February 12, 2002: Washington Wizards @ Los Angeles Lakers
Kicks: adidas The Kobe II (Bryant)/Air Jordan 17 (Jordan)
Points: 23 to 22 in favor of Bryant
Win: Lakers (Bryant)
After Michael secured his sixth championship with the Chicago Bulls, he decided to walk away from the game and pursue a front office and ownership position with the Washington Wizards. Perplexed by the inefficiencies his team showed on the court, MJ got the urge to return to the hardwood for the 2001-2002 NBA season, thus re-booting his annual matchups with Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles Lakers. The two legends would meet in February of 2001, as the dominant Lakers lead by Bryant would come away with a convincing win. Rocking the adidas The Kobe Two, Bryant would tally a triple-double that included 23 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, while MJ scored 22 points, tallied 6 assists and 5 boards in the Air Jordan 17s.
