The debate on whether Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan has been going on for some time now, and it's further fueled when the Black Mamba passed the former Chicago Bulls superstar for third all-time highest scoring list.

The Los Angeles Lakers star achieved the feat with a second free throw in the second quarter of the squad's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center on Sunday. The game was stopped for a few moments as the crowd was up on its feet to give the Kobe Bryant a deserving standing ovation.

"I'm just honored to be here, man, to still be playing," Bryant told ESPN. "I appreciate being able to play this long. Careers normally don't last this long. I really appreciate the opportunity to still be out there playing and performing and doing what I do."

The Black Mamba still trails Karl Malone (36,928) by a lot of margin and Kareem Abdul Jabbar's record of 38,387 appeared to be insurmountable.

The Bleacher Report said that the argument about Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan is inevitable because the two appears to mirror each other's games.

The sports website said: "Everything about their games invited comparison. From their size (each 6'6"), their demeanor (not always the warmest and fuzziest) and the almost eerie similarities of their games-Jordan has even jokingly told reporters that Bryant "stole" his moves, something Bryant has acknowledged-debate has raged on about whether it'd ever be possible for Bryant to pass his predecessor on the all-time lists."

The suggestion that Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan, however, was dismissed by a lot of pundits as they claimed that it took him 19 seasons to do so, and at a very inefficient rate. The former Chicago Bulls superstar had a career average of over 50% field goal percentage, while the Black Mamba this season is shooting at a career-low clip of only 42%.