As the one man that has coached both Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan to multiple NBA titles, former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Phil Jackson, knows these two legends better than anyone else.
With Jordan being considered arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time and Bryant being the closest comparison to the six-time NBA champion in terms of skill set, the debate rages on about which player would win in a one-on-one showdown.
Jackson was asked the question about which player would come out on top in a head-to-head matchup while being interviewed by Gary Payton and Charissa Thompson of Fox Sports One. Jackson chose to go with Jordan over Bryant.
Jackson chose a physical trait, the enormous size of Jordan’s hands, as giving him the edge over Bryant. Jackson explained that the glove-like hands gave him more control in terms of handling the basketball.
Along with Jackson going with Jordan over Bryant, the Lakers and Bulls legend also chimed in on a few other epic one-on-one scenarios.
Jackson took Larry Bird over Magic Johnson, which is bound to make more than a few Lakers fans upset, but also went with Shaquille O’Neal over Dwight Howard without question.
The coaching legend was also asked about a match-up between Metta World Peace and Dennis Rodman. Jackson believes that WWE-like showdown would definitely be more of a wrestling match rather than a traditional one-on-one matchup.
In a separate interview with Fox Sports, Jackson let it be known once again that he’s got no intention to returning to coaching in the NBA.
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