Gilbert Arenas disagrees Kobe Bryant was more skilled than Michael Jordan: "Kobe don't look nothing like MJ in '84 to '93"

Some consider Kobe Bryant a more skilled player than Michael Jordan because, as they say, the Los Angeles Lakers legend copied MJ's moves and enhanced them. Even Jordan himself once admitted that the only guy capable of beating him in a one-on-one game would be Bryant because he stole all his moves .

But don't tell that to Gilbert Arenas , who went ballistic when Kobe's ex-teammates Dwight Howard and Nick Young agreed that the Black Mamba is a more skilled version of No.23.

"Why the f*** are you talking about Kobe enhanced MJ's moves when you're only talking about MJ '95, '96?" asked Arenas. "Kobe don't look nothing like MJ in '84 to '93."

Kobe enhanced Jordan's skills

The discussion began when Howard said Kobe "took everything that Jordan did and multiplied it." Dwight mentioned Bryant's fadeaway, drive, and pump fake as examples of what he did better than the Chicago Bulls legend.

Young agreed with Howard, saying that Bryant added more steps to MJ 's moves and made them his own. Rashad McCants concurred with the two former players, adding that Kobe also upgraded the footwork he learned from Michael.

"He enhanced the perimeter skillset, the toolbox on the perimeter. When you talk about footwork, he took MJ's midrange footwork and he put it to the perimeter. You know I'm a student," said Rashad.

Bryant copied only the post-1993 Jordan

Arenas argued that Kobe copied the fadeaway, drive, pump fake, and footwork from the post-minor league version of MJ. While he ultimately became the Jordan clone, Gil thinks Bryant never played like the young version of Michael.

"He don't know who that n***a is," continued Arenas. "He learned Michael Jordan's old n***a comeback with the post-up and fadeaway. That's the MJ he mimicked. He did not mimic Air Jordan."

Young Michael dominated with supreme God-given athletic ability rather than skills. Although he was super athletic, Kobe did not have MJ's otherworldly 40-inch vertical leap.

Given that he didn't have Mike's physical gifts— large hands are another example—it didn't make sense for Bryant to copy a young version of Jordan. Once the Bulls icon changed his game and started playing on the ground more, Kobe started paying more attention and implementing things he saw from his idol.

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