"He took what MJ was & enhanced that skill set" - Tracy McGrady says Michael Jordan would be beaten by Kobe Bryant in 1-on-1 faceoff

OBL Hoops uploaded a video interview with former NBA player Tracy McGrady, wherein he was asked who he's picking between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in a 1-on-1 faceoff.

Tracy McGrady had an interesting answer for the match-up presented.

"I'm going with Kobe," McGrady said. "I think Kobe was the most skilled basketball player ever I've ever seen. I think he took what MJ was and enhanced that skill set."

Kobe Bryant was considered the closest to have ever reached the elite skillset of Michael Jordan. From footwork, fundamentals, and shotmaking, Kobe Bryant had it all on lock.

It also makes sense why Tracy McGrady chose Bryant as he played against him more. At the height of their careers, both Bryant and McGrady had numerous 1-on-1 battles with each other. The two players would even train together during the offseason to better hone their respective skills.

Be that as it may, Michael Jordan was no slouch either when it came to 1-on-1 duels as he would give it consistently to Kobe Bryant whenever they were matched-up.

Moreover, Michael Jordan also acted as a mentor to Kobe Bryant when it came to providing some of the moves that he would take advantage of.

Playing under the same position as shooting guard, each player has their advantages over the other as both are equal when all of their strengths are lined up.

One could argue that Jordan had a much better driving ability as opposed to Bryant. His dribble penetration drives had an average of at least 50% in his career, according to Bleacher Report's Ethan S.

Meanwhile, Bryant was regarded as a better outside jump shooter compared to Jordan. The highest number of shot attempts Kobe Bryant took in a season was 6.5 and had 34.7% shooting from beyond the arc. For Michael Jordan, his highest number of shot attempts from beyond the arc was 3.6, and he shot 37.4% from that distance.

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Looking back on the time Kobe Bryant talked about facing Michael Jordan as an 18-year-old

In a video interview uploaded by Darren Rovell on Twitter, Kobe Bryant talked about the time he faced Jordan as an 18-year-old.

Bryant talked about how Jordan easily fooled him with a quick baseline move for an open dunk, despite knowing what the Bulls star was going to do. The Lakers legend also added that Jordan had a few words for him after pulling off the stellar move.

"A lot faster in person, isn't it?" Jordan asked.

It was the first of many battles to come for two of the greatest shooting guards to have ever played in the NBA. Besides the battles shared between one another, the two hall of famers also shared a unique teacher and student bond between one another.