For years, NBA fans claimed that Kobe Bryant was the closest thing to Michael Jordan we would ever see. Truth be told, that seemed to be a fair assessment, as their games were quite similar.
Jordan jokingly took a shot at Bryant for copying his moves, and the Los Angeles Lakers legend openly admitted he tried to emulate his game to the six-time NBA champion.
However, as honored as he was by the comparisons, there was a point when the Black Mamba said enough was enough. There, he explained why one could never compare one to the other.
Kobe Bryant Talked About The Comparisons With Michael Jordan
“I appreciated them, but after a while it just got old,” Bryant told ESPN. “They eventually faded away because I was putting together my own identity. But I’ll never forget how much I learned from MJ. I got so much from him. I knew what he did, I knew his moves and I used them.
“But for me the comparisons didn’t work because our situations were totally different,” Bryant added. “I came straight out of high school and played with a dominant big in Shaquille. Man, I was so young when I got to the NBA. What was I, like, 17? I mean, 17! The more you think about it, my situation was completely different than MJ’s, so the comparisons were just, you know, I stopped paying attention to them.”
That’s why talking about players from different eras will never be truly objective, and while all the GOAT debate is pretty much futile. At the end of the day, all we can do is be thankful that we got to witness both of them.
