Michael Jordan- I Could Beat Lebron, But Not Kobe
Michael Jordan thinks he could beat Lebron James in a one-on-one game of basketball in his prime, but would possibly still lose to Kobe. The comments from Jordan, widely considered the greatest basketball player to play the game, came during a promotional video for NBA 2K14, which sponsors Jordan.
Michael Jordan said he could beat Lebron but not Kobe because the Lakers superstar played with him and took some of his moves. Jordan led the Bulls to six championships in the 1990s, while Kobe has been able to lead the Lakers to five.
"I don't think I would lose," Jordan admitted, "other than to Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves."
Jordan in his prime was listed at 6-foot-6, 213 pounds, averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Lebron is 6-foot-8, averages 25.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and six assists. Still, he seemed surprised at 50-year-old Jordan's insistence that he would win.
"MJ said that?" he asked the Miami Herald when told about the story after a Miami Heat training camp in the Bahamas. "It was for my game? It's good promotion then."
"Absolutely, I thought about the matchup," James, who will appear on the cover of NBA 2K14, continued. "But no one would ever see it. It's not going to happen. It is good for people to talk about."
Kobe was a bit more forthcoming in his response to Jordan's assessment.
"Domino effect," Bryant tweeted. "I stole some of his.. this generation stole some of mine."
Jordan also mentioned that there are other legendary NBA players he'd love to have taken on one-on-one: Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade all made the list.
Jordan first appeared on the cover of NBA 2K11, when he first signed a deal with 2K Sports. He was also on the cover of the popular video game in 2012 alongside Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.