NBA Legends And Players Explain Why Kobe Bryant Was The Closest Thing To Michael Jordan

Here are nba legends and players explaining why Kobe was the closest thing to Michael Jordan.
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Video Footage and Credit:
https://youtu.be/7ifnpFvyMjg?si=t0WJ3e-6tjv2rapf Magic Johnson explains why Kobe Bryant is the closest comparison to Michael Jordan | First Take
https://youtu.be/_plozEMWE3o?si=QwC753bVfVxq346X Craig Hodges: From Michael Jordan’s Teammate to Blackballed From The NBA, 2x Champion Speaks out
https://youtu.be/bUFiCCr3HPA?si=NvzZ4hGENQCOArgW Dennis Rodman on Playing with Kobe vs Jordan: MJ was More Driven to Win (Part 23)
https://youtu.be/qlLOc_xRb_c?si=toOa105YLUdD-Ves Phil Jackson settles the Jordan vs. Bryant debate (2014.01.23)
https://youtu.be/IlPh19VlvxY?si=NfY35sMP28-0l8M0 Allen Iverson on His Hall of Fame Career, Cultural Legacy, Matching Up With Kobe and Jordan & More
https://youtu.be/Qn4ePkeqtfE?si=upo6fjiCQ7S_rq1W Horace Grant on Playing With Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal | B.S. Report 2/25/14
https://youtu.be/LQLnDvVlphA?si=6HR1HiWPn2Bq4AJQ Shaq compares Michael Jordan’s mentality to Kobe Bryant | SportsCenter with Stephen A.
https://youtu.be/RXMpMHPgk7I?si=v8tTbVfIPYf1v1tK Shaq Talks His NBA Career, His Different Business Ventures, Kobe Bryant & More | Drink Champs
https://youtu.be/dKjyqEs2V-M?si=zSnlBk7Hd0c0eodR Inside Look: The MAMBA Room at The NBA Hall of Fame with KG & Paul Pierce
https://youtu.be/fLlpi0vXGwk?si=79hbmAreh3FVgc3A Gary Payton Picks Between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan
https://youtu.be/w1DuPp2JLLU?si=vNJLpdyM81HIsTMT Charles Barkley Explains What Jordan and Kobe Had That LeBron Doesn’t
https://youtu.be/f49w3aQfOvQ?si=95trmCDq7hOC4wml Reggie Miller: Reflecting on Malice at the Palace, Fighting Kobe & Jordan, & Cheryl’s GOAT Case
https://youtu.be/4X7utZFD9Dk?si=DcfqHBPvKqojjAef Scottie Pippen on how Kobe Bryant compares to Michael Jordan l ABC News

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He was almost like MJ on steroids. I mean, just a certified maniac killer. MJ is in a class by himself. I said, man, Michael and Kobe, they’re they’re they’re mean guys. Shot here. Final seconds. Bryant for the win. Three. Long run out by Kobe Bryant behind. Oh, what did I just see? Here it is again. Oh, yes. He looks Hey, looks He looks He gives to Jordan. Jordan to the circle, puts the shot in the air. Good. The game’s over and the Bulls have won. When you talk about the greatest ever played this game, one name always stands at the top. Michael Jordan. The fire, the skill, the relentless will to win. He set the standard. And for years, people searched for the next Jordan. They wanted that same aura, that same killer instinct. Plenty tried, but only one man truly came close. Kobe being Bryant. Kobe wasn’t just influenced by Jordan. He studied him like a textbook. The footwork, the fadeaway, the competitive obsession. He mirrored MJ’s moves. But it wasn’t imitation. It was transformation. He took what Jordan built and made it his own. Carrying a legacy into a new era. You look at his highlights, his mannerisms, even the way he chewed his gum and it felt like deja vu. But what made Kobe the closest thing to Jordan wasn’t just similarities. It was a mentality. That cold-blooded determination to tear your heart out in the clutch. The belief that second place didn’t exist. Teammates feared him. Opponents respected him. And fans around the world knew that they were watching someone who embodied that same ruthless greatness. Jordan passed the torch without ever saying it. But the game knew Kobe wasn’t a copy. He was a continuation. And when you look back at the lineage of basketball’s fiercest competitors, the line goes straight from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant. And don’t just take my word for it. NBA legends and players themselves will tell you why Kobe was the closest thing the game has ever seen to Michael Jordan. Man, Lord, people don’t even know what the 24 stand for. People don’t even understand that that that was a sign to everybody that he was a step above 23 if y’all even got that. That’s why he went with 24. That’s why he went 24. And that was a shot at Mike. straight up like, “Nigga, I’m better than you.” And really and really stood on it. And if you look at every every every um every goal or every record that Mike Jordan has had, Cob chased it. Mike used to talk that [ __ ] about the 69 and you can’t do this and that, man. I’m trying to tell you, man. Go do the science. All you young cats that love Cob, go do all the work. Go do all the research and science about Cove. Yo, it was all about catching MJ and disappearing MJ and surpassing MJ. That’s all 24 was about. [ __ ] so hard. [ __ ] got two numbers retired for me. Just just Kobe was just I mean just a certified maniac killer, you know what I mean? Like I’m talking about serial serial killer, you know what I mean? Like I’m talking about I mean want to eat your heart. I mean that’s who he was every night. I ain’t I’m not I’m not I mean I’m taking everything personal every night. You know what I mean? And then his work eth and everything about him, man. Like as a basketball player, he was just I mean he he’s the real he him and Mike are the real definitions of killer. Who is more competitive, Kobe or Michael? Jay, that’s even I’m just going to put them right at the same at the same. They both play hard. You see Michael Jordan when he was with the flu, he went through it. Kobe is always like that. whatever he goes through, he’s he’s does the same thing. I can’t give no edge to either one of these guys. I think both of them are great competitors. LeBron’s a nice guy. Nobody ever said that [ __ ] about Michael and Kobe. No. And hey, they’re like they’re like, “Yo, man, these dudes out here trying to kill people.” And uh I always tell people that’s the difference in my opinion. I said, “Man, Michael and Kobe, they’re they’re they’re mean guys. They like they’re gonna kick your ass and tell you about it the whole time. Like LeBron’s a great great player, but he’s a really nice man. That’s that’s the that’s the difference. How would you compare the mentality of the two, Michael Jordan to the mentality that Kobe Bryant had? Well, I would think it’s pretty much equal. really never spent a lot of time with Mike, but of course watching him win a championship and watching his demeanor and watching him wanting the ball at the last second, I would say it’s pretty equal and uh equal. Kobe or or or Jordan? Because I don’t Well, you you you both. Yeah, you see Jordan and you can see the competitor, but Kobe was a different animal, right? Like I used to see Kobe dribble and shoot without no ball for an hour. Practice. Practice. Oh, like cattle boxing. Oh, yeah. Like shadow box and then go out there and do the same move. Wow. Yeah. Kobe and Kobe has similar attitudes. Like Kobe wanted to be the best ever, right? I wanted to just be the best at killing you. Where does Kobe’s skill set rank with? See, he took it to a different level. I think Kobe was a much better shooter. I want to hear this from you because you played both and you mentored one. Kobe was a much and fundamentals. I wow that they’re Kobe was a better three-point shooter. He took it he was almost like MJ on steroids. Mhm. When I tell you he watched every film when he was over in Italy on MJ. I’m not kidding you. He had the footwork down to a pack down everything. But he he put his little flare into it. Mhm. You know, people talking about, you know, Magic or uh LeBron. That’s what I want to ask you. I think he kind of gets looked over a little bit in that Kobe gets left over. Kobe admire respected Michael Jordan in such a way that he patterned his game after Michael, right? He’s the closest thing. Kobe is the closest thing to Michael that we’ve seen. Why? because he can score that basketball just like Michael Jordan. He had the same mindset and attitude just like Michael Jordan. He took no prisoners. He wanted to just put his foot on your neck. He wanted to destroy you mentally and physically just like Michael Jordan. And he wanted to have six championships like Michael Jordan. He he got close. He got five, but he never got that six championship. The most skilled player I’ve ever seen is Kobe. Okay. More than the most skilled NBA The most skilled basketball player I ever seen is Kobe Bean Bryant. You you you got MJ, right? and and Kobe took who MJ was but enhanced the skill set. Had a better handle, right? MJ didn’t shoot MJ didn’t shoot threes like that. So co Kobe took it upon and and and added the three ball to his game because that’s where the game evolved to. But skillwise, I mean the the the moves, the footwork, he had he had it all. What’s the difference? You play with M and you coach with Phil and and work with Kobe. What’s the difference between those two in your opinion? Right hand. Why? Because what Kobe would be going to the line to shoot two, MJ was going to shoot and one. So a lot of them knocks that Kobe had to shoot with two hands. When that knock would happen, MJ put that bad boy over here. You know what I’m saying? Oh, that’s the difference, huh? Okay. Over there. Okay. Okay. I didn’t hear that. We was over that. That’s That to me is the the only difference is that gripper and that gripper cuz I man, I’m telling you, I seen this brother make like he going to do a crossover and you come on, man. Yeah, that’s that’s a knit right there, bro. Come on. Only only, man. I’m telling you, him and Dr. J them them hands they come on, bro. an interesting situation because about 2000 I had the team was still probably 99 when I’m coaching the Lakers. Michael’s out. He’s been retired for a year and he comes to a ball game and I said, “Let’s meet in uh you know chairman’s room after the game. I want you to talk to Kobe a little bit.” He he it tends to take over a game, you know, at a certain time in the game. And and I think that, you know, if you convince him to just wait, just be patient, allow the game to kind of come to him when it’s necessary for him to do some things because the team kind of loses their offensive direction. So I get in this room and he sits down and he goes, first thing Kobe says is, “I could kick your ass one.” But not even letting him get any. There’s no conversation. What did Michael say back? You might. You might. You said you might. Yeah. He said, “I’ve been on the game a couple years. You just might. So, who wins if you have to pick? No, it’s it’s got to be MJ. He’s got that hand. He’s got that the glove as the glove used to be known. But when a guy can pick the ball up with one hand when he’s dribbling like Michael could do and do that and take the ball to the basket, it’s very difficult. MJ, Kobe, um Penny, but MJ is in a class by himself, man. I’m telling you from the standpoint of um how strong he was, athletic um and that that drive, that killer instinct that you know if we’re down by if we’re up by 30 points, he’s not satisfied. He wants to Yeah. He wants to hurt somebody’s feelings. Yeah. He want to he want to he want to send you home and he want to see you crying out the door, literally tears in your eyes. He wants you to have nightmares about playing him and the Bulls. Yeah. And that I mean, you know, I saw it a little bit in in in Kobe, but not to the extent of a Michael Jordan man. Um Michael Jordan is just I’d say the best. When you look at playing with Kobe in his prime versus Jordan in his prime since you played with both of them, how would you compare the two? Well, you can say they’re similar, but uh I think Michael was more driven to win. Driven to win. He didn’t. Believe me, he didn’t he hated the fact that that if we going to win, we going to win. And he takes control of that, you know. I give him that credit right there. I give him that. It’s like I was like Scotty Scotty had that will too. But uh Cory became like that. Kobe started to emulate his game like Michael and stuff like that. Uh I think Kobe was uh more uh you say more like a like a like a gymnast, you know, when he played and Mike is more like golf mate Michael Jordan who you played with for many years. You played against Kobe um as we all know, but how would you compare the two legends? Wow. very close. Uh two of the most charismatic players that I’ve ever seen uh in the game. Uh iconic. Um those those guys really u set the bar in terms of guys that could play two-way players. Uh played hard on both ends of the court. Uh Kobe wanted to be known as the greatest player to ever play the game. I mean, he wanted to be better than Michael Jordan. He wanted people to realize that he was right there and that he put in the work to let you know that, you know, he’s he is one of the greats. If I was in my prime, who would I want to play one-on-one with? Um, that list is very long. Start off with Jerry West, Elgen Baylor, Kobe Bryant in his prime, LeBron in his prime, DWade in his prime, Melo. That’s a good start. Yeah, I don’t think I lose. Other than Kobe Bryant because he steals all my moves. Your fans saying, “Hey, Kobe, you beat Michael 101.” I feel like, yo, what you get from me is from him. The truth of the matter is, I mean, he’s helped me out a great deal. I asked him for advice. He g me advice straight from his heart. I’ve always been, you know, like a big brother and you like a little brother. Vintage Kobe, vintage Michael Jordan. Turn around jumper. Good. That relationship has meant everything to me. When I grew up watching Michael play, my generation, you know, saw the highlights and they saw a lot of the fancy stuff. What I saw was his footwork. I saw the spacing. I saw the timing. I saw the fundamentals of the game. He certainly has a lot of skills and you see that and he’s got a lot of confidence. You got the teacher versus the student. Here’s to final seconds. Bryant for the win. So guys, I hope you enjoyed the video and tell me where do you rank Kobe Bryant on your alltime list. So make sure you like, share, subscribe, and until next time. [Music]