Phil Jackson finally compares Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant

[PLANT]

Phil Jackson had the savvy and good fortune to coach two of the greatest players the NBA has ever known—both 2-guards, both brilliant sociopaths. But for the first time, Jackson writes about how the two measure up against each other.

Jackson's book, Eleven Rings, comes out next week. But today, Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times, who often tried unsuccessfully to get Jackson to compare the two, runs a few preview passages in which Jackson does exactly that.

On basketball mindsets:

   "Michael was more likely to break through his attackers with power and strength, while Kobe often tries to finesse his way through mass pileups," Jackson wrote. "Michael was stronger, with bigger shoulders and a sturdier frame. He also had large hands that allowed him to control the ball better and make subtle fakes.

    "Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game."

On defense:

    "No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender. He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense.

    "Kobe has learned a lot from studying Michael's tricks, and we often used him as our secret weapon on defense when we needed to turn the direction of a game. In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price."

On leadership:

   "One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader," Jackson said. "Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had."

    Bryant gradually evolved during the 2008-09 championship season, when the Lakers successfully retooled with a more finessed look with Pau Gasol instead of the brute force of the Shaquille O'Neal teams.

    If Bryant talked to teammates in his earlier Lakers years, it was usually, "Give me the damn ball," Jackson wrote. "But then Kobe started to shift. He embraced the team and his teammates, calling them up when we were on the road and inviting them out to dinner. It was as if the other players were now his partners, not his personal spear-carriers."

http://deadspin.com/phil-jackson-finally-compares-michael-jordan-and-kobe-b-507658201?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

NIKCC, I know you are going to argue this until the cows come home.....But there you have it, from your very own beloved coach Jackson, who brought Kobe to all his rings....Even Phil knows whats up...theres no comparison.

[Hack Wilson - real]

no comparison indeed.  MJ is the best non-Bill Russell player ever until Lebron retires

[Sccit]

lol...the excerpts were made to look like he was talking about kobe overall, but it was taken from a passage where phil was describing kobe prior to his second run with phil, before he became a leader. nice find tho, young'n

[Mietek23]

Phil already said last year "we have to take Jordan out of discussion" so don't know why people are so surprised about this - it was clear a long time ago.

Kobe is great in his own right tho - Top 3 Shooting Guard and Top 15 player of all-time.

[Sccit]

Phil already said last year "we have to take Jordan out of discussion" so don't know why people are so surprised about this - it was clear a long time ago.

Kobe is great in his own right tho - Top 3 Shooting Guard and Top 15 player of all-time.

lmfao....top 3 shooting guard? other than jordan, who's another shooting guard in the discussion with kobe? and top-15 player? could u be any more disrespectful? smfh


phil admits to having a flawed perception of kobe because of the Colorado incident. truth be told, kobe never really liked phil, he just respected him, but they had to force themselves to get along.



phil always changes what he says...a couple years back, phil also said kobe has better basketball skills than MJ.


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/LtvRatRkevw" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/LtvRatRkevw</a>

he has better basketball skills than MJ, who u probably consider the GOAT, yet is only top 15 of all time by your standards? slap yaself.

[Hack Wilson - real]

"No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender," Jackson writes. "He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense."


and we don't even need to discuss offense...nobody can beat Jordan in that discussion except for 2 years of Wilt's prime

[Sccit]

"No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender," Jackson writes. "He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense."


and we don't even need to discuss offense...nobody can beat Jordan in that discussion except for 2 years of Wilt's prime

lol@forgetting that Pippen was the cat shutting down opposing perimeter players for the bulls, while prime Kobe was counted on to shut down the entire perimeter on his own. Jordan had more leverage.


As for offense, Phil already said Kobe's a better scorer than MJ

[Hack Wilson - real]

and that's a complete joke


MJ averaged 30 every damn year, only an idiot would say Kobe is better on offense

[Sccit]

and that's a complete joke


MJ averaged 30 every damn year, only an idiot would say Kobe is better on offense

Yeah with an offense built around him each of those seasons... Kobe drafted to the bulls in Jordan's shoes woulda had some 40 ppg seasons under his belt

[Hack Wilson - real]

and that's a complete joke


MJ averaged 30 every damn year, only an idiot would say Kobe is better on offense

Yeah with an offense built around him each of those seasons... Kobe drafted to the bulls in Jordan's shoes woulda had some 40 ppg seasons under his belt

this might be the dumbest thing you've ever said

[Chamillitary Click]

Niggas on that Shallow-flow, "IF you COULD go back in time and IF Kobe COULD'VE played for the Bulls, then he PROBABLY WOULD'VE..."

Lmao. Get out.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Kobe was bitching about this earlier today on Twitter... he said something like, Let's see how Jordan would've played on the same team as Shaq, or some shit.

[Sccit]

and that's a complete joke


MJ averaged 30 every damn year, only an idiot would say Kobe is better on offense

Yeah with an offense built around him each of those seasons... Kobe drafted to the bulls in Jordan's shoes woulda had some 40 ppg seasons under his belt

this might be the dumbest thing you've ever said

excellent argument..u make great points

[Sccit]

Kobe was bitching about this earlier today on Twitter... he said something like, Let's see how Jordan would've played on the same team as Shaq, or some shit.

thats real shit tho

[Hack Wilson - real]

jordan and shaq would have won a title every year