Ex-Lakers center Dwight Howard drops  worrisome Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan take that will divide fans

Dwight Howard, the former center for the Los Angeles Lakers, enjoyed a successful career in Hollywood before deciding to retire to better times. Howard is well-known for his candid views on the NBA basketball scene, which he recently expressed in reference to the GOAT discussion between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Howard found himself in a firestorm of commentary with former NBA stars Gilbert Arenas and Kenyon Martin on the topic after he said that Bryant took everything Jordan did and enhanced it. The former Kobe Bryant teammate’s comments were met with stiff resistance from Arenas whose tangent centered around Bryant.

The Lakers legend did not mimic the early years of ‘Air Jordan’ but instead mimicked the latter years of Jordan, ‘Agent Zero’ said.

The Howard discussion came amid a Jerry West focused move by his alma mater, West Virginia University. Meanwhile, an Austin Reaves focused Magic Johnson stat was shared that will fire up Lakers fans. Howard’s take will delight many Lakers fans, but bother Jordan fans. Further analysis reveals how close Bryant came to MJ’s level of mastery.

Kobe vs. Mike, revisited

Looking at Jordan vs. Bryant from an “eye test” perspective it’s easy to see why Arenas took issue with Howard’s assertion. How he approached it is where he there is plenty of room for interpretation.

Arenas said that Kobe Bryant essentially copied the post #45 era Michael Jordan who relied mostly on fadeaways and outside shots in comparison to the previous iteration of ‘Air’ Jordan. What Arenas missed is that the young version of Kobe Bryant bore plenty of similarities to the young version of Jordan, with his high-flying acrobatics and Slam Dunk Competition win as a rookie. Howard didn’t elaborate on his comments, but Bryant shot the ball from a farther distance than the Bulls legend on many occasions and seemed to have a more advanced shooting range in general. Jordan could possibly have had that shot in his arsenal, but the NBA of his era didn’t allow for such shots to be taken nearly as often.