David Stern Puts Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan on the Same Pedestal

It was a historic night for Kobe Bryant, as he became the youngest NBA player ever to reach 30,000 career points. Commissioner David Stern happened to be on hand for the game, and said Kobe and Michael Jordan belong on the same pedestal. (Incidentally, Bryant is now just 2,276 points away from reaching MJ’s total.) From the LA Daily News: “I want to shake his hand. I think Kobe as a talent and a competitor, he’s up there on the pedestal with Michael Jordan as one of the greatest ever,’ Stern said. ‘Kobe has had such an extraordinary run playing at the highest level for so long and the championships to prove it in a league that is extremely competitive. Kobe and the Lakers have been an important part of the league and I wish them well for this season and beyond.’ Stern still provided little sympathy for the Lakers having to pay harsh luxury tax penalties because of a $100 million payroll. The Lakers, after all, are in the first year of a lucrative 20-year deal with Time Warner Cable. ‘It’s one component of Lakers income that gets accounted for when they make a payment in the revenue sharing pool,’ Stern said of the team’s cable deal. ‘There’s more money to be shared. The combination of that and the tax tend to act as a brake on team spending.'”