Comparing Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan = Rick Fox to LeBron James

The other day, I heard one of the most ridiculous statements ever: Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan.

I couldn't believe it.

Were they being serious or were they just trying to be funny? Evidently they were being serious since they didn't crack a smile.

And believe me, I was waiting for them to bust out laughing, but nope, it never happened.

Well, I guess everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

It's crazy to think that anyone would honestly believe that Kobe was the NBA's greatest player of all time.

He isn't even the greatest Laker of all time. And he'll never be no matter how many championships he wins.

There's no way that he will ever surpass legends Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Jerry West even if he becomes the all-time leading scorer in team history.

Okay, enough with the Laker talk. Let's get back to why the names Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan should never be used in the same paragraph.

Don't get me wrong, I truly believe that Kobe is one of the greatest players in NBA history. I'd probably place him somewhere in the top 25 or so.

However, look at what he's accomplished and then take a gander at what Jordan did during his illustrious career.

Sure, Kobe has won four NBA titles. That's pretty impressive.

He has also won a regular season MVP and a Finals MVP. That's pretty impressive, too.

In addition, he once scored a whopping 81 points in game and poured in 61 at Madison Square Garden, two feats that Jordan never accomplished. Yep, pretty impressive as well.

But then look at Jordan. He won six titles and unlike Kobe, he was "The Man" on all of those Chicago Bulls teams.

As we all know, Shaquille O'Neal was the best player on those first three Laker championship teams with Kobe playing the role of the sidekick.   

Jordan won six Finals MVPs, which are far greater than Kobe's measly one.

No, MJ never scored 81 points in a single game or put up 61 in The Garden, but who cares?

Kobe's 81 were against an awful Toronto Raptors team and his 61 were against an awful New York Knicks team.

I'd really like to see him score 60 points in a playoff game like Jordan once did.

Anyone who thinks Kobe is better than Jordan is out of their mind. Oh, but on the other hand they're actually right.

Kobe is definitely better than Jordan...a 46-year-old Jordan that is. I'm sure if the two were to play one-on-one today, MJ wouldn't be able to stop the much younger Lakers star.

All jokes aside, anyone who thinks Kobe is better than Jordan is most likely a fan who didn't watch a single NBA game in the 1980s or 1990s.

If you had watched Jordan play back then, you would have been simply amazed. I guarantee you would have asked yourself many times, "How did he do that?"

Oh well, like I said before, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I think Kobe isn't in the same league as Jordan, but many others think differently.

Comparing Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan is like comparing Rick Fox to LeBron James.

It's not even close.