I'll only compete with things I'm good at," the five-time NBA champion said of the Jordan comparisons. In retrospect, Kobe's 55-point performance against MJ means two different things.

Dwyane Wade ignited the NBA GOAT debate on his podcast, Wy Network, crediting Michael Jordan for his basketball introduction.

"Kobe, if he don't like you, you know he don't like you," Grant said. "If there's a difference, that's a difference. But with MJ, I mean, you might never know. It's a different level.

Mike was the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year, but he had somebody alongside him who allowed MJ to be a help defender with monster stats. On the other hand, the 2008 NBA MVP didn't have that luxury.

Like Kobe, Allen also considers Mike to be the toughest matchup of his career. Moreover, he firmly believes that MJ is, and will always be, the rightful NBA GOAT.

Kobe vs. M.J.? It's getting tougher to call May 30, 2010 More than 15 years ago Summary By Mike Wise ...