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Poll Results: Kobe Bryant/LeBron James or Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen?

By | July 31, 2012|

It’s no secret Bryant has created a lot of controversy this summer with his comments that this 2012 Olympics team would beat the 1992 Dream Team. So we took the debate one step further on the Lakers Nation’s Facebook page, asking readers who they thought would win in a game of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

That Dream Team consisted of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, two players who were still in their primes when they participated in the Summer Games. As for this current 2012 team, LeBron James is surely in the height of career, however Kobe Bryant is, admittedly, on the verge of the end of his career. Still, Bryant is a very effective player, and still one of the leaders of this United States team.

The question was whether or not a team of Kobe and James in their prime could beat a duo of Jordan and Pippen also in their prime.

A total of 3,502 votes were cast, with 2,934 votes given to Kobe/LeBron, while Jordan/Pippen received 568 tallies. According to Lakers Nation, the greatest basketball player of all-time and his teammate stand no chance against the Philly native and the Miami Heat star.

James is currently one of the most versatile players on both ends of the floor, and the best all around player the NBA has seen in a long time. He can do pretty much anything on the court and opponents have a hard time staying in front of him. As for Bryant, his prime occurred during the mid-2000s where he was the best scorer in the league. He made scoring 50 points look easy and when he got in a groove, it was hard to stop Bryant.

 

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About the author

Ramneet Singh

Ramneet is a senior writer for Lakers Nation and has been contributing his thoughts on the Lakers and the NBA since 2010. Follow Ramneet on Twitter @RamneetSingh24.

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  • LOVELLJONES

    I UNDERSTAND THAT ANTWON BUT WHAT I WAS SAYING IS WHY DID THEY PAIR MJ WITH PIPEN INSTEAD OF PARING HIM WITH MAGIC WHO WAS ALSO ON THE DREAM TEAM

    • http://www.facebook.com/habari.thomas Habari Thomas

      I think they did that for player position. And believe it or not Scottie was the second best player in the league.

  • http://www.facebook.com/habari.thomas Habari Thomas

    I bet all the people that votewere from the ages of 17 to 29 meaning none of these people have the true appreciation of Mj’s will to win and Scottie’s true all around game was in there prime. Kobe is my favorite player today and bron will truly be king when Kobe retires. But I give the edge to da bulls, not by much but still the same they would win more than lose. Maybe they should test it on the deadliest warrior and mix that with the sports science show. Tell me when they do that. Hahaha.

    • Lestat1777

       As if Kobe doesn’t have a will to win. I have a will to win. That doesn’t mean my will can overcome Kobe in a 1-on-1 matchup. Too much emphasis is put on “will to win” when making these comparisons.

  • Kobrafit

    I am a Lakers diehard however I have to admit that Kobe/Lebron would get decimated by Jordan/Pippen if both were in there prime. Here’s why; Kobe in his prime loved to go back at players who tend to seem to get the best of him.Example if Jordan hits two 3′s in Kobe’s face “The black mamba’s” mentality is to get even immediately.Then there is the trash talk element Kobe is not one to be intimidated however during course of the game Jordan would get in Kobe’s head so bad he would begin to forget he has Lebron and start shooting up a storm.Kobe would score 50 points and Jordan may have 35 points but Kobe/Lebron would lose the game by 15 to 20 points.

    Now the the Lebron and Pippen debate.They are both 6ft 8in; Lebron has a slight advantages  athletically and weight wise. Pippen has the advantage defensively with his quickness and the 7ft 3 in wingspan that would make in very difficult for Lebron to take Pippen of the dribble consistently and that would turn “King James” into a jump shooter.Where Pippen’s offensive scoring would be a plus to Jordan;Lebron’s scoring is a must for Kobe.  Lebron would score 25 to 30 points on Pippen on a good day however it would be a hard energy depleted effort that would force “The King” to defer to the trigger happy “Black Mamba” in certain parts of the game. Lebron would have play like he’s on the Cleveland Cavaliers just to keep him and Kobe close.

    • http://coachdesignz.wordpress.com/ Jay Dayuday

      I would think MJ won’t trash talk on KB because MJ knows KB won’t be affected. I think LBJ will MJ’s target.
      PIP will defend KB, MJ will take LeBron.
      I say, a good match-up when KB and LBJ is on the offensive side. But the question is, can LeBron defend PIP or MJ on the post? Or a better Q is, can LBJ defend?

  • http://coachdesignz.wordpress.com/ Jay Dayuday

    “Possible” but not quite.
    Different era.
    MJ is still the best. Kobe is second. and LeBron is nowhere in the list.

  • http://twitter.com/150Ms_Kobe Baby Ro$$

    , magic can guard lebron ? kill yourself doesn’t matter , Kobe & Lebron will beat any of em , Kobe is the greatest laker of all time

    • Cannibalmurder

      Kobe is the greatest LAKER, MJ is the greatest PLAYER.  This is coming from someone who has watched the Lakers for 20 years.

      • Betto

        Sounds to me like u were watching Bulls games not Lakers games, if Kobe gets 6 or 7 rings and beats more MJ records, will he be considered as the greatest? It’s just fans being fans, I think after Kobe retires he will be the greatest!!

        • ride2thefuture

           Your crazy hes been doing this since he was 18 19 whatever and hes just breaking records…jordan started at 21 and had he not retired in 93 forget 98 but 93…he would of had even better stats…i only saw jordan once live in 02 Against his hometown knicks and had a game winner…how crazy that i chose that game instead of any other games in his past…remember kobe has the record at msg against a crapy knicks team at the time…jordan scored like crazy against a great defensive knicks team in the 90s…kobe had 81 against raptors crappy team…jordan 60 point games came against celtics of 80s and cavs of late 80s early 90s…may not be great but were playoff contenders(meaning cavs)

          • Lestat1777

            M.J. scored 63 against the 80s Celtics but needed 3 overtimes to do so. And against the Cavs while being defended by Craig Ehlo. Let’s not pretend Kobe couldn’t put 60 on the Cavs when he was doing so in 3 quarters against the Mavs. Kobe’s facing far larger, more athletic defenders than M.J. faces, as a whole. I know it hurts M.J. fans a little, but really, there’s no clear cut answer to which of them is the greatest. Different circumstances, different eras. Your argument also has holes in it because Kobe had to share the ball with Shaq for many years. People continue to make comparisons in a vacuum, without any objectivity.

        • Juniorc693

          He will never be better the Jordan. He can beat Jordan’s records yea I’m sure but kobe has played a lot more games then Jordan already. Jordan did everything….everything. Kobe has shot in the low 40s his whole career and he was not even close as good as a defender as Jordan…

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ron-Simmons/1043931299 Ron Simmons

           Scoring

          Seasons leading the league in scoring: 10 (1986–87-1992–93, 1995–96-1997–98)

          Consecutive seasons leading the league in scoring: 7 (1986–87-1992–93)

          Also holds second (see below)Tied Wilt Chamberlain

          Seasons leading the league in total points: 11 (1984–85, 1986–87-1992–93, 1995–96-1997–98)

          In his rookie year (1984–85), Jordan led the league in points scored, but was third in scoring average behind Bernard King and Larry Bird.

          Highest scoring average, points per game, career: 30.12 (32,292/1,072)

          Seasons averaging 30 or more points per game: 8 (1986–87-1992–93, 1995–96)

          Games scoring 30 or more points, career: 561

          Consecutive games scoring 10 or more points: 866,March 25, 1986 toDecember 26, 2001

          840 with the Chicago Bulls; 26 with the Washington Wizards

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002363257108 Pete Ballislife Okonkwo

    MJ and magic would not work cause magic is a 5on5 player he could not score consecutively on lebron like pippen would & jordan, and pippen would have the best chemistry over kobe /lebron 

    • Kobrafit

      MJ and Magic would work fine.Magic and Air Jordan in their prime would crush anyone.Too much of everything is on their side.Size,Speed,Killer Instinct etc…You have a guy in Magic who could play a five positions,punish you in the post,and give you whatever you need.Many get it twisted with Magic as if he couldn’t if he could score or take over a game.Magic is about winning;so if it meant him scoring 50 or 10 as long as the team wins.Don’t believe look at the 1980 finals Magic stats 42 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds—and handing out 7 assists in the absents of Kareem Abdul Jabbar.Remember the Lakers got the name showtime because relentless but graceful style his team ran on the fast break.

      Michael is the GOAT people enough said.And who is gonna beat this combo???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Body!!!!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000476463816 Alex Gonzalez

    You can tell that a lot of people who may have voted are relatively young.  I am a lifelong Lakers fan & I hated when Jordan got started on his run of rings because we all knew what it meant, he figured it out, Scottie too.  Michael is the GOAT people, admit it & move on.  As for Lebron vs. Pippen, Pip had the unfortunate or fortunate luck of playing with the GOAT which happened to diminish his contributions in the public eye except for knowledgeable fans who actually saw him play, he was one the best small forwards ever.  Defensively he was a nightmare with those long arms, speed, quickness, anticipation, court awareness, athleticism, etc. he had it all.  Oh & his offensive slash game was downright unarguable, Pip was the real deal.  Lebron is beginning his run as a force to be reckoned with, but lets be honest, would he have won this last ring without Wade AND Bosh, no.  Lebron as a basketball specimen is something we haven’t seen since Magic he also happens to be athletic like Pippen, but again, where as Michael & Pip were killers, Lebron is not that type of player, he’s a great teammate, but not a stone cold killer.  Michael & Pip were absolute a**holes, they were ruthless about winning & they got it done, facing those guys in their prime, it could have it’s close moments but KB & LJ wouldn’t be enough.  I am a Lakers fan for life, but even we had to admit it, MJ & SP were insane.  

  • Kobe Fan

    Jordan is the greatest of all time and together with Pippen they form a lethal defensive pair that can shut down Kobe / Lebron with one hand tied behind their back. So Jordan / Pippen all the way.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=514088835 Kevin Bradley

    Defensive combo of MJ & Pip is too much.  Plus their chemistry as teammates would overwhelm LBJ & Kobe.  No question.
     

  • Cannibalmurder

    Call me crazy (as all of my friends have), but I still take MJ and Scottie.  Scottie is way, way, way too underrated as a defender, and he’s rated pretty high, so whats that tell u.  If this was to happen, they’d get that look in their eye like they did in 92 against Kukoc in the olympics.  MJ would slow Kobe, probably not stop him, but Kobe wouldn’t stop MJ either.  All Scottie has to do is stay in front of Lebron who does not have a dependable enough shot.

    Everyone says Lebron and Kobe would win cuz Kobe is a lethal scorer and Lebron is the best overall player…ok how does Lebron’s passing skills help in a 2 on 2 game? 

    Im 23, grew up in the latter stages of the Scottie and MJ duo, watched Kobe from his rookie year til now…I still say MJ and Scottie win.  You wont stop MJ, you wont. 

  • Heester

    MJ & PIP all the way, Kobe had a tough time guarding Jordan as a 40yo Wizard!

    • Ernest

      Kobe dropped 55 on Jordan’s Wizards!

    • Lestat1777

       He had such a difficult time that he dropped 42 pts in a half time against M.J. Where do you people base your facts on? LOL

      • Juniorc693

        Of course he did, Jordan was 40. Jordan would have killed him in his prime. Ask every player that played him in his era

  • Betto

     I think either pair him with Pippen or Magic, MJ wasn’t a great of a scorer as Kobe is.  Kobe is a pure shooter, scoring the second biggest points in an nba game 81 and having 63 in just 3 quarters.   Magic was not a big scorer, neither was Pippen if you add the points that they could put up in their prime, Kobe/LBJ win..   Yes Magic is a great passer but in a 2×2, he’s only got 2 options, shoot or pass.  lol

  • Lestat1777

     I love how people here start comments with “It’s funny how little people know about basketball” and then go on and make dumb comments that further lower the unified intelligence. M.J. is considered the greatest of all time, and few can argue that opinion, but as great as he was, his legend has now far exceeded the actual player. Pippen is one of the greatest on-ball defenders of all time, but realistically, he would have trouble defending Lebron. Don’t bring up that he defended Magic in the ’91 Finals. Magic in the ’91 Finals was still one of the greatest but a far cry from the Magic of the mid-1980s, and Magic was a different player than Lebron is, so this comparison is moot. And I know how much people love to argue that Kobe is not M.J. He doesn’t have to be to go head to head with M.J. and come out even. Also, this poll is about a 2-on-2 game. In this case, Kobe and Lebron would win in this matchup.

    • Juniorc693

      I think it’s funny how u know so little about basketball. First of all I know Kobe doesn’t think he can take Jordan on. That’s his idol and he knows better. Jordan in his prime was a monster are u kidding me. He was a 50% shooter from the everyday while Kobe shoots in the low 40s. Jordan was excellent on defense. He is 3rd all time in steals! Jordan was an art to watch man. His anticipation is second to none. Kobe vs Jordan…..plz it’s a no brainer. Kobe would be licking the ice off his shoes before he could ever beat him. He can only beat a 40 yr old michael. Now Lebron vs pip…..it would be a battle but Lebron is soft man. When u watch this guy play he is a passer first kind of guy then a scorer. In a 2 on 2 he would be giving the ball to Kobe instead of trying to take on pip. Pip was a nightmare on defense. He was a pest and wit his length he would overwhelm Lebron. Lebron got weight on pip but as we all know Lebron can’t post up no one. He relies on his 1 on 1 game too much which would work on pips favor because he would make him a jump shooter which is not lebrons strength. Pip was excellent at taking charges and steals pip would not let Lebron take over. Lebron can’t even stop a 35 yr old Paul pierce come on man. Lebrons defense is a ill overrated. Jordan and pip would be too much for them. I’m not sayin it would be a blowout but 8 out of 10 times Kobe and lbj would lose

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