EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Two Hall of Fame shooting guards, both with a fistful of championships rings and a closet full of trophies, spending the twilight of their career on struggling teams. There are indeed parallels between where Michael Jordan was when he played for the Washington Wizards and where Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is now. Jordan’s Wizards posted consecutive 37-45 records in his final two seasons with the team, failing to make the playoffs both times. Bryant’s Lakers are off to their worst start (0-5) since 1957 and have lost their games by an average of 14.8 points. But when hit with the question about the similarities Thursday at the team’s facility here, the 36-year-old Bryant laughed, said no and then relented after giving it some brief thought. “Well, maybe, I guess,” Bryant said after a pause. Oh? “He wasn’t in Chicago, playing for the same organization for all those years,” Bryant said of Jordan. “It’s a little different. I’m still younger than he was.” Jordan retired at the age of 40 in 2003 after averaging 20 points that season. “I can see where you guys are thinking there’s similarities there,” Bryant told reporters. “I also think it’s probably reaching for content at this point, which is okay. I get it. So, yeah, there are similarities.”
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