Kobe Bryant was always considered the closest player to Michael Jordan. The comparisons ramped up when Kobe won his fifth NBA championship in 2010.

But while everybody on social media was busy equating Kobe to MJ, Michael’s eldest son Marcus let everybody know there is no comparison, that the Black Mamba does not belong in the same sentence as His Airness.

“NO ONE…And I mean, NO ONE should EVER compare Kobe Bryant to my dad and say that he is anywhere near close to my dad. He’s jagging this game,” said Marcus via X.

Kobe struggled in Game 7 of the NBA Finals

The ‘game’ that Marcus was referring to was the final game of the 2010 NBA Finals. While the Lakers won the game, Kobe had a nightmarish shooting night. Bryant led the Lakers with 23 points but was just 6-24 from the floor, including 0-6 from three-point distance.

Despite struggling in the title-clinching game, Bryant won Finals MVP honors by averaging 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game. Although his shots weren’t falling in Game 7, Kobe managed to grab 15 rebounds and make 11 out of 15 free throws.

“Don’t get me wrong, Kobe is one of the best in the league…. Just nowhere near my dad…good game right here tho,” added Marcus in a separate post.

Mike said Kobe could beat him in a game of 1-on-1

But while the son said ‘no,’ MJ himself once said that Kobe was the only player capable of beating him in a game of 1-on-1 because Bryant stole all of his moves. Jordan also once said that the Black Mamba may be more mentally tough than him.

“He was a mentally tough kid, maybe even tougher than I was,” Jordan said. “Remember, the people who followed me, my fans, didn’t like that he was trying to copy what I had done.”

You could understand where Marcus was coming from when he made his statements. Undoubtedly, MJ was a great closer, perhaps the best ever. However, His Airness never played in a Game 7 because his teams never needed one.

But MJ also had rough shooting nights, even in the Finals. Remember that he was just 5-19 with 22 points in the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals. However Jordan’s persona and winning mindset make fans forget any poor performance he had, as His Airness was one of one.