Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was being compared to Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan as soon as he entered the league in 1996. They were almost as tall as each other, played the same position and had an uncanny swagger that a few players possessed.
By 21 years old, Kobe was on top of the basketball world. Not only was he a crowd favorite, but he also had one NBA Championship under his belt. When MJ was 21, he was just a rookie, learning how to play the sport at an elite level.
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Better than Mike?
Given the stark differences in their career trajectories, former players and MJ’s contemporaries like Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley were already wondering if the Philly native was en route to surpassing Jordan — a claim that Kobe dismissed.
“People talk about that just to talk. Michael — he’s the greatest player of all time. Period,” young Mamba said.
Still, Barkley pushed his agenda further. He knew it took seven years before Jordan won his first NBA Championship. MJ was fond of taking over the game when all else failed. It took him a while to learn how to trust his teammates. Bryant seemed to have understood this right from the beginning. He mastered Phil Jackson’s triangle, accepted his role and played it to perfection.
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“Michael is the greatest player of all time, but I don’t think he was as good as you at 21,” Barkley said. “I don’t think so. I think he’s the greatest player ever and obviously you’ve got a long way to go but I ain’t never seen a 21-year old guy… you’re 22 now, play as well as you’re playing right now.”
Teacher, big brother
The senseless GOAT debates have certainly messed things up. There are interviews when Kobe, perhaps just to entertain the crowd and or provoke the media, declared he’s the GOAT. However, in most interviews, the five-time NBA Champion paid his respects to MJ.
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Kobe even developed a big brother-little brother relationship with the man. The two basketball titans had conversations about the triangle at 3 a.m. Their dinners featured heated debates, intricate discussions about footwork and team psychology. Bryant absorbed everything he could from his idol.
The Lakers legend wasn’t shy in admitting he studied Jordan’s footwork, fadeaway jumpers and mannerisms. In his quest to be the best player he could be, he studied the one and only GOAT.
“I will never say I’m better than Michael because, in all honesty, he’s taught me so many things by observation and also through conversation. I would never say that just because I learned so much from him. It’s just, it’s a non-conversation for me,” Kobe once pointed out.
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Conversations about Kobe will almost always involve Jordan at one point. The two have been inextricably linked together. But as Jordan said in his eulogy for his little brother, that amid all the comparisons and how the media have tried to pit them against one another, he just wanted to talk about Kobe — his life and his desire to be the best person he could be.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.