27/02/2024
Mj vs Kobe scoring
When someone says Kobe’s the best scorer ever, show them this:
Kobe Bryant: 2 scoring titles
MJ: 10 scoring titles* (7 consecutive seasons leading scorer tied with Wilt)
Kobe: Averaged over 30 ppg 3x's
MJ: Averaged over 30 ppg 8x's*
Kobe: Most pts scored in a season, 2,832
MJ: Most pts scored in a season, 3,041 (only player to score over 3k in a season other than Wilt)
Kobe: Highest Season PPG Avg 35.4
MJ: Highest Season PPG Avg 37.1 (MJ also avg'd 35 ppg the following season)
Kobe: Highest Playoff series PPG Avg 32.8
MJ: Highest Playoff series PPG Avg 43.7* (in fact MJ has had a higher playoff series ppg avg than Kobe 7x's)
Kobe: Career PPG avg 25
MJ: Career PPG avg 30.1*
Kobe: Career Playoff PPG avg 25.6
MJ: Career Playoff PPG avg 33.4*
Kobe: Career FG% .447
MJ: Career FG% .497
Kobe: Career Playoff FG% .448 (never shot over .500)
MJ: Career Playoff FG% .487 (shot over .500 5x's)
Kobe: Career Highest Season FG% .469 (never avg over .500, never avg over .470 actually)
MJ: Career Highest Season FG% .539 (avg over .500 6x's and has avg'd a higher FG% than Kobe 10x's in his career)
Kobe: Highest PPG avg in a Finals series 32.4
MJ: Highest PPG avg in a Finals series 41.1*
Kobe: Career Season total pts 33, 643 (1,346 games played)
MJ: Career Season total pts 32, 292 (1,072 games played)
Kobe: Career Playoff total pts 5,640 (220 games played)
MJ: Career Playoff total pts 5, 987 (179 games played)
Kobe: Lead league in total pts in a season 4x's
MJ: Lead league in total pts in a season 11x's
30 pt games
Kobe 408
MJ 562*
40 pt games
Kobe: 117
MJ: 173
50 pt games
Kobe: 25
MJ: 31
60 pt games
Kobe: 6
MJ: 4
80 pt games
Kobe: 1
MJ: 0
30 pt playoff games
Kobe: 88
MJ: 109*
40 pt playoff games
Kobe: 13
MJ: 38*
50 pt playoff games
Kobe: 1
MJ: 8*
60 pt playoff games
Kobe: 0
MJ: 1*
30 pt Finals games
Kobe: 13
MJ: 23
40 pt Finals games
Kobe: 1
MJ: 6
50 pt Finals games
Kobe: 0
MJ: 1
MJ is also the oldest player to ever score 40 pts in a game at the age of 40.
MJ holds the record for consecutive times scoring in double digits with 866x's
MJ set a Finals record and scored on 13 consecutive field goals without a miss. That is a Finals record but it is also an all-time playoff record.
MJ holds the all-time playoff record making 24 shots from the field against Cleveland in 1988.
MJ holds the record for the most points in a three game playoff series with 135 (43 ppg)
MJ holds the all-time playoff record of most ever 20+ point playoff games with 173.
MJ is the only player in NBA history to never once score under 15 points in any playoff game.
MJ holds is the only player ever to score 50-plus points in back to back playoff games is Jordan with 50 then 55 vs. Cleveland in 1988.
MJ holds the record being the only player to ever score 45 points or more in three straight playoff games.
MJ never once score under 20 points in a Finals game. He played 35 Finals games, and 35 times scored over 20 points in the Finals is also a record.
MJ set and holds the all-time Finals record of 35 points in a half vs. Portland in 1992.
MJ is the oldest player in NBA history to score over 50 points in a game when he scored 51 vs Charlotte at 38 years old.
MJ 35.0 scoring average is the highest for any DPOY winner.
MJ won the NBA championship and the scoring title in the same season SIX times (Jabbar did it once), most by any player, and his 32.6 scoring average is the highest for any player in a championship season.
MJ is the only guard in NBA history to average 30 points in a single season while shooting 50% from the field; and he did that 5x's.
*indicates record
M.J. v. Kobe, Career Playoff Statistics
In Michael Jordan's and Kobe Bryant's playoff careers, when performance matters the most, Jordan leads Bryant in all of the major statistical categories: points per game (33.4 to 25.6, Jordan +8), field goal percentage (48.7% to 44.8%, Jordan +4%), three-point percentage (33.2% to 33.1%, Jordan slightly), free-throw percentage (82.8% to 81.6%, Jordan +1%), rebounds per game (6.4 to 5.1, Jordan +1), assists per game (5.7 to 4.7, Jordan +1), steals per game (2.1 to 1.4, Jordan +1), and blocks per game (0.9 to 0.7, Jordan slightly).
Full, healthy seasons as a starter:
Jordan - 11 with the Bulls
Kobe - 15
Championships
Jordan - 6
Kobe - 5
MVPs
Jordan - 5
Kobe - 1, deserved 3 at most
Finals MVPs
Jordan - 6
Kobe - 2
Steals titles
Jordan - 3
Kobe - 0
Scoring titles
Jordan - 10
Kobe - 2
DPOY
Jordan - 1
Kobe - 0
All Defensive First Team
Jordan - 9
Kobe - 9
Most PPG in an NBA Finals
Jordan - 41.0 (1993)
Kobe - 32.4 (2009)
Most RPG in an NBA Finals
Jordan - 8.5 (1993)
Kobe - 8.0 (2010)
Most APG in an NBA Finals
Jordan - 11.4 (1991)
Kobe - 7.4 (2009)
Most SPG in an NBA Finals
Jordan - 2.8 (1991)
Kobe - 2.7 (2008)
Most BPG in an NBA Finals
Jordan - 1.4 (1991)
Kobe - 1.4 (2000, 2001, and 2009)
Highest FG% in an NBA Finals
Jordan - 55.6% (1991)
Kobe - 51.4% (2002)
Least PPG in an NBA Finals
Jordan - 27.3 (1996)
Kobe - 19.0 (2000) - Game 2 where Kobe was injured and left after 9 minutes was not counted
Kobe - 22.6 (2004) - in case people want to use the excuse that Kobe was inexperienced in 2000
Lowest FG% in an NBA Finals
Jordan - 41.5% (1996)
Kobe - 36.7% (2000) - Game 2 where Kobe was injured and left after 9 minutes was not counted
Kobe - 38.1% (2004) - in case people want to use the excuse that Kobe was inexperienced in 2000
Kobe has shot 41.5% or less in 5/7 NBA Finals
Seasons shooting 50% or more
Jordan - 6
Kobe - 0
Playoff series averaging 40+ ppg
Jordan - 5
0.2 ppg short of 6 series with 40+ ppg in 1989 vs the Cavs
Jordan is the only player in history with multiple 40+ ppg playoff series
Kobe - 0
Playoff runs with 30+ PPG
Jordan - 12
Kobe - 5
Playoff runs with more than 8 APG
Jordan - 2
Kobe - 0
Jordan won all 6 championships as the clear best player on his team. Kobe won his last 2 championships as the clear best player, and you can argue that Kobe was the best player in the 2001 Playoffs (not Finals alone). In 2002, Shaq was slightly better and clearly better in 2000. Kobe was only the best player on at most 3 rings.
Jordan beat 2 60+ win teams in the 1993, 1996, and 1997 Playoffs as well as one more 60+ win team in 1998. Kobe has only beaten one 60+ win team in his entire playoff career as a starter, even if you adjust 1999 and 2012 lockout teams for 82 games. He beat the 2002 Kings with their 2nd-leading scorer Peja Stojakovic (21 ppg on 48%) injured and missing most of the series. The 7 60+ win teams that the Bulls beat in the 90s is a record for any franchise in one decade.
In 15 full seasons as a starter, Kobe has 21 triple doubles. When Jordan was forced to change his role due to a teammate's injury, he had to play the role of point guard. Jordan had 10 triple doubles in only 11 games in the 1988/89 season.
Jordan's lowest FG% in a playoff series was 38.7% against the 1997 Heat. That was the only time Jordan shot lower than 40% in a playoff series, and he still had 30-8-4-2-1 on 43% in the 4 wins. Kobe shot under 40% in both the 2000 (37% in 4 full games) and 2004 NBA Finals (38%), and they were both lower FG% than Jordan's lowest.
Jordan averaged more than 31 pts in 5 out of 6 NBA Finals, and shot better than 50% 3 times in the Finals. Kobe has had less than 30 ppg in 6 out of 7 NBA Finals.
Kobe has shot higher than 50% for only 1 NBA Finals series. Jordan did that 3 times.
The lowest FG% that Jordan had in an NBA Finals series was 41.5% in 1996, going against DPOY Gary Payton. Kobe has shot 41.5% or lower in all but two NBA Finals series (2002 and 2009)
Kobe has one 40 point game in all 7 NBA Finals, on 47.1%. Jordan averaged 41.0 ppg on 50.8% for the entire 1993 Finals alone.
Kobe averaged 22.6 ppg in the entire 2004 Finals. Jordan never scored lower than 22 points in a single NBA Finals game.
In all 7 NBA Finals, there is only one time that Kobe hit a game tying shot with under 30 seconds left, in Game 2 against the 2004 Pistons. He has never had a go-ahead game winning shot or assist with under 30 seconds left in an NBA Finals game.
Jordan hit the game-tying shot in Game 3 of the 1991 Finals
Jordan hit the go-ahead game winner in Game 1 of the 1997 Finals.
Jordan had the go-ahead shot in Game 5 of the 1997 Finals with the flu.
Jordan had the series-winning assist in Game 6 of the 1997 Finals.
Jordan had the game-tying assist in Game 1 of the 1998 Finals to Longley.
Jordan had the series-winning steal and shot in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals.
Kobe vs Mj Head to Head:
They met 4 times in Chicago vs Lakers and MJ Avg about 31 ppg in those 4 matchups and jordan outscored kobe all 4 gms and kobe avg about 15 ppg in the 4 meetings
And Kobe outscored jordan in the 2 Lakers vs wizards matchups .....a total of 6 head 2 head and
MJ 24.0 a game
Kobe 22.0 a game
M.J. was the better scorer, shooter, rebounder, passer, and defender. Between the two, Jordan was clearly the best.
Ctto
