Michael Jordan: Kobe Bryant's five rings rank him above LeBron James

Four-and-a-half years and two moreLeBron James championships haven't changed Michael Jordan's opinion that Kobe Bryant was better than James.

In February 2013, Jordan told NBA TV that Bryant's five championship rings put him above James, who had one at that time. Speaking at his Flight School in Santa Barbara, California, on Monday, Jordan said that logic still stands.

"Would I rank LeBron over Kobe? In terms of best of all time? No," he said, in response to a question from a camper.

"There's something about five that beats three. ... Kobe won five championships. LeBron won three -- although he's been to seven [consecutive] Finals," Jordan said.

When Jordan made his comments four years ago, James had guided the Miami Heat past the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games a year prior. Since that time, James' teams have appeared in five more NBA Finals and he has won two more rings -- in 2013 when the Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs in seven games and in 2016 when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in seven games.

Jordan won six championships with the Chicago Bulls during his Hall of Fame career. Bryant, who retired after the 2015-16 season, won his five rings with the Los Angeles Lakers.