Kobe Bryant over LeBron James? Why? Hornets owner Michael Jordan has his (5) reasons

For Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan, it’s still all about the rings.

Jordan won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He was asked at one of his basketball camps this week who he’d rank higher among NBA greats: LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.

Jordan picked retired Los Angeles Lakers guard Bryant, who has five title rings. James has three titles – two with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His teams have reached the NBA Finals eight times.

“Would I rank LeBron over Kobe in terms of best of all time? No,” Jordan told campers at one of his “Flight Schools” in California. “There’s something about five that beats three.”

Of course, this isn’t over. While Jordan and Bryant are both retired from playing, James is still in his prime as a player, the dominant force of his NBA generation. James, 32, has played 14 NBA seasons.

“Now, he may be better than that,” Jordan added of James, “but Kobe won five championships. LeBron (so far) won three.”

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 9:32 PM with the headline "Kobe Bryant over LeBron James? Why? Hornets owner Michael Jordan has his (5) reasons."