Comparing Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant

I hate debates about who’s the GOAT. Greatest of all time? Let’s look at the stats. Let’s look at what they say about each other. Let’s look at how they each did with Coach Jackson.

Start with the numbers. Kobe logged 1,346 games to Jordan’s 1,072, scoring 33,643 points to Jordan’s 32,292. Jordan, though, scored more per night—30.1 points to Kobe’s 25.0—and shot five percentage points better from the field. Kobe’s edge is longevity; Jordan’s is peak punch. The playoff line is even tighter: Jordan finished with 5,987 postseason points in 179 games, Kobe with 5,640 in 220. Their eight head-to-head meetings? Kobe’s Lakers won five, Jordan averaged 24.5 points, Kobe 22.8.

Now fold in the man who coached them both. With Jordan in Chicago, Phil Jackson went 545-193 (.738). In Los Angeles with Kobe, Jackson went 610-292 (.676). Strip out Jordan’s baseball sabbatical and Phil’s win rate with MJ jumps to .747. Call that the triangle’s sweet spot—or call it the advantage of a roster that stayed whole.

Finally, listen to how they spoke about each other. Jordan’s memorial speech cast Kobe as a “little brother” who texted him at 2 a.m. for footwork tips. Kobe returned the respect, calling Jordan “teacher and mentor,” crediting him for every drill, every mind game, every ounce of competitive fire. That shared admiration, more than any spreadsheet, shows why the debate never dies: neither man saw room for half measures, and each pushed the other—across eras—to reach a higher ceiling.

Category	Michael Jordan	Kobe Bryant
NBA championships	6 (1991-93, 1996-98)	5 (2000-02, 2009-10)
Conference titles (Finals appearances)	6	7
Finals MVPs	6	2
Regular-season MVPs	5	1
All-Star selections	14	18
All-Star MVPs	3	4
Scoring titles (points per game leader)	10	2
Steals titles	3	0

Regular-season career totals

	Games	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	FG %	3-pt %	FT %
Bryant	1,346	48,637	33,643	7,047	6,306	1,944	640	44.7	32.9	83.7
Jordan	1,072	41,011	32,292	6,672	5,633	2,514	893	49.7	32.7	83.5

	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG
Bryant	25.0	5.2	4.7	1.4	0.5
Jordan	30.1	6.2	5.3	2.3	0.8

Playoff career totals

	Games	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Bryant	220	5,640	1,122	1,034
Jordan	179	5,987	1,152	1,022

Head-to-head results (regular season) - 8 meetings

	W-L	PTS	REB	AST
Bryant vs. Jordan	5-3	22.8	4.4	3.9
Jordan vs. Bryant	3-5	24.5	4.3	3.6

Phil Jackson’s regular-season record while coaching Jordan and Bryant.

	Team & seasons	W-L	Win %
Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls 1984-1993, 1995-98	490-166	.747
Kobe Bryant	L.A. Lakers, 1999-00 → 2010-11	610-292	.676

Most games as teammate

Kobe Bryant:

1. Derek Fisher — 847

2. Lamar Odom — 490

3. Shaquille O’Neal — 461

Michael Jordan

1. Scottie Pippen — 691

2. Horace Grant — 469

3. Bill Cartwright — 350

NBA players who were teammates with both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant

Player	With Jordan	Years with MJ	With Kobe	Years with KB
Ron Harper	Chicago Bulls	1994-95 to 1997-98	L.A. Lakers	1999-00 to 2000-01
Horace Grant	Chicago Bulls	1987-88 to 1992-93	L.A. Lakers	2000-01 and 2003-04
Dennis Rodman	Chicago Bulls	1995-96 to 1997-98	L.A. Lakers	1998-99 (23 games)
John Salley	Chicago Bulls	1995-96 (playoff run)	L.A. Lakers	1999-00
Kwame Brown	Washington Wizards	2001-02 to 2002-03	L.A. Lakers	2005-06 to 2007-08
Bryon Russell	Washington Wizards	2002-03	L.A. Lakers	2003-04
Laron Profit	Washington Wizards	2000-01	L.A. Lakers	2005-06

Michael Jordan on Kobe Bryant (Eulogy):

“I would say, ‘Good morning,’ but it’s afternoon. I’m grateful to Vanessa and the Bryant family for the opportunity to speak today. I’m grateful to be here to honor Gigi and celebrate the gift that Kobe gave us all—what he accomplished as a basketball player, as a businessman, a storyteller, and as a father.

In the game of basketball, in life, as a parent, Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor.

Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends, but we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend; he was like a little brother.

Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just want to talk about Kobe. All of us have brothers and sisters—little brothers, little sisters—who for whatever reason always tend to get in your stuff: your closet, your shoes, everything. It was a nuisance, if I can say that word. But that nuisance turned into love over a period of time because of the admiration they have for you as big brothers or big sisters.

The questions, their wanting to know every little detail about life that they were about to embark on. He used to call me, text me—11:30, 2:30, 3 o’clock in the morning—talking about post-up moves, footwork, and sometimes the triangle. At first it was an aggravation, but then it turned into a certain passion.

This kid had passion like you would never know. It’s an amazing thing about passion: if you love something, if you have a strong passion for something, you will go to the extreme to try to understand or try to get it—ice cream, Cokes, hamburgers, whatever you have a love for. If you have to walk, you’ll go get it. If you have to beg someone, you’ll go get it. What Kobe Bryant was to me was the inspiration that someone truly cared about the way I played the game—or the way that he wanted to play the game. He wanted to be the best basketball player that he could be.

And as I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.

To do that, you have to put up with the aggravation, the late-night calls, the dumb questions. I took great pride, as I got to know Kobe Bryant, that he was just trying to be a better person, a better basketball player. We talked about business, we talked about family, we talked about everything—and he was just trying to be a better person.

Now he’s got me; I’ll have to look at another crying meme for the next… I told my wife I wasn’t going to do this because I didn’t want to see that for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me. I’m pretty sure Vanessa and his friends all can say the same thing. He knows how to get to you in a way that affects you personally.

Even if he’s being a pain in the ass, you always have a sense of love for him and the way he can bring out the best in you—and he did that for me.

I remember maybe a couple of months ago, he sends me a text and he says, ‘I’m trying to teach my daughter some moves, and I don’t know what I was thinking or what I was working on. What were you thinking about when you were growing up trying to work on your moves?’ I said, ‘What age?’ He says, ‘Twelve.’ I said, ‘Twelve? I was trying to play baseball.’ He sends me a text back saying, ‘Laughing my ass off.’ And this is at two o’clock in the morning.

But the thing about him was we could talk about anything that related to basketball, but we could talk about anything that related to life. As we grow up in life, we rarely have friends that we can have conversations like that with. It’s even rarer when you can grow up against adversaries and have conversations like that.

I went and saw Phil Jackson in 1999—or maybe 2000, I don’t know—when Phil was here in L.A. I walk in and Kobe’s sitting there. I’m in a suit; the first thing Kobe said: ‘Did you bring your shoes?’ No, I wasn’t thinking about playing.

But his attitude to compete and play against someone he felt like he could enhance and improve his game with—that’s what I loved about the kid. Absolutely loved about the kid. No matter where he saw me, it was a challenge, and I admired him because of his passion. You rarely see someone who’s looking and trying to improve each and every day—not just in sports but as a parent, as a husband. I am inspired by what he’s done and what he shared with Vanessa and what he shared with his kids.

I have a daughter who’s thirty—I just became a grandparent—and I have twins at six. I can’t wait to get home to become a girl dad and to hug them and see the love and the smiles that they bring to us as parents. He taught me that just by looking at this tonight, looking at how he responded and reacted with the people he actually loved. These are things that we will continue to learn from Kobe Bryant.

To Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, Capri—my wife and I will keep you close in our hearts and our prayers. We will always be here for you, always. I also want to offer our condolences and support to all the families affected by this enormous tragedy.

Kobe gave every last ounce of himself to whatever he was doing. After basketball, he showed a creative side to himself that I didn’t think any of us knew he had. In retirement he seemed so happy. He found new passions, and he continued to give back as a coach in his community.

More importantly, he was an amazing dad, an amazing husband who dedicated himself to his family and who loved his daughters with all his heart.

Kobe never left anything on the court, and I think that’s what he would want for us to do. No one knows how much time we have—that’s why we must live in the moment. We must enjoy the moment. We must reach and see and spend as much time as we can with our families and friends and the people that we absolutely love. To live in the moment means to enjoy each and every one that we come in contact with.

When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. And as I look in this arena and across the globe, a piece of you died, or else you wouldn’t be here. Those are the memories that we have to live with and we learn from. I promise you, from this day forward, I will live with the memories of knowing I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way I could.

Please rest in peace, little brother.”

Kobe Bryant on Michael Jordan (from multple interviews)

He was a great teacher and mentor for me. Michael was tactical and efficient—no wasted space, no wasted dribbles. He approached the game like a surgeon and made tough plays look easy.

I wanted to face him before he retired. People said he only had a few seasons left, but I still hoped for the chance. I grew up watching him, just like I watched Magic. Meeting Jordan on the floor was an ultimate challenge.

Guarding Michael and the Bulls topped everything. When he said he saw some of himself in me, I took it as motivation to work harder and become the best player I could be.

Being compared to him is an honor, yet I remind myself that I’m Kobe Bryant. In my first trip to the United Center, he shoved me aside for a baseline dunk. I’d seen the move on TV, but the live timing was different—he spun before I expected it, and that was eye-opening.

From day one he offered mentorship—detailed advice, practice plans, workout notes. The impact he’s had on me as a player and leader is bigger than most people realize.

Michael’s game relies on balance—getting a defender off-center, then exploiting the angle. Even after time away, his work ethic made his comeback believable. Some nights his legs weren’t there; other nights he scored 45. That’s Jordan.

In high school I asked Sixers veterans what it was like to guard “Black Jesus.” They warned me. When we finally matched up, he beat me plenty, but I kept coming back. He respected that—he was the same way at eighteen.

Playing him taught me how flawless technique can be. I wanted my footwork just as tight. He even asked how I felt a defender’s legs on my turnaround jumper; I told him that contact signals when to attack.

Three titles, an MVP, a possible fourth ring, a gold medal—people link that to Jordan. I’m not mad at the comparison, but let me be me. We’re different people, even though I can call him anytime and he always answers.

The fiercest competitors I faced were Michael and Allen Iverson. Jordan’s relentlessness never stopped—same for Scottie, on both ends—and AI had that drive every minute.

Jordan still gives me advice: handling teammates, raising their level, managing personalities. No one taught me more.

As a kid I never cared if a star was tired or hurt—I wanted to see them play. I think about that every night I suit up. Someone in the crowd might be the next me.

Jordan inspired me most. He showed how a Black athlete could captivate the world and carry himself with class.

He competes in everything—ping-pong, golf, dinner debates. He keeps trying to drag me onto a course, but I’m not giving him that win. At dinner he’ll compare his ’91 season to my best year and claim he’d win. Big brother always picks up the check, though—that’s how it works.