It is a very well-known fact at this point that Kobe Bryant was somewhat obsessed with Michael Jordan. Kobe grew up idolizing Jordan, as did so many, and he copied a lot of his mannerisms on the court. Also, being the competitor that he was, Bryant desperately wanted to get the better of his idol whenever they faced off on the court.
In what was to be their last ever meeting in 2003 when MJ was on the Wizards, Kobe famously dropped 55 on him as a nice farewell gift, and some saw it as a passing of the torch moment between the two. Kobe would go on to eclipse MJ on the all-time scoring list and is widely regarded as the player who resembles Jordan the most on the court.
Nick Van Exel Recounts How He Once Lent Kobe Bryant Tapes Of Michael Jordan But He Never Got Them Back
A big reason for that resemblance is not only the mannerisms on the court but also the fact that Kobe used to study Jordan’s game all the time when he was starting off in the league. He improved his defense by studying a photo of MJ from 1998, which shows just how closely he would observe every facet of Jordan’s game. Nick Van Exel was teammates with Bryant from 1996 to 1998, and he recounted during an episode of the “Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers” docuseries just how obsessed Kobe was with MJ.
Nick Van Exel on @kobebryant:
“Everything that MJ did Kobe did like the chewing of the gum, the walking… I used have VHS tapes full of highlights of MJ Kobe asked borrow them &I Vee never seen those tapes again,” says @vanexel31.#LakersDoc #Lakeshow #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/xhnv98hmZJ
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) September 12, 2022
“Everything that MJ did Kobe did like the chewing of the gum, the walking, the moves, the footwork. I used have VHS tapes back in the day full of highlights of Michael Jordan. Kobe asked to borrow them and I have never seen those tapes again. He would just laugh, ‘No, mother****** I want my tapes.'”
Bryant likely spent hours studying those tapes, and it’s not surprising that Van Exel never saw them again. It was that obsession that helped Bryant hit greater heights, and while he wouldn’t surpass MJ, he got close enough to the point where you will find people who feel that Kobe was greater than his idol.
While they were so similar, Phil Jackson, who coached both of them and won a total of 11 titles in the process, once spoke about leadership being the biggest difference between the two. Jackson felt that MJ was much better at controlling the emotional climate of the team, while Kobe was lacking a bit when it came to that.
