A former NBA champion did not hesitate when asked who he would pick between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to take the last shot in a hypothetical Game 7 thriller.
Both Jordan and Bryant are considered to be two of the greatest NBA players of all-time.
Bryant won five championships and secured 18 All-Star and 15 All-NBA appearances before retiring in style with a 60-point performance in his final game.
He had many great moments and often excelled in clutch situations, just like his mentor, Jordan. Both are often compared because of the similarity in their game and stacked resumes.
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In the closing moments, Jordan was the man the team trusted to get a basket, while Bryant was always the player for the big occasion.
NBA champion Stephen Jackson shared the court with both the players, and has revealed which of the two he would trust with the final shot in a Game 7.
Jackson makes his choice between Jordan and Bryant
Game 7 is the most exciting matchup between two sides and decides the fate of a series. And bothJordan and Bryant have been in such situations and produced great moments.
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However, Jackson revealed on Byron Scott's Fast Break podcast that he would give the ball to Bryant for the winning basket in Game 7.
He said: "I’m giving it to Kobe because just off the simple fact that I know he’s going to get us a good shot. I know it.
"And I know we're going to get an attempt. You know, you might double him and we've seen him get doubled and make the pass, the right pass.
"If Kobe gets the ball, we going to get a shot up. I don’t care if it might be over four or five people and the odds of him making it than the other four people on the court is totally different.
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"So I’m going with Kobe."
Bryant vs Jordan Game 7 stats
Bryant has been in six Game 7 situations throughout his career with the LA Lakers.
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He averaged 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists in those games, but shot the ball at 37 percent from three-point range.
However, he had some big moments like the assist to Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 against the Portland Trail Blazers and game winner on the Phoenix Suns in 2006.
When the Lakers needed Bryant stepped, winning five out of the six Game 7s that he participated in.
Jordan, on the other hand, played in only three such matchups and averaged 33 points in them, winning two and losing once in his career.
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The Jumpman's only loss in Game 7 came against the Detroit Pistons, but that happened before he won his first championship.
After his first ring, Jordan never looked back and went to Finals six times, winning on all the occasions.
Topics: Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, NBA, Basketball
Godwin Mathew