Kobe Bryant is no Michael Jordan

With the Lakers ascendance to the top of the NBA this season has come the question “Is Kobe Bryant as good as Michael Jordan?”. Commentators on ABC, ESPN and TNT have all weighed in and pretty much unanimously agree that Kobe is now equal to Michael. Having seen both player in their prime, I simply can not agree. I’m not sure Kobe is the best Laker I have ever seen. The most basic sports question for these arguments is “who would you pick to start your team with?” I might start my team with Magic Johnson before Kobe Bryant…But back to the main point here. Michael Jordan won 5 MVP Awards and 6 NBA Championships. Kobe has 1 MVP award (this year) and 3 championships. These accomplishments mark Kobe as an all time great player, but not as the best player to ever play the game.