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Four-Time NBA Champ Gives Kobe Bryant Nod Over Michael Jordan In One Area

Shandel Richardson

Jordan and Scottie Pippen during Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round series against the Nets. Chicago cruised to a 3-0 sweep. Jordan Pippen
Jordan and Scottie Pippen during Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round series against the Nets. Chicago cruised to a 3-0 sweep. Jordan Pippen / Anne Ryan, USA TODAY, USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC

It is perhaps one of the most hypothetical matchups NBA fans would have loved to witnessed.

Who would have won a game of two-on-two between Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen and LeBron James/Kobe Bryant? Four-time champion John Salley gave his answer in an interview that recently resurfaced on the Internet.

Salley, who played mostly during the 1980s and `90s, turned a few heads with his response.

"Kobe and LeBron," Salley said. "No question, this won't even be close."

According to John Salley, Kobe and LeBron would defeat Jordan and Pippen.šŸ€ #michaeljordan #MJ #MJ23 #TheGoat...

Posted by nba Court onĀ Sunday, August 25, 2024

What's even more shocking was Salley's reasoning. He said Bryant and James hold the advantage because of Jordan, who is widely considered the greatest player in league history. The short clip never got to Salley comparing Pippen and James but it did discuss the Jordan-Bryant matchup.

Salley said Bryant holds the edge for two reasons.

"The problem is, Kobe has watched so much Michael and mirrored his game after him but he's double-jointed and shoots a better long ball," Salley said.

Salley's opinion should be taken strongly because he has no favoritism in this one. He won titles while playing alongside Jordan with the Chicago Bulls (1996) and Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000).

Both Bryant and Jordan needed time in the league developing their perimeter because they played during an era when teams relied less on the 3-point shot. Bryant made nearly 33 percent from the arc in his career, including 150 makes in 2007-08.

Jordan's best was 111, which he accomplished twice in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.Ā  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins.Ā He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.Ā  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com