This video was obviously put together by a Kobe Bryant fan (it comes via Bleacher Report). After a shmaltzy introduction it matches Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant shot for shot. And it’s interesting.
It confirms what we already knew — that Kobe clearly patterned his game after Jordan. They like the same spots on the floor, have some of shots in their repertoire, and are both deadly scorers. Both savor the big moments.
And if you want to make the case that Kobe is a better pure scorer than Jordan, you can. It’s a valid argument to make, although Jordan’s career shooting percentages were higher.
But when you look at the advanced stats you see Jordan had the better all-around game — he got more rebounds, dished a higher percentage of assists and did so while using a higher percentage of the offense. That was always the most amazing statistics about Jordan — he kept up that crazy efficiency while using a third of his team’s possessions. You knew he would get the ball but he still made you pay.
Kobe is still one of the all-time NBA greats. He is as close to Jordan as anyone has gotten sense, and we are lucky to get to see him play. He deserves his status as icon of the game. But he is not Jordan.