Scottie Pippen: Kawhi Leonard, Kobe Bryant Are the Closest to Michael Jordan
Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen said the Toronto Raptors' Kawhi Leonard and former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant are the two players who came closest to matching Michael Jordan.
"Kawhi … Did y'all forget about Kobe?" Pippen told TMZ Sports when asked about comparisons to his former Bulls teammate. "They're both great players."
He made no mention of LeBron James, though.
Meanwhile, Pippen was also asked whether the Warriors' dynasty is starting to reach, or potentially even exceed, the standard set by the Bulls during the 1990s. He dismissed that idea.
"Bulls all day," he told TMZ.
Pippen won six NBA championships alongside Jordan with the Bulls and is naturally going to be biased.
A seven-game series between a full-strength Warriors squad with Kevin Durant healthy alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins and the '90s Bulls would probably be the NBA's ultimate dream matchup.
For the sake of this hypothetical, take a look at the 1995-96 Bulls, who went 72-10 and featured Jordan, Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr. Kerr, of course, now coaches this Golden State juggernaut.
