Kobe Bryant was regarded by many as the second coming of Michael Jordan. He idolized the GOAT and learned much from watching him first and speaking to him later in life. But the first time they met, they reportedly didn’t say much to one another.
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant first met when Kobe was just 13 years old, according to the 2022 book Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality by Mike Sielski. He wrote about the encounter.
“Before the teams’ game on March 8, 1992, father led son into the arena’s locker room, and Kobe said hello to Michael Jordan. Jordan said hello back and gave him a wristband.
“There is no lasting indication that Kobe was nervous or stuttering or in any regard intimidated by Jordan. That was merely the entirety of their conversation; Jordan had nothing else to say. Neither did Kobe, who introduced himself to Bulls forward Horace Grant.”
This incident occurred when the reigning champion Chicago Bulls played the Philadelphia 76ers, and it must have been incredible for a young Kobe Bryant. And it was nothing like when they met when Kobe was 21 years old when Bryant reportedly told MJ that he would kick his a** in a 1-on-1 matchup. But even at 13, Kobe was full of confidence, as Horace Grant would go on to find out.
Horace Grant Asked Kobe Bryant If He Would Become A Superstar One Day, And Kobe Said Yes
Kobe Bryant didn’t just meet Michael Jordan when he was 13, he met the Chicago Bulls. Horace Grant was a key player for them in their first threepeat, and it must have been great for Kobe as well. The book mentions their interaction on the night, and it’s likely one that Horace Grant himself never forgot either.
“Do you play basketball?” Grant asked him. “Yes,” Kobe said, “But I’m only in eighth grade.”
“Are you going to be a superstar one day?” Grant asked. “Yes,” Kobe said, “I might be.”
Horace Grant went on to become teammates with Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, and the two won a championship together in 2001. It must have been surreal for Grant to see Bryant turn into a superstar in front of his eyes. Kobe was truly something else.
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