Kobe Bryant notably made a heart-wrenching posthumous appearance on episode five of Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance documentary just months after his unexpected passing. As if seeing the Lakers legend talking on their screen wasn’t enough to draw emotions from fans, his words about his mentor and inspiration in MJ certainly were.
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The five-time champion shared how he didn’t like being compared to the Bulls legend. He was known to shut down 1-on-1 debates between him and Jordan, knowing he learned how to achieve greatness through His Airness. Kobe didn’t even like to discuss who would win a potential 1-0n-1 matchup when fans prompted him.
Bryant had too much love and respect for the basketball icon to outright say he could beat him. Kobe also had too much confidence in his own ability to admit that Jordan would win. As a result, the Mamba smartly decided to avoid the topic altogether and simply credit MJ for his role in his life.
“[Jordan’s] like my big brother,” Bryant said. “I truly hate having discussions about who would win 1-on-1, or fans saying, ‘Hey, Kob’, you’d beat Michael one-on-one.’ I feel like, yo, what you get from me is from him. I don’t get five championships here without him because he guided me so much and gave me so much great advice.”
Jordan also gave his take on this 1-on-1 debate. The pair had incredible mutual respect for one another, but unlike Kobe, the six-time champion didn’t shy away from giving an actual answer.
Michael Jordan admitted Kobe Bryant would beat him 1-on-1
Back in 2013, Michael Jordan was asked who he’d want to play against if he were still in his prime. He listed off several greats who came before him, including Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, before sharing he’d want to face Kobe Bryant with both of them at their best. He also named Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony as two other then-players he’d want to play.
“I don’t think I’d lose… other than Kobe Bryant because he steals all my moves,” Jordan said. The five-time MVP didn’t explicitly say Kobe was better than him, but he did insinuate that Bryant had mastered the moves he created, which leads MJ to believe Kobe would be one player to get the better of him.
When Jordan and Kobe actually did get to face off against each other, the former was nearing the end of his career while the latter was just beginning his. They were just a few years apart in age, or this dream matchup could have been a reality.
