Michael Jordan didn’t hesitate when asked to pick between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James
Michael Jordan was in no doubt about who is the superior player between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Michael Jordan didn’t hesitate when asked to pick between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James on who is the superior player.
Jordan is widely deemed to be the greatest NBA player of all time, with six championships to his name with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990’s.
Bryant proved to be the heir to Jordan’s throne, winning five NBA titles and collecting two finals MVPs during a glittering 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
There was a brief crossover on the court as they squared off eight times – with the late Bryant winning on five occasions.
James, a four-time NBA champion and the record point-scorer in NBA history with 41,837, is also well in the GOAT conversation thanks to his heroics and longevity.
.jpg)
LeBron James didn’t hesitate when asked who he’d pick to play 2v2 against Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen
Michael Jordan had the coldest response when LeBron James stared him down while dunking during NBA game
Scottie Pippen gave ‘the best damn answer’ when asked if Michael Jordan or LeBron James is the NBA GOAT
NBA star who LeBron James claimed was ‘more gifted’ than Michael Jordan suffers devastating career blo
Shaq named the five NBA stars he’d most want to fight including player who ‘almost bit finger off
.jpg)
Michael Jordan only ever lost one 1v1 in his entire career and it didn’t happen in the NBA
Michael Jordan always ate the same food as his pre-workout meal which wouldn’t be allowed in NBA today
Charles Barkley reveals what he’d do if he met Donald Trump after controversial comment about black people
NBA star who was drafted ahead of Kobe Bryant in 1996 was murdered after terrifying 911 call
Kobe Bryant had truly bizarre middle name that was even more unusual than his first
.jpg)
NBA star made unbelievably embarrassing blunder meeting Michael Jordan for the very first time
LeBron James and son Bronny James ‘respond’ after being sued by two women over 2022 incident
Steph Curry’s wife Ayesha reveals surprise non-negotiable relationship rule she has with NBA legend
Bleacher Report predicted the next 10 Ballon d’Or winners in 2012 and got it wildly wrong
The ‘most overpowered player in FIFA history’ quit football after bizarre career that included eight clubs in five years
Arsenal fans think Mikel Arteta used ‘secret tactic’ he previously joked about in PSV win
Jamie Carragher has addressed AFCON and Mo Salah criticism in first TV appearance since comments
Two athletes were banned for life after breaking the strictest rule at the Olympics
Peter Crouch explains how secret Champions League bonuses work and what players receive if they win
Tyrone Mings has just produced one of the best goal-line clearances you will ever see
LeBron James didn’t hesitate when asked who he’d pick to play 2v2 against Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen
However, he explained why Bryant will always be ahead of James in his mind.
“I mean, that’s a tough one. I would say… Kevin Durant,” Jordan joked back in 2013.
He continued: “In terms of the dominance of the game of basketball, at this stage it’s LeBron. Championship-wise Kobe Bryant.
“He wants it so bad and he’s willing to go to the extreme. Guarding a guy. Guarding a point guard at the age of 34, playing 38 minutes, and 40 minutes. It’s ludicrous.
“I think this is what he’s battling with. It is what it is. He’s cursed as much as I am. If you had to pick between the two that would be a tough choice, and five [players] beat one.”
Jordan and Bryant’s friendship
Jordan and Bryant grew to become close friends and ‘MJ’ gave a tearful tribute at his memorial service at the Staples Center in 2020 after he died in a helicopter crash.
“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died,” Jordan explained.
“Maybe it surprised people … but we were very close friends. Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe.”
On their relationship, Jordan added that he “wanted to be the best big brother that I could be” to Bryant.
Michael Jordan was overcome with emotion when friend Kobe Bryant passed away. Image: Getty
Jordan revealed the heartbreaking final exchange between them prior to Kobe’s tragic passing in the helicopter accident which also claimed the life of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
“This tequila is awesome,” Kobe texted, as per ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan.
“Thank you, my brother,” Jordan replied.
“Yes, sir. Family good?” Kobe said.
“All good. Yours?”
“All good.”
“Happy holidays,” Jordan texted back, “and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!”
“I added that little crying/laughing emoji,” Jordan chuckled.
Jay Spearing films the full-time scenes at Wembley after Carabao Cup win
“Ah, back at you, man,” Kobe wrote. “Hey, coach, I’m sitting on the bench right now, and we’re blowing this team out. 45-8.”
.jpg)
.jpg)
LeBron James didn’t hesitate when asked who he’d pick to play 2v2 against Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen
The King picked the best of his past teammates to take on the iconic Chicago Bulls duo
LeBron James didn’t have to deliberate for long when choosing which players he’d want to team up with for a hypothetical two-v-two game against Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Now in his 22nd NBA season, the 40-year-old LA Lakers superstar has played with some of the most decorated and skilled players in the game’s recent history.
Just last month, another NBA star was added to James’ illustrious list of colleagues when the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in a shock trade.
James will be hoping Doncic can help drive the Lakers to a first title since 2020, which would give the veteran forward a fifth career championship ring.
LeBron James and Michael Jordan. (Image: Getty)
The debate over who should be considered the greatest NBA player of all time almost always centres around James and Jordan. The Chicago Bulls icon won six titles during his 1990s peak, as well as five Most Valuable Player awards, one Defensive Player of the Year award, six Finals MVPs and 10 scoring titles.
James has been named MVP four times and Finals MVP on another four occasions. He is also the highest scorer in NBA history.
Fans often speculate over who would have won a one-on-one contest between the GOAT contenders in their respective peaks. But when James initiated a Q&A session with his fans on Twitter in 2022, one user of the social media app came up with an interesting twist on the thought exercise, asking who the former Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers icon would choose as a teammate to take on Jordan and Pippen in a two-against-two showdown.
The question came long before James and Doncic were colleagues, so the Slovenian point guard was not under consideration. But, interestingly, James didn’t select Dywane Wade – with whom he won two titles in Miami – or his old Cavaliers teammate Shaquille O’Neal.
“Kobe, KD or Kyrie,” James replied.
He played with both Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant on Team USA, while uber-skilled guard Kyrie Irving was James’ running mate on the 2016 title-winning Cavaliers.
Home> NBA
Michael Jordan once gave advice to a young Kobe Bryant during a game in 1997
Michael Jordan once gave advice to a young Kobe Bryant during a game in 1997.d
Michael Jordan once gave advice to a young Kobe Bryant during a game in 1997.
Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest NBA player in history, having inspired the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and transformed basketball’s status globally in the Nineties.
While a fierce competitor, a video from 1997 has emerged of Jordan giving advice to his opponent, Bryant, during a game.
On the incident, Jordan said at the time: “He asked me one question. We’d been down at half-court. He wanted to know how, when I turn around on my jump shot, he to unlock the defence or how to get a feel of the defence.
“I told him you should feel the defence with your legs. Once you feel the defence with your legs you’ve more or less got a feel of where the defence is and you can take advantage of that.”
When asked if he had a problem giving away advice during a game, Jordan replied: “Not at all. That enhances his basketball skills. Someone did that for me, and truly I’m not against giving him any kind of tips about his game. I’m not going to try to give him too much information.
“The kid has learnt a lot in the short time he’s been in the league and believe me he’s going to continue to learn.”
Of course, it was not the first time Jordan would impart wisdom to Bryant.
“Michael gave me some really good advice after the ‘08 Finals: ‘You got all the tools. You gotta figure out how to get these guys to that next level to win that championship.’” Bryant said to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck.
“Going into the 2010 series, I said, ‘Listen, Boston, they got Ray Allen, they got Paul Pierce, they got [Kevin] Garnett, they got Sheed [Wallace], the talent is there. They’re stacked.’ That was the first superteam. [Michael] kind of heard me lament about it, and he just goes, ‘Yeah, well, it is what it is; you gotta figure it out. There’s no other alternative.’”
Magic Johnson didn’t hesitate when picking between Michael Jordan and LeBron James in the NBA GOAT debate
James recently surpassed MJ in one key aspect of NBA history.
NBA legend Magic Johnson made his feelings clear on the debate between who is the best out of LeBron James and Michael Jordan and crowning basketball’s GOAT.
James and Jordan are among two of the greatest players to ever set foot on a basketball court and the discussion rages about who is the greatest player of all time in NBA history.
Both men have the credentials to fit that description.
James is still playing despite reaching the age of 40 and also recently moved past Jordan in one key aspect of NBA history.
He has become the first player in NBA history to have multiple 40+ point games aged 40 and above.
James is a four-time NBA champion and has represented the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and his current side the Los Angeles Lakers.
He has also been named the NBA Finals MVP on four occasions, and the NBA’s overall MVP four times.
But standing in his way in the GOAT debate is the legendary figure of Jordan, who has now been retired for more than 20 years but his appeal lives on to this day.
Most of the now 62-year-old’s career on the basketball court was spent with the Chicago Bulls, then latterly with the Washington Wizards in the closing stages for the last two years.
LeBron James and Michael Jordan. (Image: Getty)
The six-time NBA Champion enjoyed a memorable spell with the Bulls as he was named the MVP in the NBA Finals a total of six times.
Johnson played his entire career with the LA Lakers and was crowned an NBA champion on five occasions during the 1980s, also being named the NBA Finals MVP and the NBA’s MVP three times each.
Speaking a few years ago on the Dan Patrick Show, Johnson made it clear that though he felt that was a possibility that James could surpass Jordan, for him the GOAT would always be MJ.
He said: “LeBron is special, and I don’t want people always getting mad— we’ve got to celebrate both guys, Michael is the best, and we should celebrate him and celebrate LeBron.
“I hate when people get mad at you when you take one or the other. We should just say ‘hey, Michael is special’, and he’s the best to me because he never lost in the NBA Finals and he averaged over 30 points a game.
“The guy is just unbelievable. LeBron is special too in his own right too, and people shouldn’t forget that either, but when it’s all said and done, if you come at me and ask me, that’s who I am going to with and it’s MJ.”
Michael Jordan had the coldest response when LeBron James stared him down while dunking during NBA game
LeBron James was playing for Miami Heat when he dunked on Charlotte Hornets, owned by Michael Jordan for 13 years.
Michael Jordan had an unbelievably cold response when LeBron James stared at him while dunking during an NBA game.
Jordan and James are widely considered to be two of the best basketball players in history, with 10 NBA championships between them as well as a whole host of other achievements and honours.
They never came up against one another on the court but have regularly been compared by fans, pundits and players as part of the never-ending GOAT debate.
James wears the No.23 as a tribute of sorts to Jordan, who made it an iconic jersey with his heroics for the Chicago Bulls – and he’s even attempted to recreate his ‘eyes closed’ dunk.
The pair have crossed paths before and there has always been a mutual respect between them, with Jordan even calling James the best player in the league a few years back.
However, James did once appear to stare into Jordan’s soul once as he sat courtside.
In game three between Miami Heat and Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) back in April 2014, James helped his team to a 98-85 victory on the road.
‘King’ scored a game-high 30 points and at one stage, with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter and Miami leading 66-49, he stole possession and dribbled towards the basket before pulling off a trademark dunk.
But as he did so, James didn’t have his eyes on the rim – instead producing a no-look dunk. Replays showed that Jordan was looking to his right, with commentators noting that it was in the direction of where an unimpressed Jordan, the owner of the Bobcats at the time, was sat.
In the comments referring to his reaction, one fan remarked that “Jordan looks like he would have paid 100 million to be 28 years old again for 1 game” – while another said his facial expression basically said, “You look at me like that again, you’ll be with Adidas by tomorrow”.
ESPN broadcasters were adamant that James was sending a message to Jordan, but the former Cleveland Cavaliers star emphatically denied it was the case.
“Don’t start that,” he said when asked afterwards.
“Absolutely not, man, absolutely not. I was able to read [Josh] McRoberts, get a steal and push the lead back up. I absolutely didn’t look at MJ, for sure.”
