Basketball On The Internet.

THE man best qualified to make the comparison NBA and basketball fans the world over have been making for years - Phil Jackson - says Michael Jordan was a greater leader than Kobe Bryant.

Jackson, who coached MJ with the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, and Bryant at Los Angeles Lakers for five, made the observation in his new book "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success.''

"Kobe Bryant was a win-at-all-costs superstar who could score 81 points by himself if needed," Jackson wrote in his new 339-page tome.

"Jordan was power and strength while Bryant was more finesse and speed."

Jackson says Bryant, 34, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear last month, was prepared to endure major sacrifices to win championships.

"One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader," Jackson said.

"Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence."

Bryant had difficulty relating to some of his teammates and was more comfortable giving them orders, a trait he had to unlearn.

Jackson said the man dubbed Air Jordan was a natural leader.

"Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim," Jackson wrote.

"He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones and Michael had."

Bryant did not know the meaning of quit, had a win-at-any-cost mentality and if he was having a poor game, would just keep shooting until he found his range again.

"Jordan was better at going with the flow or adapting and listening to what his body was trying to tell him on a certain day," Jackson wrote.

"If his jump shot wasn't falling, he switched to concentrating on defence or passing and, if he got hot with the three-pointer, he would ride that shot to the final buzzer.

"Michael was more likely to break through his attackers with power and strength while Kobe often tried to finesse his way through mass pileups.

"Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way."

Bryant, who enjoyed a career-high 81-point game against Toronto, spent his early childhood in Italy, where his father, Joe "Jellybean'' Bryant, initially played as an import before coaching.

"Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager. When Kobe joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternising with his teammates," Jackson said.

Jordan was a regular practical joker and, despite initially not "getting" the laconic Aussie style of self-deprecating humor of teammate Luc Longley, fully embraced it and its sarcastic edge.