MANILA, Philippines – "Michael Jordan on his worst day is 10 times better than Kobe Bryant on his best day."
This was the take of Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller on the raging Jordan versus Bryant debate that shifted to a high gear after the Los Angeles Lakers superstar surpassed the former in the all-time scoring list.
Miller, who played against both Jordan and Bryant at their prime during his 18-year career with the Indiana Pacers, made this bold statement during his weekly guesting at the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time).
Bryant dislodged Jordan at third spot in the all-time scoring list last Sunday after sinking a pair of free throws in a big Lakers' win against Minnesota Timberwolves. Bryant now has a running total of 32,331 points and still counting while Jordan had 32,292 points in a 15-year career that was halted by two semi-retirement in between his two three-peat with the Chicago Bulls in the 90's and his last comeback with the Washington Wizards at the turn of the century.
Miller though also credited Bryant for working hard to get to where he is right now.
"It's truly a special career," Miller said of the Lakers superstar. That's a heck of a lot of points and a heck of a lot of longevity."
Bryant is already on his 19th season in the NBA since entering the league as the 13th overall pick straight from high school in 1996, the year Jordan started winning his second three-peat.
Despite passing Jordan on the all-time scoring list, Bryant's other accomplishments still pale in comparison to His Airness, widely considered as the greatest player of all time.
Jordan got six rings with the Bulls, one ahead of Bryant's five with the Lakers. Jordan was a five-time regular season MVP and was the Finals MVP in all of his championships. Bryant has only one regular season MVP to show and two Finals MVP awards.
Watch Miller's full interview in the YouTube video posted by Patrick: