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LOS ANGELES, CA. JAN. 04, 2015. Lakers’ #24 Kobe Bryant all smiles after an assist from teammate Carlos Boozer in a game vs the Pacers’ in the 1st half of the game at Staple Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 04, 2015. LA Lakers play the Indiana Pacers in a regular NBA season game. (Photo by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CA. JAN. 04, 2015. Lakers’ #24 Kobe Bryant all smiles after an assist from teammate Carlos Boozer in a game vs the Pacers’ in the 1st half of the game at Staple Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 04, 2015. LA Lakers play the Indiana Pacers in a regular NBA season game. (Photo by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Michael Jordan has millions of fans around the world. Amongst his many fans is Kobe Bryant. The 5 time NBA champion has mentioned time and again how he looked up to Jordan as an inspiration.
December 14, 2014, turned out to be a historic day for Bryant, as he broke a record set by his childhood hero.
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Kobe Bryant breaks Michael Jordan’s record:
Kobe scored 26 points that night against the Minnesota Timberwolves to surpass Michael Jordan in the all-time scoring list. Bryant needed just 9 points to overtake his idol, and he did that in the second quarter itself.
The crowd showed their appreciation as he was treated to a loud ovation and also presented the match ball. That game placed Bryant in third place on the all-time scoring list. However, LeBron James has overtaken him to take third place, Kobe remains fourth in the list.
Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and LeBron James have scored more points than the Mamba. Kobe has bagged an impressive 33, 643 points in 48,643 minutes in the league. (Source:NBA.com)
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Bryant vs Jordan: Who is better?
Despite having two very different playing careers, Bryant never escaped the comparisons made between him and Jordan. Although they had a lot of differences, they had their similarities too. Both played the shooting guard position and had a similar physical frame.
Jordan had a better start to his career as compared to Bryant. MJ was a star even before he made his official debut at 21. Kobe played second fiddle to Shaquille O’Neal, coming off the bench on multiple occasions. Jordan put up a 25 point per game season in his rookie year itself while Kobe couldn’t muster up 20 points till his fourth season.
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant faced each other in the league 8 times. Bryant came up on top on 5 occasions and recorded the only triple-double between the two. Kobe averaged 22.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while Jordan averaged 24.5 points and 4.3 rebounds. Their numbers are quite identical, but Kobe is given the edge due to match results.
When it comes to career accolades, no one comes near MJ. Jordan is a 6 times NBA champion, including a 6-0 record in the finals, while Kobe has won 5. This gives Jordan the edge over Kobe. Who do you think was better? Let us know in the comments.
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