Kobe vs. Jordan: Can Jordan's Fans Finally Accept the Truth About Kobe?

It was recently revealed that former Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan acknowledged that Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was the only NBA player he felt to attain his level of play, which takes a lot of wind out of the sails of the crowd who refuses to accept any Kobe comparison to Jordan.

How can you argue with his "Airness" in the flesh?

I'm sure Jordan's fans will still find reasons to denigrate Bryant after having the scales cast from their eyes by the only person who really has a definitive say in the matter. And the first point that will likely be brought up is Kobe is still not a better player.

And I would agree, but that's not the point.

Until now it has been a sacrilege among Jordan's most ardent supporters to even acknowledge the similarity in Bryant and Jordan's games, their attitudes, their mannerisms or their skill sets.

But Jordan saying that Kobe is the only player to reach his level must mean that all of the imitation has paid off.

After all, it's one thing for a player to try to imitate a player like Jordan, but it's entirely something else when a player is dedicated and driven enough to live up to the comparisons.

There have been many players labeled as the heir to Jordan's throne (Harold Miner anyone?), but only Kobe has crafted the type of legacy that stands up under all scrutiny.

Kobe will likely finish his career ahead of Jordan on the NBA's all-time scoring list, especially if he continues at his current rate. And there is still an outside chance that Bryant can finish with a higher ring count as well.

If Bryant does achieve those lofty goals, then where would that place him on the NBA's all-time player list, since most honest people agree that he was already top 10 before Jordan's comments were revealed?

Unless you think Jordan resides at the bottom of the top five, you would almost have to rate Bryant solidly in the top five as well if you believe in Jordan's judgement.

I consider Jordan to be a top-three player myself, and I think it's revealing that Kobe's name was the only one mentioned during his moment of reflection.

If Jordan really feels that Bryant is the only player to ever reach his level of excellence, and the fact that Kobe has all the necessary historical hardware to back that claim up, one could reasonably assume that Kobe is a legitimate top-five player, right?

That list will always be a subjective matter, but Jordan's opinion must be hard to swallow for those who argued that Bryant would never even be in a top-five-player conversation.

Jordan may not be a great judge of talent when it comes to running an NBA team, but he is an expert witness when it comes to recognizing greatness in one of his peers.

And Kobe is definitely one of Jordan's peers, if not his equal, which is something that Kobe's supporters have known all along.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to anoint Kobe to one of those hallowed spots in the top five just yet, but how could I disagree with the opinion of Jordan, who is arguably the greatest player to ever grace an NBA court?