"Don't know if he'll come back": When Nick Saban dropped a cheeky response after picking Michael Jordan over Kobe Bryant

Nick Saban is known for his college football acumen. The former Alabama coach and soon-to-be College Football Hall of Famer has a strong case for being the best coach to ever roam the sidelines at that level, having won a record seven national titles. It turns out he knows a little bit about basketball, too.

Saban chimed in on the greatest basketball player of all time debate during a one-on-one interview with Tom Rinaldi in Dec. 2018:

"I would say Michael Jordan, but that's a hard pick for me over Kobe Bryant," Saban said (Timestamp: 3:01).

Rinaldi followed up, asking Saban how he thought Kobe Bryant would react to that choice. Knowing how much of a competitor the former Los Angeles Lakers star was, Saban laughed:

"Well, I don't know if he'll come back," Saban answered.

What did Kobe Bryant think of Nick Saban?

In Aug. 2018, Nick Saban invited Kobe Bryant to speak with his team. The Crimson Tide were focused on repeating as national champions. Both Saban and the Black Mamba held a deep respect for each other:

"With the things that I've read about him and interviews that I've watched, he's a teacher," Kobe Bryant said of Saban. "He's gonna challenge his guys to really hit their full potential, but it's a grind — and it has to be that way. And that's what I've always admired about Nick Saban from afar."

Bryant had some words of advice for the team, only a small portion of which were included in the ESPN video:

"What I always found helpful, particularly when the season starts, is to edit your life," Bryant said. "What's most important to you? And when you do that, you do that exercise with yourself, things become clear rather quickly," Bryant told the Crimson Tide.

Saban valued the chance to listen to Bryant, who died a little over a year later in a helicopter crash.

"It was interesting, you know, hearing you speak today about, you know, your mentality as a player," Saban told Bryant. "And how your work ethic, your perseverance gave you the confidence to be the kind of player that you were. And, you know, my comment about that is every great player that I've ever met, they all have that. They all have talent, but they all have that."

Saban isn't the only college football coach to choose Jordan as the best to ever step on the hardwood. Colorado's Deion Sanders recently did the same on Radio Row in New Orleans before the Super Bowl.