Michael Jordan didn’t hesitate when asked to pick between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Jordan is widely acknowledged as the greatest NBA player of all time, having claimed six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and changed the perception of basketball globally.

However, there is much debate regarding who the second greatest NBA star in history, with the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell and Magic Johnson all being able to stake a claim.

In the more modern era, James and the late Bryant are also among those in the reckoning. And Jordan once opened up about who he considered to be the superior player.

When asked to pick between Kobe and LeBron in 2013, Jordan joked: “I mean, that’s a tough one. I would say… Kevin Durant.” The Bulls icon continued: “In terms of the dominance of the game of basketball, at this stage it’s LeBron.

Championship-wise Kobe Bryant. “He wants it so bad and he’s willing to go to the extreme. Guarding a guy. Guarding a point guard at the age of 34, playing 38 minutes, and 40 minutes. It’s “I think this is what he’s battling with. It is what it is.

He’s cursed as much as I am. If you had to pick between the two that would be a tough choice, and five [players] beat one.”

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were close friends (Getty)