more year in the league than Michael Jordan, with twenty years to nineteen years. Both of them had very successful careers in the NBA, and which one was better is up to you. Just going through some of their accomplishments and awards you notice very quickly that they were two great players for a very long time. Some of Michael Jordan’s accomplishments include, six NBA championships, five regular season MVP awards, six Finals MVP First Team selections, one Defensive Player of the Year award, a Rookie of the Year award, ten regular season scoring titles, and last but not least three regular season steal titles. Kobe Bryant’s accomplishments may not look as good, but they are still great no doubt. Some of them include, five NBA championships, one regular season MVP award, two Finals MVP awards, eleven All-NBA First Team awards, nine All-Defensive First Team awards, and two regular season scoring titles. Now let's talk about the pure number stats that they put up during their careers. The first thing that will jump out at you is that Kobe Bryant is number three on the all-time NBA scoring list with 33,643 points, and Michael Jordan is right behind him with 32,292 points. They stack up almost the same in all of the major categories that really matter. Michael Jordan recorded 5,633 assists, 2,514 steals, 893 blocks, 6,672 rebounds, and 2,924 turnovers in his career. Kobe Bryant’s numbers are almost the same with 6,306 assists, 1,944 steals, 640 blocks, 7,047 rebounds, and 3,719 turnovers. One other stat that doesn’t really matter much but I thought I should mention is that Michael Jordan had only 2,783 fouls and Kobe Bryant had 3,164 over the span of his career. When going over their stats you have to remember that Kobe Bryant played one more year in the NBA, and Michael Jordan took time off in the prime of his career to try and play baseball, but whether you can’t change the past, so you just have to take the stats how they are.
If you are like me though, and would like to compare the two in an easier way to understand then just pure numbers, then you need to compare their career averages. First we will look at Michael Jordan’s career averages, and let me tell you they are very impressive. Over the span of his nineteen year career he averaged thirty point one points per game, five points three assists, two point three steals, and six point two rebounds. He did all this while averaging a field goal percentage of forty nine points seven percent, which is remarkable. His numbers dipped of though when it came to three point percentage as he only averaged a percentage of thirty two point seven percent, but they went back up to a percentage of eighty three point five percent when he stepped to the free throw line. If you keep in mind that averaged this over every single game he played in for nineteen years it is mind blowing, and some would argue that had he not come back and played with the Washington Wizards when he was out of his prime these numbers would be even better, but that is argument for a different paper. Kobe Bryant’s numbers are also all-time great numbers, but just a little lower than Jordan in some categories. Over his twenty year career he averaged twenty five point five points, four point eight assists, one point five steals, and five point three rebounds per game. His shooting percentages were forty four point seven percent from the field, but like his idol Jordan his number too also dropped off when he shot three pointers, and he only shot thirty two point nine percent from their. Also like Jordan when he stepped to the free throw line he was more than likely going to make it as he averaged a stellar
eighty three point seven percent from the line. As I told you and the numbers prove Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were not only two of the greatest players in NBA history, but they also played similar to each other. In my personal opinion I believe that Michael Jordan was better than Kobe Bryant, but if you really think about it it doesn’t even matter that much, because they are still two of the all-time greats.
Michael Jordan vs Lebron James Michael Jordan, in his prime, was thought of as one of the greatest basketball champions of all time. A shooting guard, standing at six-six, Jordan was able to out play anyone in his position. He started his career at the University of North Carolina, where he helped his team win a national championship. He then was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984-85 season. While playing for the Bulls, Jordan received many awards such as, MVP, five championships, Olympic gold medals, slam dunk contests, and many more defensive and offensive awards.
LeBron and Kevin are similar in many ways. One of the biggest comparisons is that they play small forward. A small forward or three as some people call it, is like an inbetween player for size. The small forward is normally a lot taller than the point guard and shooting guard but, mostly smaller than a power forward or center. LeBron and Kevin have both lead the league in scoring at one time in their career. Kevin and LeBron averaged around twenty-eight to thirty points a game when they won these awards.They are also
During the time of Michael Jordan and the now present Lebron James American culture has changed a lot. Both of these two superstars show how American society love and appreciate their superstars. The society loves them both, they are both amazingly talented and have supporting fans that will always be by their side no matter what happens, through the peaks and valleys. These two allstars are beyond incredible and show their talent in a variety of ways. Both are very truly “Blessed” with their talents and capabilities. Both MJ and LBJ are two of the best to ever to play the game of basketball. Jordan and James are both good at what they do, Jordan and James’ passion to get to the rim and make plays really put a spark in both of their game. These traits that both of the stars have really make their fans and supporters love them even more! Both of these stars show how American Society love their stars and role models.
Comparing LeBron James and Michael Jordan is like comparing apples and oranges. It just isn’t a fair comparison. There are too many differences. There are too many variables. There are too many fallacies that are involved in making a fair assessment to determine who the greatest basketball player of all time is.
At every level of basketball there are players that have shined on and off the court, this is true for two exceptional players like Michael Jordan and LeBron James. The debate over these two marvelous athletes and who is the better of the two, has divided sports fans since LeBron earned his first Finals Championship.
Imagine scoring a total of 32, 292 points during a professional basketball career. Not many people in the history of the National Basketball Association can say they have. Michael Jordan can say he has and that he has accomplished many other goals throughout his life (“Michael Jordan Stats”).
The NBA is well known for the number of amazing professional athletes it has had over the years. Some of the most gifted and talented individuals come through the NBA and one of the better-known superstars is none other than Kobe Bryant. For years people have wondered what makes Bryant so successful. The main contributors that lead to Kobe Bryant’s success is his hard work and dedication, his mindset, his natural ability’s and talent, and the people that have helped him throughout his life. Kobe Bryant was very successful in the NBA because of the amount of hard work he has put in, the people in his life, his relentless determination and his god given natural abilities.
Dreams come and go every night, but some dreams tend to stay for a lifetime. I have always dreamt to become a professional athlete in some way or another. Growing up I have always looked up to many different athletes. Whether it was Ladanian Tomlinson on the football field or Kobe Bryant on the basketball court I have always had some athlete that I wanted to be like someday.
“Maybe this guy is god disguised as Michael Jordan” (Michael Jordan). Michael Jordan is clearly the best basketball player to have ever set foot on a basketball court as Larry Bird put it jokingly. He wasn’t the perfect basketball player but he was good enough to surpass the rest of the league as a whole. Because of his superior skills and incomprehensible work ethic, he can be considered an outlier. There is no other player that has accomplished as much as Jordan and will probably never see something like it again.
Michael Jordan, what comes to your mind when you hear that name? Michael had played for the bulls and had gotten 6 championship rings with the team. Well, is it just me or does that sound like a lot of time in the game of basketball? In 1982 he took a big step up from highschool to college, where he wanted to pursue the basketball dream. He went to college at North Carolina where he played NCAA basketball for just one year before he was drafted in 1984.
When people think of basketball and the great players that play today we all think of Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and I mean lets face it we can name players whom play the game very well till we are blue in the face. All these players that were thinking of and naming have something in common which is none of them can compare to what Michael Jordan has done to the game. Some people say he destroyed the game making it that everything people accomplish is compared to what he has done in his career. Which happens when everyone i...
This argument is made on the fact that LeBron James has recently become the youngest player to score 20,000 points. Although I agree and congratulate LeBron on his great achievement, it does not make him better than Jordan. Despite LeBron reaching 20,000 points at a younger age, Michael Jordan was able to do it in fewer games. This phenomenon is possible because Michael Jordan went to college for three years whereas LeBron decided to go straight to the NBA out of high school. According to a blog done by the Chicago Bulls “It took Michael Jordan 106 less games to score 20,000 points than LeBron James” (Bulls Blog). No credit should be taken away from LeBron James because what he did to become the youngest player to score 20,000 points is phenomenal but it cannot be used as an argument to say that he is a better player than Michael Jordan because Michael Jordan scored 20,000 points faster than
When I began my report I didn’t know much about Michael Jordan, but I did know that he was “undoubtedly the greatest player in the history of the NBA'; (“Michael Air Jordan'; 1). It seemed like every time I heard the word basketball I also heard the name Michael Jordan. There’s just no avoiding him. If you are watching television you might see him playing basketball or golf. If you were reading a magazine there will probably be an advertisement with his picture. If you were walking down the street you might see a kid wearing Air Jordan shoes or a Bulls jersey with “JORDAN'; on the back of it. This man is probably as recognizable as the Pope.
Michael Jordan is the only athlete to have ever gained the middle name "Air" because of his unbelievable ability to soar through the sky before he smashes the ball through the rim. He has managed to defy all obstacles ever thrown his way within the sport of basketball, earning his reputation as the most competitive and determined player in the NBA. Over the span of Michael Jordan's 18 year long career in the NBA, he has enjoyed world wide attention and recognition as the ambassador of basketball. Jordan has influenced basketball players around the globe and, with his own shoes and clothing brand, along with his artistic way of handling himself on the court, has developed a style of his own within the sport. Michael Jordan can be considered the foremost leader of the enlightenment in the sport of basketball.
In conclusion, I don’t think it’s fair to say basketball was superior before now, nor vice versa. I think that for those who love the game, you can appreciate what both eras bring to the table. While it may have been entertaining to see Dr Jay and Michael Jordan in action, it’s also important to realize the potential in today’s rising stars such as LeBron James, and KD. One thing that remains unchanged is that basketball has, and will always be an outstanding and fun sport to watch.