Michael Jordan Once Declared He Would Never Lose to LeBron James but Could Lose to Kobe Bryant Due to 1 Reason

We all know what a great NBA player Kobe Bryant was. Even Micheal Jordan once admitted that only Kobe would have been able to beat him in a one-on-one match when they were in their prime. In a video, he spoke about players he wished he could play one-on-one during his prime.

A number of legendary players were included in the list, including Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Kobe, and LeBron James. As for Jordan, he claims he can beat any of them except one.

He explained: “If I was in my prime, who would I want to play one-on-one?” Jordan asked during an interview with NBA 2K.

“That list is very long. I’d start off with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant in his prime, LeBron [James] in his prime, D Wade in his prime, [Car] Melo [Anthony]. That’s a good start. I don’t think I‘d lose, other than to Kobe Bryant, because he steals all of my moves.”

Even Bryant himself admits that he sometimes steals moves from Jordan. “Damn near 100 percent of the technique,” Bryant told Howard Beck, a reporter for Bleacher Report. 

Relationship between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant

Despite the fact that they were former NBA players, and that they played against one another, they shared a great relationship. Among Bryant’s list of great players in basketball growing up, Jordan was also a name he looked forward to learning more about. While watching Kobe play on the court, there have been several images where Jordan and Kobe have made great plays together.

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Kobe’s offensive game and the number of dribbles he took before taking a shot sometimes caught the audience’s attention. This reminded them of Jordan’s similar style of play.

Having won five NBA titles, Kobe’s record is somewhat comparable to Jordan’s. During Jordan’s career, he won six NBA titles. In comparison to Kobe, who had 33,643 career points, Jordan had 32,292. 

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The bond between them was evident to everyone, as we have seen Jordan guiding sometimes on the court or supporting him from courtside. What particular moments did you find admirable when two of them faced off against each other?