Kobe Bryant: A Greater Offensively Skilled Player Than Michael Jordan
Many NBA fans are of the belief that Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA player to ever live. While you may find some differing opinion on this subject the vast majority of fans will swear by this statement as if it were NBA gospel. As great as Jordan was with all his individual and team accomplishments, Kobe Bryant has proven to be the greater skilled offensive player.
Kobe Bryant scored an amazing 81 points in a single game. Second only to wilt's 100 point game in the history of the league. In that game he scored a mind boggling 55 points in the second half alone. Kobe Bryant also outscored an entire team through three quarters. In 2006 he outscored the Dallas Mavericks 62-61 through three quarters. He holds the record for most 3 pointers in a single game with 12. Kobe Bryant's offensive arsenal is second to none.
Never in Jordan's storied career have we seen offensive outputs such as this. If you're old enough to have been able to watch both players, it should be obvious to you that Kobe Bryant has much greater range than Jordan ever did. Aside from the finals game against the Trailblazers back in 1991, I've never really seen Jordan dominate a game from behind the arc the way Kobe Bryant has done on numerous occasions.
When evaluating both players in their primes it's also obvious that Kobe Bryant was also more athletic than Jordan. Don't get me wrong, both of their athleticism was off the charts in their prime, but Kobe has had some of the most jaw dropping finishes at the rim that the league has ever seen. One of the many that stands out was his dunk over Dwight Howard that was straight nasty and extremely not nice. It was Kobe's way of welcoming Dwight to the league. Another aspect of Kobe's game that stands out and is greater than Jordan's is his ability to hit some of the most difficult shots you could ever imagine. Even his hall of fame coach Phil Jackson, who's had the opportunity to coach both players, is on record saying that Kobe is the greatest tough shot maker he's ever seen. Phil Jackson says that Jordan had a knack of getting a better looks at the end of games to win them.
Kobe Bryant has the ability to hit incredibly difficult shots at the end of games to win them. Just this season alone Kobe already has 5 game winners. One of which was an unbelievably difficult shot over Dwayne Wade. While Jordan will always be considered the best to play the game, I'm here to tell you it's not that cut and dry. Many will say Jordan's individual accomplishments will always trump Kobe's and that most likely is true. That being said, one must also take into consideration that when Jordan came into the league he pretty much had free reign to shoot, shoot and shoot some more. It was his offense. While Kobe Bryant had to play with the most dominate low post presence in the game for the first 8 seasons of his career.
Kobe Bryant never had the type of freedom that Jordan had throughout his career. Only when Shaq was traded, did Kobe become the first option. When that happened he proved to everyone that his ability to score and carry a team was not due to the fact he had Shaq in the middle demanding so much attention. That it was due to his talent. He went on to win a scoring title, put up some of the greatest offensive outputs ever seen, and lead his team to a championship. It can be argued that if Kobe Bryant had been the number one option of a team early on in his career up until this day, his career numbers would be just as good if not better than Michael Jordan's. Join the discussion and let us know what you think.