Video: Phil Jackson compares MJ and Kobe

Phil Jackson made some of the media rounds to promote his new book Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, yet another memoir where Jackson tries to impart his wisdom and tell the stories of his coaching successes.

The book has gotten some notice for Jackson's first-ever public comparions between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan — a fan boy's dream coming from the one guy who could probably make that comparison having coached both at the height of their careers and to all of their combined 11 championships.

Jackson said of the two that Jordan was a fiercer competitor because he never turned it off even when he stepped off the floor. Kobe is at least in the same ball park though, so he has that going for him even if it does not sit well with the Mamba. Jackson noted that Bryant was a bit more reserved and kept to himself early in his career because of his age.

That was the story Jackson was sticking to when he went on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The gregarious Leno asked Jackson about this comparison from his book but also asked him about what happened with the Lakers and his future in the NBA:

About Philip Rossman-Reich

Philip Rossman-Reich is the managing editor for Crossover Chronicles and Orlando Magic Daily. You can follow him on twitter @OMagicDaily

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