Now, back to the important message I'm sending to the sports media...
Kobe Bryant will never be the Next Michael Jordan.
Even if he manages to get a ring with the Lakers next year, he can only establish himself as the first Kobe Bryant. Enough with these ridiculous comparisons, please.
I know I'm not the only person who feels this way.
Y'all know what I'm talking about. How many nonsense articles were we forced to read in the our sports sections prior to the 2008 NBA Finals, that featured writers trying to compare the two NBA superstars; some even going as far to say that Kobe was better is Jordan!
I honestly laughed at that one, out loud, at work, and my co-worker glanced at me with a strange facial expression.
The only thing that writer mentioned that Kobe had over MJ was range (which is true. Kobe's range is much further than Jordan's).
In my opinion, Bryant would have to win a total of 5 Championships, 5 Finals MVP Awards, 3 more Regular Season MVP awards, at least another scoring title, average 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists a game and make the All-NBA and All-Defensive team every year from now until his retirement before anyone can even consider placing him on the same boat as His Airness.
And given the fact that KB will be 30 years of age this August, it's very unlikely that this will happen.
They are similar in some ways, but not enough to flood the web with comparison articles. Jordan was a fierce competitor who was one the most dominant players in the league for his entire career (like most Jordan fans, I don't count the Washington Wizards stint as part of his career).
Kobe developed into the league's best over time. Jordan refused to lose. Kobe would sometimes disappear in games to prove a point. Jordan had his own shoes without Nike logos all over them. Kobe had to rebuild his reputation before Nike would even give him his own signature shoe.
Conclusion? Michael Jordan remains the greatest player to ever set foot on an NBA court, hands down.
Kobe Bryant will never carry that title before his name (unless the scenarios I mentioned in the previous paragraph occur, and then some).
Now, don't get me wrong, just because Kobe will never be the greatest, does not mean he is not great.
Dude, 81 points speaks for itself.
This 2007-08 NBA season marked the beginning of the Bryant legacy. I firmly believe that he will win another ring before he calls it quits, and it won't be done by joining a team that is already stacked with superstars.
He is a future Hall Of Famer who will forever be remembered as one of the league's greatest scorers. His story is a fascinating one. Just as many people hate him as that of those who love him (couldn't say that about Jordan, though).
And even though he was spanked by the Celtics in this year's finals, no one can take away his amazing season and that awesome run to the Finals he orchestrated with the Lakers.
The sports media eventually runs out of things to write about, so they come up with bogus articles that will attract readers and generate a buzz around the league.
This is this perfect example: "Hmmm. Kobe finally made it to the Finals without Shaq. Even though the numbers tell a different story, let's compare him to Jordan. Readers want that!"
My goodness. Enough is enough. Jordan is Jordan, Kobe is Kobe.
PLEASE, talk about how great Kobe is as a player instead of measuring him up to the greatest of all-time.
Like I said, I love Kobe. My favorite player in the game. But he's got a long ways to go before he'll be on MJ's flight, and I honestly don't believe he'll ever get there.
So let's just allow him to be Kobe; number 24, the number after Jordan. Bryant won't be the greatest, but he is definitely one the of the greatest. Nothing wrong with that.
13 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
mike james 11 months ago
yes i agree... these stupid people live in the moment and dont think logically... he is also my faourite player now.. but not even close to jordan. hes pob my favourite player beciase he play alot like jordan... but thats it. relax ppl !
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James Gray 11 months ago
I am sick of ppl comparing too...him being the next MJ isn't ever going to happen
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Kyle Meadows 11 months ago
Why is there so much emphasis on the next great player in the major sports, but no one asks if Tiger is going to be the next Palmer? People who think Kobe is going to be the next Jordan are out of their minds, no one will ever be Jordan because Jordan was Jordan. No one asked if Jordan was the next Magic or the next Bird.
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sam the fact checker 11 months ago
i agree kobe will never be jordan but...may i ask what is pulling a vince carter?...also you mention jordan as the greatest player to set foot the nba court...that depends on what point of view you look at...im not saying bill russel is better but im just saying it could be argued that russel was the greatest player becasue he just flat out won...yes jordan won but not as much as russel...and i love your line saying that people should just start talking about how great kobe is instead of comparing...of course everyone would suck if there compared to jordan...haha...
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Domain 11 months ago
Everybody Knows Michael was the greatest but he never scored 81 in one game.... remeber that records are ment to be broken dont understimate both the talent and the work ethic this talented athlete has!
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Sam A 11 months ago
who is Michael Jordan, he is just an over hyped & over rated player. he played during sissy's generation players. That's it. I don't think he can dominate If he plays in this generation ( even during his prime) of well trained NBA guys. Enough of MJ, Please. He is a history.. most of the current generation do not care for him.
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Kyle Meadows 11 months ago
"most of the current generation do not care for him"
huh? Mj won his last championship just 10 years ago, and a generation is around 20 years so how is most of the current generation not care for him. You can ask any steady basketball fan from the age of 10 on and up and they will tell you how awesome MJ is. Kobe is just in his prime now, and he won't have the universal liking that MJ has still to this day because he doesn't have that nice guy who only wins for his team mentallity.
Kobe is selfish when he is losing, and ungrateful when he is winning, you never saw that with Mj.
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John Doe 11 months ago
It's unfair to compare any player to Michael Jordan, and its even more unfair that kobe gets the most shit for it even though he doesn't even say "I will be better than Jordan." The guy wants to be the best, and he works his ass off to try and give himself a chance to be the best. I'm a fan of his work ethic and his competitiveness. I think people are just scared because they idolized Jordan so much that Kobe is seen as a threat to their god. LeBron is even starting to get criticized now. Make no mistake, Kobe will never surpass Jordan, or anyone for that matter. The stars were aligned for Jordan, his accomplishments otherworldly. But I think people are taking for granted the greatness in #24.
How the hell is today's kobe selfish? The guy complained because the team wasn't winning. Why would anyone expect someone who wants to win to be complacent with what he has? Winners don't wait around for everything to fall in place. They do what they think they must to get to where they want to go. Even when they reached the Finals and lost, he acknowledged the great season they had, even though they ended it by losing. Its funny how haters won't give Kobe any credit for the team's success, but they'll find every reason to pin it on just kobe when the team loses.
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nessa q 11 months ago
ok ...kobe is ALWAYS mentioned along with mjs name ....which means ...he is that good ....is iverson ever mentioned ? is nash? the only person compared to mj is kobe ...so why is that if he is not as good? he is ..
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Jake Perper 11 months ago
nice pic
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Alex Buda 11 months ago
I don't know if this is your intention but to me it looks like your trying to state Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time as a fact and not as an opinion.
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adam folarin 11 months ago
Yeah micheal jordan does not lose the nba champship
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50 cent dollar 5 months ago
read all the comments and here's what i can say! hmmm kobe is one of the greatest, definitely one of the deadly players who ever played in the hardwood! his work ethic is off the hook! he works his ass
off to be "the best that he can be" stop comparing him to His Airness.
also, one of the comments was sounding like a jordan "hater"..
if you hate mj keep it to yourself! if you hate kobe keep to yourself too!!
you morons don't know how to appreciate the greatness in these 2 athletes.. peace!
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