Kobe on Verge of Surpassing Michael Jordan on NBA’s All-Time Scoring List
Kobe Bryant sat on the team bus, offering unmatched confidence as a high school senior on how he would fare against one of his favorite idols.
“I remember Kobe saying, ‘Michael Jordan can’t stop me,’” said David Lasman, one of Bryant’s former teammates at Lower Merion, a suburban high school outside Philadelphia. “‘I’m not saying I can stop him. But he can’t stop me.’”
Lasman would tell the 17-year-old Bryant he’s “crazy” for saying something so brash. After all, Jordan would win six NBA championships, six Finals MVPs and five regular-season MVPS. But Bryant would eventually enter the NBA out of high school, win five NBA championships with the Lakers and spark never-ending comparisons to Jordan.
Bryant could also surpass Jordan for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list when the Lakers (6-16) visit San Antonio (15-6) on Friday at AT&T Center. Bryant only needs 31 points to surpass Jordan’s 32,292 career points. Bryant conceded his upcoming milestone will mark “a great accomplishment,” trailing only Karl Malone (36,928) and former Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) on the scoring list. But Bryant argued “the true beauty in it comes in the journey.”
That journey took Bryant down plenty of winding roads and intersections that involved Jordan.
Kobe backs down the legendary Michael Jordan during a February, 1998 match-up with the Bulls. (San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Keith Birmingham)
The Beginning
It all started once Bryant announced in 1996 he would jump from high school to the NBA. Once the Lakers secured his rights for the 13th pick, that move enabled Bryant to play against Jordan before retiring.
“That was a big factor,” said Gregg Downer, Bryant’s high school coach at Lower Merion. “I don’t think Kobe had any real desire to go to college. He wanted to test his skills right away against the very best.”
After all, Bryant said he spent his childhood studying tape of “absolutely everybody.”
Bryant then ticked off a list of NBA’s greats, including former Lakers (Magic Johnson, Jerry West, James Worthy, George Mikan), other guards (Oscar Robertson, Walt Frazier) and even big men (Bill Russell, Bob Petit). Bryant credited his strong fundamentals and scoring abilities to those players, including Jordan.
“He talked about that he wanted to be the best player in the NBA,” said Lakers coach Byron Scott, who mentored Bryant his rookie season. “I told him, ‘You would be.’ I know how hard he worked.”
Yet, Bryant maintained his focus, which had more to do with expediting his development than worrying about individual accolades.
“If I really paid attention to numbers and was hell bent on passing records, I would’ve gone to college,” Bryant said. “I came to the pros and was ready to play. I put up big numbers there, but I sat on the bench for my first three years in the league.”
When Michael Jordan returned to the NBA with the Washington Wizards, Kobe had taken his place as one of the dominant presences and superstars of the league. (AP Images)
The Interactions
The comparisons to Jordan soon became inescapable, including their scoring mentality, on-court mannerisms, interviews and lucrative endorsement deals. Bryant disliked that narrative out of respect for Jordan’s resume. But Bryant said he spent less time consumed with that hype and more occupied with learning how to be like Mike.
“When I first came into the league, Michael was terrifying everybody,” Bryant said. “I was willing to challenge and learn from him. I wasn’t afraid to call him and ask him questions. He was open and spoke to me a lot and helped me a lot.”
Bryant would not divulge what those lessons entailed, other than talking about various unspecified “post moves.” But it did not take long for those talks to morph into competitive matchups.
The 1998 NBA All-Star Game featured Jordan and Bryant together, creating the inevitable storyline between the two players. Jordan posted 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the East’s 135-114 victory and won his third of All-Star MVP. Though he didn’t even start for the Lakers, the 19-year-old Bryant started for the West and finished with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, six rebounds and two steals despite missing the entire fourth quarter.
“I was accused of taking Kobe out of the game because I wanted Michael to win MVP,” said George Karl, who coached the 1998 Western Conference All-Star team and currently serves as an ESPN analyst. “I never in my life would think of something like that. At an all-star game, you’re just trying to manage everybody’s minutes.”
Six years later, there was no debate on which player won in their last matchup.
In what marked his final season of his 15-year career and his second comeback attempt, the 40-year-old Jordan hardly received a farewell pleasantry when the Lakers hosted the Washington Wizards on March 23, 2003. While Jordan ended with 23 points on 10-of-20 shooting in 41 minutes, Bryant dropped 55 points on a 15-of-29 clip. Bryant’s points came from everywhere, including from 3-point range (9 of 13) and from the foul line (16 of 18).
“The basketball historians will look back on that and probably talk about the passing of the torch,” said Lakers assistant coach Mark Madsen, who played with Bryant that season. “But in my mind it was just a masterful performance and an important game for us. The one thing about Kobe is he’s never been afraid of any moment.”
Michael Jordan goes up for a layup and Shaquille O’Neal challenges the shot as a young Kobe Bryant looks on. (San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Keith Birmingham)
Kobe and MJ shared many similar traits on the court and similarly blossomed under the tutelage of coach Phil Jackson. (L.A. Daily News: Hans Gutknecht)
The Comparisons
Their ability to thrive through any moment explains why the Bryant-Jordan comparisons never fade.
Bryant has scored a career-high 81 points. He has posted at least 50 points in 24 games. Bryant’s career-high 35.4 points-per-game average in the 2005-06 season represented the eighth-highest scoring average in league history. Meanwhile, Jordan has scored a career-high 69 points. He posted at least 50 points in 39 games. Jordan’s 30.1 points-per-game career average eclipsed Bryant’s average in all but two of his seasons.
That prompted former Lakers and Bulls coach Phil Jackson to offer his analysis of the two players he coached in his recent memoir, “Eleven Rings.” Jackson considered Jordan a better defender, more accurate shooter and superior leader, while praising Bryant’s conditioning and offseason training. Jackson also wrote Bryant seemed “hell bent on surpassing Jordan as the greatest player in the game.”
“People who say that don’t really understand me,” Bryant said. “It’s a myth. Phil likes to say things a lot of times to create good content and good stories.”
More stories will surface once Bryant surpasses Jordan on the scoring list. If it happens against San Antonio, Bryant would have needed to play 196 more games than Jordan. Yet, consider some circumstances. While Jordan remained the undisputed leader of his team, Bryant played behind Shaquille O’Neal before eventually becoming the Lakers’ first option. Bryant also played 19 consecutive seasons, while Jordan rested between two separate comebacks.
Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan reaches to defend Kobe’s jumper. (AP Images)
Both Bryant and Jordan also relied on their fundamentals late in their careers to offset lost athleticism. Bryant has averaged a league-leading 25.5 points albeit on a career-low 39 percent shooting after playing in only six games last season with injuries to his left Achilles tendon and left knee. In his last two seasons with the Wizards, Jordan averaged between 20 and 23 points per game.
But Bryant solely remains worried Jordan’s six NBA titles.
“When I grew up looking at Magic, Russell and Michael, it’s all measured about that,” Bryant said. “It wasn’t about one championship or two. It was you had to win five or six.”
And unlike his brash talking as a 17-year-old senior, Bryant did not share this standard with teammates.
“Kobe never spoke of trying to surpass this guy or that guy. He just worked every day,” said Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, Bryant’s former teammate and assistant coach. “It’s not an accident he’s as good as he is. It didn’t just happen. He put in the time.”
Now that he has, Bryant believes he has achieved something besides adding fuel to the comparisons with Jordan. Bryant carved his own identity.
“We’ve had different career paths,” Bryant said. “But I feel a great sense of accomplishment having to carry on the two-guard legacy from Jerry to Michael to myself.”
Kobe was often compared to Jordan and measured by his accomplishments throughout his career but emerged as an NBA superstar and icon unlike any before or after. (AP Images)