The Kobe Bryant versus Michael Jordan debate will exist as long as we all have a platform to argue over the topic. Jordan has six rings, Kobe has five. Jordan never lost in six NBA Finals appearances, Kobe has lost twice on the biggest stage. You get the idea. On Tuesday night, Brandon Jennings took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the longest-running bar argument in NBA history.
Here’s what Jennings had to say about Kobe versus Jordan, with a particular focus on each player’s supporting cast during their championship years:
MJ never won without Pippen. Kobe won 2 rings without another great on his team. Kobe is The Goat
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) August 19, 2014
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Kobe Had Shaq. MJ had Pippen, Dennis, Ron Harper, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc,
John Paxson, B. J. Armstrong.
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) August 19, 2014
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Saying that Kobe won two rings without another great player on his team is debatable. Jennings is, of course, referring to the two championships the Lakers won after Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. The key supporting cast on those Lakers teams includes Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Metta World Peace and when healthy, Andrew Bynum.
During the 2009-10 season, when Kobe won his fifth title, Gasol was one of the top players in the league, averaging 18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field. Those numbers don’t compare to what Shaq did in his prime, but to say Kobe didn’t have a great player next to him seems far-fetched.
Jennings did go on to make two really good points. The first one being this:
It's only one player compared to MJ, and that's Kobe. Now Kobe change the mindset of a lot of players today!!! #Fact #SitUpinClass
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) August 19, 2014
Kobe is legendary for his workout routines, and no one in the league takes care of his body better than him. This summer, we’ve seen LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony devote themselves to dieting and getting in shape. It’s not a reach to say they’ve been inspire by how Kobe’s managed to remain a very effective player this late into his career by keeping in shape.
And finally, this is perhaps the most important point from Jennings:
I'm all about who I see LIVE I guess. Kobe is the GOAT of this generation. If you fighting that Unfollow me then.
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) August 20, 2014
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Kobe and Jordan played in different eras, and for some basketball fans, it means they only had a chance to watch Kobe and not very much of Jordan in his prime. When you’ve followed one player’s career very closely and only read about another player’s career, it’s easy to let that influence your argument on who is better.
The truth is, both Kobe and Jordan had remarkable careers, and the fact we’re still even having the debate shows how highly these two players are on the all-time rankings.
What do you think?
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