Michael Jordan’s impact on the game of basketball and the NBA cannot be overstated. The Chicago Bulls legend was a generational talent and was a joy to watch during his prime years. MJ had a sensational career and ended up winning almost every accolade possible for a player in the NBA.
Additionally, his impact on the next generation of players was simply unmatched. Even today, many basketball stars recognize him as their idol. And back when he entered the league, Kobe Bryant was no different.
However, when every other player wanted to be like Mike, it was only Kobe to actually be like Mike. His playing style, aggression, offensive arsenal, and many other things were pretty similar to that of Jordan.
Watching Bryant play was a treat for fans, and it was visible that he had studied Mike’s game down to its bone. But there was another thing that helped Kobe replicate Jordan’s game in so many ways.
Former NBA player Jerry Stackhouse, who played with Michael Jordan for the Washington Wizards, recently explained in an interview that MJ and Kobe were so similar that sometimes it was eerie.
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“Two guys, I mean you look at their hands and their hands are almost identical just the width, how wide their nail in the thumb was Michael and Kobe. It’s crazy. I mean, if you put those guys’ hands together, I mean, it’s weird how big and how wide. I mean, it looked like the same hands man. It was kind of eerie.”
Now, that’s something uncanny and would explain a lot about why the two legends of the sport had such a similar playing style.
Had he found a way to work things out with Jordan, he might have learned a few more moves from the Bulls legend. He could have lived up to the hype of becoming better than Mike one day.
