It's fair to say that prime Michael Jordan never matched up against prime Kobe Bryant. By the last time the two legends faced each other, Jordan was over 40 years old and Bryant was just 24. And surprisingly, in their eight head-to-head matchups, Bryant actually got the better of the G.O.A.T., as his Lakers won five of the eight games.
Evidently, Willie Parker didn't look up the stats when making his argument, then. But regardless of the eventual outcomes, Parker wouldn't have bet against Jordan, an established, Hall of Fame presence, going up against a budding superstar like Bryant. And he's using this example to explain why he's not willing to bet against Tom Brady in Super Bowl LV as he faces off against Patrick Mahomes.
"I look at it as the old wizard and the young wizard," Parker said on the "Let's Get Technical" podcast. "But I can't really go against Tom Brady, though. I'm just gonna put that out there, quick. Pittsburgh fans might be kind of upset at me saying this, but I look at Tom Brady like I look at MJ."
Parker explained that he made the regrettable mistake of sleeping on Brady — no, literally, falling asleep during Super Bowl LI — and waking up to realize that he would never sleep on Brady again. In this sense, Brady and Jordan were once again similar in Parker's eyes, seeing as Jordan would keep him up late at night so he could witness his excellence.
"If I was a betting man, until Mahomes [does] what Tom Brady has done, I can't really put no money on Mahomes right yet," Parker explained. "But he has a lot of talent, a lot of upside. He's like the best in the league right now, but it's just like Jordan, even now, going against Kobe in his prime.
"You owe Jordan enough respect not to go against him, even though Kobe is doing his thing and Kobe's that guy. I still rock with Jordan."
Parker also probably knows not to bet against Brady because of first-hand experience. Though the Steelers defeated the Patriots in 2004, Parker's rookie season, Brady went on to defeat Pittsburgh in the postseason that year (41-27), in the following season (23-20) and in 2007 (34-13), and Parker's last game came before their next matchup. All in all, Brady is 12-3 against the Steelers (playoffs included).
But what matters now is what he'll be able to do against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Perhaps, with a win, this game could turn the tables and earn Mahomes the respect that would allow Parker to bet on him going forward.
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