Kobe Bryant Told Tracy McGrady All The Time He Was Better Than Michael Jordan: ‘Jordan Ain’t Got Nothing On Me’

NBA icon Kobe Bryant told Tracy McGrady all the time that he was better than Michael Jordan. 

Bryant was close friends with McGrady and Jordan. The Black Mamba tragically passed away in January 2020 in a helicopter crash. 

KOBE: “I’m better than Michael Jordan. Jordan ain’t got nothing on me.” https://t.co/58MdBzYIrm

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 24, 2025

Jordan and Bryant are universally recognized as the two best shooting guards in NBA history.

Jordan and Bryant combined to win 11 championships, eight Finals MVPs, six MVPs and 12 scoring titles.

Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, while Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Bryant is fourth in NBA history in points, while Jordan is fifth. The two basketball giants were magical to watch. 

Jordan won three All-Star Game MVPs, five MVPs, 10 scoring titles, three steals titles, six championships and six Finals MVPs during his career. He made 14 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine All-NBA Defensive teams.

Meanwhile, Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, a five-time champion, a four-time All-Star Game MVP, a two-time Finals MVP, a two-time scoring champion, a 15-time All-NBA Team member, a 12-time All-Defensive Team member and the 2007-08 MVP.

“His style of play was identical to mine,” Jordan told ESPN in 2021. “He stayed true to his course, and I respect that. … He was a mentally tough kid, maybe even tougher than I was. Remember, the people who followed me, my fans, didn’t like that he was trying to copy what I had done.”

Jordan still has Bryant’s final text message to him on his cell phone. 

“I don’t know why,” Jordan told ESPN. “But I just can’t delete it. … In some ways, Kobe was self-made. People forget that. He was an 18-year-old kid that made himself into one of the best. To me, it was all from hard work and dedication. All the effort he put forth. He should be a great role model for a lot of kids who at 18 may not want to go to college, that may want to play basketball somewhere. He showed them how. And he sat on the bench for a long time before he got his chance. People forget that, too. But when he got his shot, he took advantage of it.”