http://nba.si.com/2013/05/17/phil-j...leader-shooter-and-defender-than-kobe-bryant/ In his upcoming book Eleven Rings, legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson offers a comparative analysis of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and it turns out there’s really no comparison. Laying out the players’ relative strengths side-by-side, Jordan, who is responsible for six of Jackson’s 11 rings with the Bulls, consistently prevails over Bryant, who played a leading role with the Lakers in the other five. The Los Angeles Times has printed excerpts of the book, which is set for release on May 21, and Jackson paints Jordan as the better leader, shooter and defender. “One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael’s superior skills as a leader,” Jackson said. “Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he’d yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had.” Jackson noted the “pronounced” difference in their accuracy, Jordan shooting almost 50% — an “extraordinary figure” — while Bryant had been at 45%. “No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender. He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense.” Jackson’s takes, they don’t stray too far — if at all — from the general consensus. Jordan’s better shooting numbers can’t be disputed, his defense is widely regarded as meaningfully better and Bryant has been knocked for years for a go-it-alone personality that requires teammates to bend to his will. Jackson’s assessment is in no ways a slam on Bryant — there’s no shame whatsoever in finishing second to Jordan in any basketball assessment — but it does provide an expert eyewitness verification to some of the criticisms that have dogged Bryant over the years. We shouldn’t understate the historical importance of Jackson’s words, even if they aren’t particularly shocking. Bryant will have the opportunity to pass Jordan for third on the All-Time scoring list, pending a speedy recovery from an Achilles injury, and the two will be linked for decades in conversations about the greatest NBA players of all time. Jackson might very well be the most-qualified person in the world to compare the two players, considering his own professional playing career, his decades of experience on the bench, and his years of first-hand experience with both players during their primes. Comparisons to Jordan have been a particularly hot topic recently as the Hall of Fame guard turned 50 years old in February. Just before All-Star Weekend, Jordan offered his thoughts on Bryant and Heat forward LeBron James, expressing a preference for Bryant because of his advantage in championships. “If you had to pick between the two, that would be a tough choice, but five beats one every time I look at it, and not that he [LeBron James] won’t get five, he may get more than that, but five is bigger than one.” James at first brushed off that talk — tweeting “I’m not MJ, I’m LJ” — but later made it clear in Houston during All-Star Weekend that he very much seeks the Greatest Of All Time title. “I want to be the greatest of all time,” James declared, adding later: “As my talent continued to grow, as I continued to know about the game, appreciate the game, continued to get better, I felt like I had the drive, first of all, the passion, the commitment to the game to place myself as the greatest of all time, the best of all time, however you want to categorize it. I don’t do it to say I’m better than this guy or that guy. I do it for my own inspiration. I inspire myself. When I go out on the floor, I want to be the best of all time. That’s how I help myself each and every night.” Back in April, longtime NBA trainer Tim Grover, who has worked for years with both Jordan and Bryant, told SI.com that comparing Jordan to anyone besides legendary Celtics center Bill Russell would be a mistake. “Michael Jordan was six-for-six in Finals, never lost a Finals, never needed a Game 7 to do that,” Grover said. “Just by saying that alone, that puts him in a category I don’t think anybody else is in, except maybe a Bill Russell. Other than that, I don’t know if you can really put [Jordan] in the same category [with anybody]. “I think what [James] should do, instead of worrying about where Mike was at, he should be trying to get to the accolades, get to the Finals, as many times as Kobe had. … I think the comparison [for James] should be more toward a current player he’s playing against now because of what Michael already did, and LeBron, in the early part of his career, faltered two times in the Finals. I think that [the Jordan/James] comparison can’t be made, just from that alone.” Last summer, Bryant made headlines when he suggested that his 2012 USA Basketball team could defeat Jordan’s 1992 Dream Team. “It’d be a tough one, but I think we’d pull it out,” he said. Jordan responded by telling the Associated Press that he “absolutely laughed” at Bryant’s statement and that there was “no comparison” between the two teams. Bryant, of course, was asked for a response to that response. “So what? He knows I’m a bad mother[expletive],” Bryant told reporters after an exhibition game in Las Vegas. “I’m not really tripping.” Jackson has been in the news a lot recently, launching a Twitter account in March to promote his book, uncorking a great one-liner about Jordan’s famous push-off on Jazz guard Bryon Russell during the 1998 Finals, and serving as a consultant to the Pistons during their ongoing coaching search. Jackson, 67, was linked in rumors to a return to the Lakers’ bench after former coach Mike Brown was fired following a 1-4 start back in November. Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss and GM Mitch Kupchak reportedly met with Jackson before hiring Mike D’Antoni. Since retiring in 2011, Jackson has said the possibilities of a return to coaching are “slim and none.” Of course, that hasn’t stopped his name from popping up in rumors. Back in April, Jackson acknowledged that he had spoken with multiple NBA teams about taking on a possible front-office role.
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br IMO, Kobe Bryant is an all-time top-10 NBA player. His parents have a right to be very, very proud of their son. IMO, Jordan isn't just the best NBA player ever, he's the most dominant player in the history of team sports.
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br Kobe's not a top 10 player. People compare LeBron with MJ. I compare LeBron with Karl Malone (check out the stats).
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br Ooh have to disagree. Malone was never the best player in the game (yeah, thanks to Jordan). Lebron is the best player in the game and has won a championship. This puts James WAY beyond Malone, stats notwithstanding. By the time James hangs 'em up, I predict that the Malone comparison will be considerably more laughable than it is now.
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br I think it's relative. LeBron relative to a league that can't produce 20/10 PFs anymore. Malone relative to many guys his peers. They're about the same size physically. Same defensive ability. Same scoring ability. Malone was the stronger rebounder, LeBron the better ball handler/assist guy. Steve Kerr won a championship. I guess that makes him better than Malone, too?
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br If you continue to have trouble telling Lebron James and Steve Kerr apart, rely more on the best player in the game part I mentioned. It's kind of a key part of the whole greatness thing.
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br Karl Malone is no slouch. Rings or not. Kerr kinda is.
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br Agree completely
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br You did look at their stats and compared, right?
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br No need to. I watched the games, right?
Re: Phil Jackson: Michael Jordan was better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Br Both guys had similar build. LeBron 6'8" 240lbs, Malone 6'9" 250lbs. LeBron is listed as PF this year. Looks like he may play the position permanently from now on. Both perennial all-stars. Both perennial all-nba 1st team. Both numerous selections to the nba all-defense teams. Both won multiple MVPs. LeBron won 4, Malone 2. A certain Chicago Bull likely kept Malone from winning many more. Malone's stats include 6 seasons past the age of 34 where his numbers were worse than his career numbers; LeBron is still young, it remains to be seen if he plays until 40 or plays while his skills decline due to age or wear and tear. Malone averaged 25.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 3.6 APG. 3.6 APG for a PF is outstanding, especially considering he had Stockton as a teammate (not the primary ballhandler). LeBron has averaged 27.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 6.9 APG. The obvious difference is a few more RPG for Malone, a few more APG for LeBron. LeBron is the primary ballhandler for his teams.
