Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are the two best shooting guards in NBA history, with His Airness going down in history as the greatest player of all time, while Kobe is often mentioned among the top 3 or top 5 players to set foot on an NBA court.
Jordan inspired several generations that included Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and, of course, Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba made it his job to be the most similar player to Michael Jordan while creating his own name in the association. He incredibly achieved that and sent a message to his rivals.
Kobe was relentless, and his work ethic is something that people still remember to this day. Many people have tried to compare it to Jordan’s, and some have a tough time deciding which one was better (or harder).
Horace Grant Explained Differences Between Michael Jordan And Kobe Bryant’s Work Ethic
Horace Grant played with the two legends, winning championships with MJ and the Chicago Bulls in the 90s and then joining forces with Kobe on the Lakers twice, first winning a title in 2001 and then losing the NBA Finals in 2004. Two years ago, Grant took part in a Q&A session on Reddit, and somebody asked him about his relationship with Kobe and the comparison between Bryant’s work ethic and Jordan’s.
How close were you and Kobe when you played on the Lakers, and how would you compare him and Jordan and their respective work ethics and drive?
We were very close. One year Phil had us pull names from a hat for Christmas gifts. I pulled Kobe’s name, and I gave him a bible. And when I gave it to him he was like “man, thank you so much. This is exactly what I want and exactly what I need.” That’s what he said to me. From Day 1, we were close. Nothing but respect.
In terms of his work ethic, he was right there with MJ. I have never seen two individuals work as hard in the offseason as they did during the season. They didn’t take a play off in practice, or anything like that. So I would say 1 and 1A, just giving MJ a little edge.
These players were the perfect definition of greatness. Jordan never stopped until he did everything to win games, and he took practice very seriously. It was the same with Kobe, who always tried to get his teammates to adopt that work ethic, but things never really clicked for them.
That’s what separates the great ones from the good ones, and they knew that very well. In the end, they became incredible players who were known for more than shooting a basketball. They can easily be the No. 1 and No. 2 players in NBA history, and that’s because they work extremely hard to reach greatness.
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