Kobe "Passing" MJ

Congratulations to Kobe Bryant for reaching his personal (very personal) milestone of passing Michael Jordan in Career Points. His longevity and hard work have paid off. However, something has to really be said about this. As always, it is my assignment to dig deeper into details when someone reaches an achievement at a volume rate. I don't just focus on the similarities, because that is way too easy. Instead, I focus on the entire body of work and production. So, in this case I will dissect Kobe's numbers and see how they weigh.

Here is the tale of the tape:

Regular Season:

Seasons:
Kobe Bryant: 19
Michael Jordan: 15

Games Played:
Kobe Bryant: 1,270
Michael Jordan: 1,072

Career Points:
Kobe Bryant: 32,331
Michael Jordan: 32,292

Career Scoring Average:
Kobe Bryant: 25.5
Michael Jordan: 30.1

Field Goal Percentage:
Kobe Bryant: 45%
Michael Jordan: 49.7% (50)

3-Point Percentage:
Kobe Bryant: 33.3%
Michael Jordan: 32.7%

Free Throw Percentage:
Kobe Bryant: 83.7%
Michael Jordan: 83.5%

Player Efficiency Rating:
Kobe Bryant: 23.36
Michael Jordan: 27.91

30 Point Per Game Seasons:
Kobe Bryant: 2
Michael Jordan: 8

Seasons with 32+ PPG:
Kobe Bryant: 1
Michael Jordan: 5

Career-High Scoring Average:
Kobe Bryant: 35.6
Michael Jordan: 37.1

Seasons shooting 50% or higher:
Kobe Bryant: 0
Michael Jordan: 6

Seasons shooting 47% or higher:
Kobe Bryant: 0
Michael Jordan: 10

Seasons shooting under 47%:
Kobe Bryant: 19
Michael Jordan: 5

Seasons shooting under 50%:
Kobe Bryant: 19
Michael Jordan: 7

Career Win Shares:
Kobe Bryant: 173.3
Michael Jordan: 214.0

Career Offensive Win Shares:
Kobe Bryant: 123.61
Michael Jordan: 149.88

Seasons leading the League in PER:
Kobe Bryant: 0
Michael Jordan: 7


As you can clearly see, Kobe had to play 19 seasons and 200 more games to surpass what Michael did in 15 seasons (including breaks). Kobe had to play four more seasons than Jordan. FOUR MORE SEASONS!!! At the time that this happened, Kobe played in 1,268 games, while Jordan played in 1,072. That is a lot of time and a lot of ground to make up in basketball. I commend his longevity, but this shows that Michael was a more efficient scorer who took better quality shots. Sure, Michael has had his fair share of missed shots, but he has balanced things in his favor with the seasons where he has shot 50% or higher. Kobe has NEVER had a season shooting 50% from the floor. Michael produced points at a more efficient rate. Michael flat out produced better quality numbers across the board. The only exceptions are total points, free throws and three pointers. Based on the metrics, Michael carried the most weight for his team and was the biggest factor in their success. Earlier in the season, Kobe also surpassed John Havlicek for career missed shots which doesn't help his case either.

Awards:

Rookie of the Year:
Kobe Bryant: 0
Michael Jordan: 1

All-Rookie 1st Team:
Kobe Bryant: No
Michael Jordan: Yes

All-NBA 1st Teams:
Kobe Bryant: 11
Michael Jordan: 10

All-Defensive 1st Teams:
Kobe Bryant: 9
Michael Jordan: 9

Scoring Titles:
Kobe Bryant: 2
Michael Jordan: 10

MVP Awards:
Kobe Bryant: 1
Michael Jordan: 5

Seasons leading in steals:
Kobe Bryant: 0
Michael Jordan: 3

*Bonus Awards:

Olympic Gold Medals:
Kobe Bryant: 2
Michael Jordan: 2

All-Star Game MVP's:
Kobe Bryant: 4
Michael Jordan: 3

Kobe may have edged him out as far as All-NBA 1st Teams, but Michael collected more hardware. Michael was clearly the More Valuable Player of his Era, as he earned the Award 5 times. You can make the case for him having at least 7 or maybe 8, but 5 is still great anyway. Yet, Kobe only managed to earn 1. Out of his illustrious Hall of Fame Career, he only received 1 MVP. One can make the case that he could have had at least another had it not been for controversy (another story). However, you really cannot compare a player with 1 MVP to a player with 5 no matter how similar their games are. There is no debate whatsoever for that. Jordan was the Toast of the Basketball World. As I have covered before, Jordan proved that he was a better quality scorer. His 10 Scoring Titles are perfect evidence of that. You definitely cannot compare their scoring when one player has 8 more scoring titles than the other. There have been people who want to bring up Shaq as the reason why Kobe did not score more. You're right. Shaq was the reason, because he was the more DOMINANT player. If Kobe was more dominant earlier in his career, his numbers would have proven that. However, he was not as consistent as his counterpart. Meanwhile, Michael was the most Dominant and Consistent Playmaker on his team.

Now, this is where the gap becomes even wider, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is time to break down their performances in the Playoffs.

Playoffs (Career):

Kobe Bryant: 25.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.7 apg, 44.8% FG, 81.6% FT
Michael Jordan: 33.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.7 apg, 48.7% FG, 82.8% FT

Player Efficiency Rating:
Kobe Bryant: 22.4
Michael Jordan: 28.6

Career Win Shares:
Kobe Bryant: 28.3
Michael Jordan: 39.8

Offensive Win Shares:
Kobe Bryant: 21.0
Michael Jordan: 27.3

Defensive Win Shares:
Kobe Bryant: 7.3
Michael Jordan: 12.4

Career Win Shares Per 48 Minutes:
Kobe Bryant: .157
Michael Jordan: .255

NBA Playoff runs over 50% shooting:
Kobe Bryant: 0
Michael Jordan: 5

Playoff runs over 48% shooting:
Kobe Bryant: 1
Michael Jordan: 7

Playoff runs under 50% shooting:
Kobe Bryant: 15 (entire career)
Michael Jordan: 7

Playoff runs under 48% shooting:
Kobe Bryant: 14
Michael Jordan: 6

Playoff runs under 46% shooting:
Kobe Bryant: 11
Michael Jordan: 3

Playoff runs under 44% shooting:
Kobe Bryant: 7
Michael Jordan: 2

Playoff runs over 30 ppg:
Kobe Bryant: 4
Michael Jordan: 12

Playoff runs over 32 ppg:
Kobe Bryant: 2
Michael Jordan: 8

Playoff runs over 34 ppg:
Kobe Bryant: 0
Michael Jordan: 7
Jordan's 33.4 ppg in the Playoffs is a Record in NBA Playoff History. Michael Jordan became an even more powerful machine once the postseason was underway. He delivered against some of the most elite competition the game has ever produced.

Now, time for the Biggest Stage of them all (The NBA Finals).

Finals Appearances:
Kobe Bryant: 7
Michael Jordan: 6

Finals MVP's:
Kobe Bryant: 2 in 7 appearances
Michael Jordan: 6 in 6 appearances

This is the major and most deciding factor when comparing Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, because this is about how you perform in the NBA Finals. It is not enough for them to be close in championships (Jordan-6, Kobe-2), because that is a very lazy argument. A true student of the game dives deeper to see how well they played on the largest stage of Basketball. Jordan was the Most Valuable Player in the Finals EVERY Season that he led the Bulls there. On the other hand, Kobe was the Most Valuable Player in the Finals twice. Michael was the best option in the Finals each year, because he rose his game above everyone else on the court. Kobe only received the award twice out of seven appearances. Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal was Finals MVP THREE Times. Not acceptable and not comparable whatsoever. Michael produced better numbers and results on the game's largest stage. Chicago turned their opponents pretty much upside down. The Lakers did too in the three peat years, but after that they were not as much of a threat as previously. For the most part, Jordan's Bulls went against more stacked teams in the Finals (Lakers, Blazers, Suns, to name a few).

Finals Performances:

Michael Jordan:
1. 1991 (31.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 11.4 apg, 2.8 spg, 1.4 bpg, 55% FG, 50% 3PT, 85% FT)
2. 1992 (35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.3 bpg, 52.6% FG, 43% 3PT, 89.1% FT)
3. 1993 (41.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.7 bpg, 51% FG, 40% 3PT, 69.4% FT)
4. 1996 (27.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.2 bpg, 41.5% FG, 31.6% 3PT, 83.6% FT)
5. 1997 (32.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.8 bpg, 45.6% FG, 32 % 3PT, 76.4% FT)
6. 1998 (33.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.7 bpg, 42.7% FG, 30.8% 3PT, 81.4% FT)

Kobe Bryant:

Kobe Bryant:
1. 2000 NBA Finals: 15.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 36.7% FG
2. 2001 NBA Finals: 24.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.8 apg, 41.5% FG
3. 2002 NBA Finals: 26.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.3 apg, 51.4% FG
4. 2004 NBA Finals: 22.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, 38.1% FG
5. 2008 NBA Finals: 25.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.0 apg, 40.5% FG
6. 2009 NBA Finals: 32.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 7.4 apg, 43% FG
7. 2010 NBA Finals: 28.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.9 apg, 40.5% FG

More often than not, Michael Jordan's level of play in the Finals was above those around him. In the process, Jordan also caused the game of others like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant to be elevated in the process. It was clear cut for everyone to see. His results speak for themselves. Michael's series in 1991 was a statement to prove that he could do more than just score. Ever since, no other players in Finals history have averaged 10 apg or higher. While Kobe's numbers in the Finals were great, they simply cannot compare. The only time that he averaged at least 30 ppg or higher in the Finals was in 2009. Good series, but not awe inspiring to say the least. Jordan's 41 ppg in the 1993 NBA Finals is a Finals record still to this day. Jordan in the Finals was otherworldly. You could never find a single series in the Finals where Michael Jordan was outplayed even in the slightest. In 2000, Kobe was outplayed by Austin Croshere in the Finals. That would NEVER happen on Michael's watch. In 2004, Kobe sabotaged the Lakers by deliberately playing poorly because he had an attitude about being second banana to Shaq. It was like Robin getting tired of fighting next to Batman as he became Nightwing. Michael conquered with Centers the calibre of Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley. That is pretty much all you need to know.

In Conclusion, while it is great to admire Kobe's accomplishment, one must not become stuck as a prisoner in the moment. Once again, one should never just settle for a comparison based on style and flair. It is more than just style of play, but results and body of work. Michael Jordan compiled an incredible FIVE MVP awards in an Era loaded with MVP Level Legendary Players. Anytime that you could be named the Most Valuable Player in a time with the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem, David Robinson and others. That is simply a testament to how brilliant he truly was and his brilliance carries over for generations to come. Kobe is a throwback to Jordan, which is why he is admired so fondly by the current era of NBA fans who either were not even alive when Michael played or have a sketchy recollection of Jordan. If anything, Kobe's numbers are more of a resemblance to Jerry West, but with more accolades. Believe me, that is not a knock on his game at all. Both men are the toast of the Shooting Guard Position, but Michael will remain the single ruler of the throne.

Special Thanks: www.basketball-reference.com, Bruce Blitz (Blitz Sports Network), Clutch 23 Productions just to name a few.