MANILA, Philippines – It is a given that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are among the best cagers to have played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). But who is really better?

For Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, there is no answer to that question.

“I think there will always be a debate over who’s the best player to play basketball,” Fisher told Asian reporters during a Cisco TelePresence videoconference last month.

“I think Kobe has answered it by saying it’s near impossible to compare to a guy that largely played in different eras, didn’t really have to play against each other for long stretches of time,” he continued.

Bryant’s teammate also commented on the never-ending Kobe vs. MJ debate.

“It’s a disservice to Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving and all those men that that really helped make the NBA what it is today to only single out Kobe and MJ,” he stated.

When asked what he thinks Bryant should do to reach Jordan’s level or even surpass him, Fisher thinks the 2010 Finals Most Valuable Player does not need to do something extra.

“Kobe needs to continue to do what he’s been doing to push himself to be the best and help his team win championships,” he said.

Brothers off the court

Fisher went on to praise his teammate whom he regarded as a “hard worker and great champion.”

“I think Kobe and what he’s been able to accomplish since he came into the NBA in 1996, it’s amazing,” he said.

“Think about a 17-year-old young man coming out of high school and going into the NBA and developing himself and his game to become arguably one of the greatest players to ever play basketball. It says a lot about his character, work ethic...about his desire to really work hard to be the best.”

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher. (Agence France-Presse)

Fisher and Bryant, who were part of the 1996 NBA Draft, have been teammates for 14 years. They are 5-time NBA champions for the Lakers, the 2010 NBA champion.

“We have tremendous amount of respect for each other. We really have enjoyed accomplishing on the court and also being brothers off the court,” he noted.

Best teammate and opponent

Obviously, Bryant was Fisher’s choice when asked to name the best player he has ever played with.

As for the best player he has played against, Fisher named former Utah Jazz star point guard John Stockton.

“It’s a tough one. Maybe a lot of you would be surprised that I would say John Stockton,” he stated. “John was so smart, so efficient, really tough and could really make you look silly if you weren’t on top of your game.”

Fisher also cited Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers for the period of 1999 to 2003.

According to Fisher, Iverson was arguably the best player in the game alongside former Laker Shaquille O’Neal. – Report by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com