Tracy McGrady says Kobe Bryant is the best 1-on-1 talent he’s ever faced, declares he’s more skilled than Michael Jordan

By Orel Dizon
Updated: May 27, 2022

Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady recently offered his explanation as to why he believes Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has the edge over Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan when it comes to one-on-one talent.

Tracy McGrady on greatest one-on-one talent he's ever faced (via @FirstTake): “Kobe Bean Bryant. He’s the greatest one-on-one player I’ve ever competed against, and not just because of his skillset. It’s because of his mentality. He was just a certified killer.”

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) May 27, 2022

T-Mac on Kobe vs. MJ 1-on-1 skills (via @FirstTake): “I see MJ & Kobe, but Kobe enhanced those skillsets that he took from Michael Jordan. The ball-handling skills. The fadeaways. I think Kobe is the most skilled basketball player that I’ve ever seen over Michael Jordan.”

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) May 27, 2022

It is no secret to fans that the late Bryant patterned his playing style after that of his idol, Jordan. However, McGrady does present a compelling point that Bryant was able to not only imitate Jordan’s skill set, but also improve upon it.

McGrady got to experience firsthand how skilled of a player Bryant was, as the two had their fair share of battles throughout their careers. In addition, they were two of the most prolific scorers during the 2000s and became household names at just about the same time.

While Bryant became an All-Star for the first time in the 1997-98 season, McGrady had to bide his time for a bit more, as he was named to his first All-Star team in the 2000-01 season.

Another similarity between them is that they were both great all-around players, with Bryant averaging 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for his career and McGrady recording 19.6 points, 5.6 boards and 4.4 dishes per contest throughout his lengthy career.

However, that is where the parallels between their careers end, as Bryant won a total of five championships in his career as a member of the Lakers.

Unfortunately for McGrady, he was unable to experience the same type of success in the postseason. However, McGrady won two scoring titles and was named to seven All-NBA teams during his time in the league.