LOS ANGELES — It is one of the great sports debates: Is X-basketball superstar better than Michael Jordan?
Kobe Bryant, who became a cultural phenomenon just as Michael Jordan was planning his exit strategy, was long compared to Jordan. With Bryant now retired, LeBron James is judged against Jordan.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reckons that the Bryant-Jordan comparison makes far more sense than the James-Jordan one.
“Kobe is the closest thing to Michael,” said Kerr, whose Golden State team will watch Bryant’s Nos. 8 and 24 raised to the Staples Center rafters Monday night. “Everybody’s been compared to Michael.