Michael Jordan and Kobe Bean Bryant are often included as one of the NBA’s all-time greatest players. Besides just pure talent, they were both brilliant and had a certain understanding of the game that put them above the rest.
And while Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan played in mostly different eras, the two were apparently close and would meet up all the time.
On one particular occasion, former NBA All-Star B.J. Armstrong had the pleasure of joining them during one of their discussions.
Speaking on the “Legends of the Sport” podcast, Amrtrong detailed the story of Kobe and MJ’s “virtual dialogue,” explaining how it had him in awe of their genius and mastery of the game.
“I know Michael and I spent many years of my life with him and in very competitive environments. But I also had the chance to get to know Kobe Bryant as well.
For whatever reason, during that day, Michael said ‘hey, I’m going to dinner and we’re going to catch up I was like ‘oh okay, great.’ He said ‘somebody’s gonna meet us there,’ and lo-and-behold, the late Kobe Bryant shows up and it was great.
You saw the respect they had for each other but they couldn’t help but turn on their competitive spirit. And they just had this virtual dialogue and I didn’t say a word.
They were just saying how the game would be played if they caught the ball ‘here’ ‘Well, if I just caught the ball on the left wing with the live dribble, how would you defend me?’ And they were going over these abstract ideas. That’s what really caught my attention. ‘How you gonna catch the ball,’ ‘what’s the score of the game’ and then they just did all these different places. ‘How would you defend me if I had the ball here?’
And I just remember thinking ‘I just had the pleasure of watching their geniuses.'”
Not many players shared the same passion and love for basketball as Michael did, and it was that passion that helped maximize his work ethic and ignite his career.
Kobe was one of the few players who could be considered on that level, and everyone knew it — even Jordan himself.
To get a glimpse at their thinking, and the way they competed against each other without being on the court, is quite a treat.
