Who’s better — MJ or Kobe?

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the debate on who’s the better player — Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant — continues to rage. It will never be settled, of course, because there’s a 16-year gap separating them. Age has a lot to do in defining one’s capabilities as an athlete.

When Jordan and Bryant square off, imagine a hardcourt version of Star Wars. They’re in a galaxy of their own. Jordan, 40, and Bryant, 24, are idolized for what they do on the floor, for their charisma, and for their derring-do. With the game on the line, they won’t hesitate to take the big shot.

The temptation to compare the cage heroes stems from their similarities. They both play either big guard or small forward. They’re built almost from the same mold–Jordan is 6-6, 216 pounds and Bryant, 6-7, 210. And they play alike although Jordan’s fans insist it’s Bryant who plays like Mike, not the other way around.

Bryant’s fans aren’t easily swayed by Jordan’s larger-than-life status. They point to Bryant’s three NBA titles and the fact that Jordan didn’t earn the first of his six rings until he was 27. Bryant didn’t enjoy the benefit of a rich NCAA background to ease his transition to the pros–unlike Jordan who played three years at North Carolina before joining the Chicago Bulls in 1984.

The fact is Bryant has accomplished so much in only his seventh year in the NBA. He’s in the record books as the youngest player to score 10,000 career points. But it took Jordan only five years–two less than Bryant–to mark the milestone. Jordan, however, was 26 when he accomplished the feat.

Bryant is also the youngest player ever to be named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team, to start an All-Star Game and to earn All-Rookie honors. For a player without college experience, that says a lot. Bryant’s potential to break all sorts of NBA records is unlimited, considering his age.

The Jordanaires are naturally unconvinced. They argue that Bryant couldn’t have won those titles without Shaquille O’Neal watching his back. Jordan never had the luxury of playing with a dominant center. When he was 24, Jordan was in his fourth NBA season playing with forgettable slotman Dave Corzine. Yet he’d achieved much more, individually, than Bryant at that same age. For instance, Jordan had already won two slam dunk titles, claimed MVP honors, led the league in scoring twice, posted career-highs of 61 points in the regular season and 63 in the playoffs, and hit at least 40 points in nine straight games.

As a Los Angeles Lakers rookie, Bryant was no great shakes, averaging 7.6 points. He was the 13th overall pick in the 1996 draft where Allen Iverson was the top choice, Marcus Camby the second and Shareef Abdur-Rahim the third. Lakers teammate Samaki Walker, believe it or not, was the ninth overall pick that year.

Jordan was the third overall selection in the 1984 draft, behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. In his pro debut, he averaged 28.2 points to easily bag the Rookie of the Year award.

Today, Jordan continues to play tough at 40 for the Washington Wizards. Bryant will be 40 in 2019–it would be his 22nd season if he stays active. Jordan said he will retire at the end of this campaign, his 15th–if he hadn’t retired to play baseball for two years, it would’ve been his 17th.

How many more titles is Bryant good for? That all depends on O’Neal. Early this season, with O’Neal sitting out 12 games, the Lakers stumbled to a 3-9 record as Bryant just couldn’t carry the team on his shoulders.

In his prime, Jordan worked wonders. Phil Jackson built a system to exploit Jordan’s skills in Chicago and created a dynasty in the process. Now, Jackson is in Tinseltown, coaching Bryant, and probably realizes it’s not the same without Jordan. Jackson has also established a dynasty in L.A. but cemented his foundations on two stars, not one.

Bryant makes no secret of his burning desire to be like Mike. "It’s obvious how desperately Kobe wants to be like Michael," said NBA photographer Andrew Bernstein in the book Mad Game. "He’s taken a lot of Michael’s game and Michael’s mannerisms and sort of adapted them to himself. You can say it when he comes into the basket and he’s up in the air and he does his little dipsy-doo. Sometimes he’ll react like Michael when he has a great dunk or he hits three threes in a row."

Bryant began studying Jordan’s moves when he was 13. There were rumors that Bryant deliberately made games go down to the wire in high school so he could get the chance to emulate Jordan’s heroics.

Tyronn Lue, who played with Bryant on the Lakers and now caddies for Jordan on the Wizards, said the two are obsessed players. "Kobe wants to win every drill, every possession, every game," said Lue quoted by Mitchell Krugel in One Last Shot. "He wants to win at everything he does. Michael is the same way."

Krugel said the true measure of international status still favors Michael because the perception is Bryant lives in O’Neal’s shadow. "Until Bryant wins a title without Shaq, he may suffer the same fate as Magic Johnson who privately admitted a lack of fulfillment never having won a title without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar," wrote Krugel.

The remarkable thing about Jordan is he still plays like an All-Star at his age. "He’s playing in the NBA almost 10 years after announcing his retirement and arguably playing better than anyone ever has at 40," said Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune. "He insists this is his final NBA season but can Jordan be too good to leave?"

Bob Cousy, the Boston Celtics legend who unretired to play seven games for the Cincinnati Royals at 41 in 1970, said: "Michael has surprised me. He’s been more effective than I thought he would be. A lot depends on the shape you keep yourself in and your supporting cast. (Robert) Parish (who played until he was 43) had those bookends in Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. It neutralized the pressure on him."

Unlike Bryant who has a protector in Shaq, Jordan is almost a one-man show at Washington. There is not much of a supporting cast for Jordan to lean on.

Comparing Bryant to Jordan or vice-versa seems unfair to both. Orlando’s Shawn Kemp once said, "People talk about Kobe being the next Jordan but when you see him dunking on people or flying through the air, that’s not Michael-that’s Kobe doing that, no one else." Kemp meant Kobe has as much right to claim fame as Jordan. They are, after all, distinct individuals, not clones of each other.

Bryant admits he’s become a much better player because of Jordan. "Even when Michael doesn’t have the ball, he makes himself visible, makes himself a threat," said Bryant. "He does a great job of initiating the offense, making the proper cuts, getting his teammates open, whether it was with back picks or moving without the ball. Those are the things I learned from him, how to be a threat without the basketball."

In time, Jordan will pass the torch to the next breath of fresh Air. Bryant is the consensus Air apparent. But for the faithful Jordanaires, there will never be anyone quite like Mike.