Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, one can argue, were two of the most driven athletes in the history of the NBA. Their unmatched desire to win at all costs only bolstered their incredible talent and allowed them to find the success that they did in the league during their respective careers.
Jordan and Kobe were extremely similar. Not just because of the position they played, but their style of play and their mentality. Both players wanted to be the absolute best and wanted to win. And they would do all that they possibly could in order to make sure that they walk away victorious.
That included watching game footage any chance they got. Throwback pictures of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant show them sitting before and after their games, watching footage of their previous matches. They were true students of the game, wanting to learn and fix whatever they could at any chance they got.
This consistent desire to improve and to be the best meant that they had to work that much harder than everyone else. Neither player was extremely big, but their work ethic would tower over their contemporaries. MJ and Kobe knew that being the best meant working harder than everyone else, and were willing to put in that work.
Throughout their careers, both men found incredible success. And their accomplishments were also very similar. In fact, Jordan and Kobe are 2 of only 3 players to win an NBA scoring title while also making an All-Defensive team in the same season.
Jordan won 6 NBA championships and Finals MVPs, along with 5 regular-season MVPs and Defensive Player Of The Year trophy. As for Kobe, he was 5-time champion, 2-time Finals MVP, and won a regular-season MVP in his career.
Watching game footage has become a routine part of all NBA team’s practice sessions. But these two players always went above and beyond that. They would watch game footage back 100 times if it meant that they could make even 3 small improvements to their game. Such was their desire to win.
