Who is the heir to the throne of Michael Jordan? Well, there are countless books on it, and now one more chapter would be added to it. The majority of it has revolved around Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. There are way too many reasons why picking anyone between the two won’t be a bad shout. A former NBA player from Russia made his choice with a bold proclamation.

“Kobe Bryant was the face of the league. And he was the avatar of Michael Jordan.” Adrian Kirilenko revealed, recently. The podcast co-host, Quentin Richardson, really liked the explanation. “I think he is the closest one who got like Mike. It’s like so many similarities, so many way they play, so many accolades, the way they move.” Kirilenko said via the Knuckleheads Podcast.

Even Michael Jordan once explained why Kobe Bryant would be a challenger in a 1v1 situation. He picked Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade as his opponents, who MJ would have liked to face. “I don’t think I’d lose, other than Kobe Bryant, because he steals all my moves.” Even the former coach who coached both MJ and Kobe Bryant spoke about the connection in his book.

Phil Jackson won a three-peat with both the Bulls and Lakers. In his book, ‘From Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson’, Zen Master kept Kobe and Michael Jordan in the same tier. It was also revealed that even His Airness thought the same.

He wrote that when people watched Jordan, they felt the Bulls legend was from another planet. And that was the same feeling when people watched Kobe. “MJ just told me Kobe’s the only one to have done the work to deserve comparison.” Jackson wrote that in his book. Apart from the former coach, another Lakers legend felt the same.

King James is not an heir to Michael Jordan

Earlier this year, Magic Johnson spoke with Jennifer Hudson about Kobe Bryant and his legacy. Stating that the way Mamba achieved things was special, even the five championships. The interview was after the first statue was unveiled to the world. Which had the famous finger-pointing pose after he scored 81 points.

Plus, the things he was doing for women’s sports were commendable. So, according to Magic, Kobe meant more to Los Angeles as a city and not just limited to the franchise. “Probably the closest dude to Michael Jordan, right? Because Michael is the greatest that’s ever played. But Kobe, in terms of how he was able to… his mannerisms like Michael, the way he approached the game like Michael.”

Statistically, Michael Jordan had more rings, but LeBron James easily has the best numbers. But what Kobe Bryant brought to the league was very similar to MJ. Never give an opponent an inch. Giving hell to both teammates and opponents. Because of those traits, many believed and still believed that Kobe is the heir to Jordan’s throne.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host, BG12, sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.