Has Kobe Bryant ever beaten Michael Jordan? The Black Mamba vs Black Jesus
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant will forever be linked to one another because of the similarity in their play styles. While MJ is arguably considered the basketball's best player of all time, Bryant is seen as his clone playing.
Both players had their careers intertwined as Michael Jordan was mostly at the tail end of his career when Kobe Bryant first encountered him as a rookie and into his early championship years with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the regular season, Bryant and Jordan faced each other eight times. Four times when MJ was still with the Bulls and the other half with the Washington Wizards. Against each other, Kobe owns the duel 5-3 over Jordan.
During their first two encounters in the 1996-97 season, Michael Jordan went up against a rookie version of Kobe Bryant. While the Bulls and Lakers split the two games, Bryant was only held to five points each game while Jordan had 30 and 27 respectively.
The following year, a much more improved version of Bryant gave Jordan a good challenge. Their first matchup that season was on December 17 the Bulls won with Jordan finishing with 36 points while Bryant had 33.
Their second encounter had the Lakers winning despite Michael Jordan's 31 points while Kobe Bryant struggled from the field shooting 7-of-16, scoring 20 points.
Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant in the 2000s
Michael Jordan took a break from basketball and missed three seasons from 1999 to 2001. Returning as a 38-year-old basketball player for the Washington Wizards, Jordan faced a much more mature version of Kobe Bryant who is already winning championships with the LA Lakers.
In the 2001-02 season, the Lakers won over the Wizards twice by an average margin of 14.5 points per game. In their first matchup that year, Jordan had 22 points and Bryand had a triple-double of 23 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds.
Their second game that season had Jordan only having 2 points while Bryant tallied 14 points with the Lakers blowing away the Wizards by 20.
In the final season when Jordan and Bryant were in the league together, they faced twice again with the Lakers and Wizards splitting victories.
Jordan had the first laugh as he scored 25 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists with the Wizards winning by just one point, 100-99. Bryant that day racked up 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks but shot 8-of-21 from the field.
In their last game against each other, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated with Bryant leading the charge with 55 points while Jordan had 23.
Both iconic superstars have been a source of inspiration for many aspiring athletes in basketball.