"He didn't mimic Air Jordan" - Former Warriors guard counters Dwight Howard's argument of Kobe Bryant over MJ
Dwight Howard has argued that Kobe Bryant was more skillful than Michael Jordan. Former Golden State Warriors guard Gilbert Arenas made a counter-argument that Bryant only copied Jordan's later years and polished it into his own. Arenas pointed out that Jordan in his early years was a different kind of scorer.
On the "Gil's Arena" podcast, Arenas went to bat for MJ after Howard's view on Bryant's skills over six-time NBA champion Jordan. He explained how the LA Lakers legend only mastered the moves Jordan used later in his career rather than when he was dominating the league as "Air Jordan."
"Kobe don't look nothing like MJ in '84 to '93. He don't know who that n***a is. MJ in '84 to '93, Kobe don't know what that guy looks like. He learned Michael Jordan's old n***a comeback with the post up fadeaway.
"That's the MJ he mimicked. He did not mimic Air Jordan. He mimicked Michael Jordan," Arenas said. [34:00 - 34:27]
Gilbert Arenas argued that Michael Jordan's peak was unparalleled compared to when he was relying more on his basketball IQ later in his career. Kobe Bryant copied a lot of Jordan moves and looked up to the Chicago Bulls legend. Bryant almost perfected it to the point that he might have had a better fadeaway.
However, Jordan was a different monster and scorer early in his career when he took over the NBA. It's not being talked about enough, as he didn't have a lot of team success during that period. He was a pure scoring machine, using his athleticism and finesse to win the scoring title from 1987 to 1993.
Jordan was also a defensive menace back then, winning the Defensive Player of the Year in 1988. But when he got older and got better teammates, he didn't rely on his scoring as much as he used to. It led to six NBA championships and the moniker of the greatest player of all time.
What did Dwight Howard say about Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan?
Dwight Howard, a guest on the "Gil's Arena" podcast, started the Kobe Bryant-Michael Jordan debate. Howard, who played with Bryant during the dreaded 2011-12 NBA season, reckoned five-time champion Bryaant was better skill-wise than "His Airness."
"I think Kobe's better than MJ, skill-wise. He took everything Jordan did and multiplied it. He did it better," Howard said. [31:55 - 32:05 on the first video above]
While players and fans like to pit Bryant against Jordan, the two legends had a brotherly bond. They trained together and had a great relationship over the years. MJ even called Kobe his younger brother during his speech at Kobe's public funeral in 2020.