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Image credit: Fadeaway World
One of the most prominent comparisons in the NBA community is between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The two star shooting guards have eerily similar careers, styles of play and attitudes to the game of basketball. Both players are consummate winners and fearful of anything that stands in front of them on the hardwood. They became the greatest players in the history of the Bulls and Lakers respectively, they won 11 championships, 6 MVPs, 8 Finals MVPs, and were selected to the All-Star 32 times.
Today, we will look at Jordan and Kobe in a different light than before. Instead of comparing their similar dominance in the midrange or their similar obsession with winning borderline psychotic behavior, we’re going to look at each of their career highs. By adding context to each situation, this gives us the opportunity to compare the two players like never before. By looking at these vastly different game situations, we offer a unique look at the never-ending comparisons between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
Let’s take a look at the peak performances of two of the greatest players of all time, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
integral
Michael Jordan: 69 points (Bulls vs. Cavaliers, March 28, 1990)
Kobe Bryant: 81 points (Lakers vs. Raptors, Jan. 22, 2006)
Michael Jordan scored more than 60 points in a single game just four times in his 15-year career. He scored 61 points twice in the 1987 season against the Pistons and Hawks, and 64 points in 1993 against the Orlando Magic. However, his best performance came during the 1990 season against one of his more famous opponents, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Only Horace Grant scored in double figures outside of Jordan, who was 23-37 from the court and 21-23 from the free throw line. The Bulls eventually won the game 117-113, with Jordan contributing 18 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Kobe Bryant has six career 60-point games in his 20-year career, but none more than he accomplished north of the border in January 2006. In a seemingly normal matchup against the Toronto Raptors, Bryant would make history with his second-highest single-game scoring performance of all time.
Bryant scored 81 points on 28-46 shooting from the field and 18-20 free throws. Kobe Bryant made 42 shots in 48 minutes and led the Lakers to a 122-104 win. After tonight, Bryant will have four of six six-point games in his career.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
rebound
Michael Jordan: 18 rebounds (Bulls vs. Cavaliers, March 28, 1990), (Bulls vs. Sonics, March 18, 1997)
Kobe Bryant: 16 rebounds (Lakers vs. Raptors, Jan. 24, 2010)
Michael Jordan played in an era when rebounding was dominated by the frontcourt. Big men like Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and many others dominated the paint and the glass. That being said, Michael Jordan was more than just an average shooting guard. Jordan has grabbed 18 rebounds in a game twice. As we’ve already discussed, the first occurred during his career-high 69-point game. Another game was against Seattle in 1997, when he had 32 points and 18 rebounds.
In his career, Kobe Bryant has only 3 games with 15 or more rebounds. Bryant clearly enjoyed playing with the Raptors, as he posted career highs in points and rebounds with the team. In 2010, Bryant’s Lakers played against Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors. Bryant led both teams with 16 rebounds as the Raptors won 106-105. In 2012 against Minnesota, Bryant came close to breaking a career high with 14 rebounds.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
assist
Michael Jordan: 17 assists (Bulls vs. Trail Blazers, March 24, 1989)
Kobe Bryant: 17 assists (Lakers vs. Cavaliers, Jan. 15, 2015)
One of the biggest misconceptions about Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant is that they hogged the ball and never passed it. Considering that Michael Jordan averaged over 11 assists in a single Finals series and Kobe Bryant has over 6,000 assists in his career, this statement is false. During his career, Michael Jordan had a total of 76 games with 10 or more assists. His most assists in a game came against the Trail Blazers in 1989, when he had 17. In Jordan’s game against opponent Clyde Drexler, he led the Bulls to a 128-113 victory. He had 33 points, 17 assists and 6 steals in the win.
Bryant was also a very helpful passer when needed. His career as a playmaker has been massively overlooked and underappreciated. Bryant has accumulated 10 or more assists in a game 86 times in 20 seasons, tying Jordan’s career high in assists in a single game. Kobe had 17 assists against the Cavaliers in 2015.
Despite Bryant’s double-double of 19 points and 17 assists, the Lakers will waste his efforts. I sincerely hope that the narrative about these two passers-by gets shattered over time.
Advantage: uniform
steal
Michael Jordan: 10 steals (Bulls vs. Nets, Jan. 28, 1988)
Kobe Bryant: 7 steals (Lakers vs. Jazz, Feb. 13, 2006)
Both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are, or should be, known as the best defenders at their positions. Michael Jordan is a former Defensive Player of the Year and a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection. In 1989, a year after winning the Defensive Player of the Year award, Jordan set a career-high 10 steals against the New Jersey Nets. The Bulls embarrassed the Nets in the game, winning 120-93 after Jordan scored 32 points on 14-18 shooting from the field and 10 steals.
As for Kobe, he is a warrior on the defensive end. Bryant holds the record for most All-Defensive Team selections by a guard with 12. His on-ball defense was suffocating and kept his opponents through long nights and scarred mornings. Five days before recording his career-high seven steals, Bryant had a six-steal game. In the 94-88 win over the Jazz, Bryant led the Lakers’ defense while contributing 23 points on 30.0 percent shooting.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
Building Blocks
Michael Jordan: 6 blocks (Bulls vs. Sonics, Dec. 2, 1986)
Kobe Bryant: 5 blocks (Lakers vs. Grizzlies, Dec. 11, 1999), (Lakers vs. Hornets, Feb. 2, 2001), (Lakers vs. Sixers, 2000 February 20th, )
Another part of Jordan’s and Kobe’s defense was the way they blocked shots. Most of their blocks come from weak-side help or fast-break pursuit, but they’re still important. Michael Jordan was the leading shooting guard in NBA history in blocked shots until Dwyane Wade broke his record. In 1986, Jordan blocked 6 shots against the Seattle SuperSonics. Jordan’s stat line in the 115-109 win is ridiculous. He scored 40 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 6 blocks.
Kobe was also a great defender and transition defender in his day. Bryant recorded a career-high 5 blocks 3 times in a game. In 1999, the young Kobe contributed 5 blocks, 14 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in the victory over the Grizzlies. He also had 18 points, 7 assists and 5 blocks in a win over the 76ers in 2000. The last time he recorded five blocks in a game was in 2001 against the Hornets. The Lakers won 93-87, with Bryant scoring 44 points and grabbing nine rebounds on his five blocks.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
3- Pointer
Michael Jordan: Made 7 3-pointers (Bulls vs. Warriors, Jan. 18, 1990)
Kobe Bryant: 12 3-pointers (Lakers vs. Sonics, Jan. 7, 2003)
One of the biggest knocks from Michael Jordan’s game, especially to young NBA fans, was his inability to shoot from beyond the three-point line. First, Jordan always said the three-point shot was never part of his game, and he could dominate it in other ways. Second, Jordan can shoot lights out when he wants to. Ask the Trail Blazers about the 1992 NBA Finals. Jordan’s seven 3-pointers against the Sonics in 1990 were his best regular-season output ever. He made seven 3-pointers for 44 points in Golden State’s 132-107 rout.
As for Kobe Bryant, he’s more likely to let it fly from beyond the arc. Bryant has made more than 1,800 three-pointers in his career, ranking him 21st in NBA history. On one night in January 2003, Bryant made 12 3-pointers in a win over the Seattle SuperSonics, more than ever before. Bryant made it 12-18 on 3-pointers, scoring 45 points in the 21-point victory. Kobe made 7 three-pointers in 7 games in his career, and 9 three-pointers in 3 games in his career.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
shooting percentage
Michael Jordan: 27 field goal percentages (Bulls vs. Magic, Jan. 16, 1993)
Kobe Bryant: 28 field goal percentage (Lakers vs. Raptors, Jan. 22, 2006)
We all know that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were not afraid to take a shot every time they stepped on the court. When you rise to superstar heights like they did, you’re entitled to more shots than you deserve. That was the case on January 16, 1993, when Michael Jordan played the Orlando Magic. Jordan took 49 shots tonight, hit 28 times, and scored a total of 69 points. Unfortunately for him, his efforts fizzled out as the Magic beat the Bulls 128-124.
As for Bryant, he never had a night like Jan. 22, 2006. Bryant came to Toronto with the weight of the team as the team sought its first NBA championship since O’Neal was traded to Miami. On this night, he asked every basketball fan to stop what they were doing and watch NBA history unfold. In his 81-point output, Bryant would attempt 46 shots and make 28 of them. The Lakers won 122-104, and Bryant set the record for the second most points in a single game in NBA history.
Advantage: Kobe Bryant
free throws made
Michael Jordan: 26 free throws made (Bulls vs. Nets, Feb. 26, 1987)
Kobe Bryant: 23 free throws made (Lakers vs. Cavaliers, Jan. 30, 2001), (Lakers vs. Knicks, Jan. 31, 2006)
We’ve talked about pretty much every way these two NBA icons score, aside from how they do at the free throw line. Michael Jordan is one of the best players in NBA history, he could shoot the basket wherever he wanted while still being able to finish with contact. Even so, Jordan has only 5 games with 20 or more free throws in his career. His single-game record was against the Nets in 1987. Jordan made 26 of 27 attempts from the free throw line. He finished with 58 points in the Bulls’ 128-113 win over the Nets.
Just like Jordan could create contact and finish drives, Kobe could manipulate defenses and get to the free throw line almost as an art form. Bryant has made at least 20 free throws in seven career games and set a career high twice with 23. In the 2000 game against the Cavaliers, Bryant hit 40 points with 23-26 free throws. In 2006, in a 33-point victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Bryant again made 23 of his 26 free throws.
Advantage: Michael Jordan
mistake
Michael Jordan: 9 turnovers (Wizards vs. Bulls, Jan. 19, 2002), (Wizards vs. Magic, Mar. 11, 2003)
Kobe Bryant: 11 turnovers (Lakers vs. Pistons, Jan. 31, 2008)
Both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant played extremely ball-dominant games. When you have the ball in your hands the way Jordan and Kobe did, you’re likely to have a ton of turnovers. For Jordan, he was never bad enough to allow double-digit turnovers, but he did commit a career-high nine turnovers twice as a member of the Wizards. In his best season as a member of the Bulls, Jordan had four turnovers and eight turnovers in a game.
Kobe Bryant has a slightly higher turnover rate. In his 20-year career, Bryant had at least 10 turnovers in 4 different games. Kobe…
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