One of the biggest advantages that Kobe Bryant had over the course of his career was his identity as a student of the game. Both he and Michael Jordan were cut from the same cloth, as they were always learning by watching back their games. But Kobe would always go the extra step to learn.
And sometimes that meant reaching out to legends to improve their game. Kobe Bryant reached out to Hakeem Olajuwon for help with his interior and post-moves. There has been footage before of the two were working together, and Bryant seemed extremely focused on improving his craft.
Kobe was not the only player to work with Hakeem Olajuwon, but according to Hakeem himself, he was the best student. Hakeem himself has spoken in the past about how Kobe was the player who picked up his post moves the best out of everyone he has worked with in the past.
“I’ve worked with a lot of players, but the one who really capitalized on it the most is Kobe Bryant. When I watch him play, he’ll go down in the post comfortably, naturally, and he’ll execute it perfectly.”
“From the first minutes we were on the court, I was excited because Kobe was excited. You could see it in his eyes.”
Kobe himself spoke about the interaction with Olajuwon, and he expressed gratitude and happiness over the opportunity to work with the former NBA champion.
“I was ecstatic. I was like a kid learning something new. It’s like opening up that Christmas gift. You know what’s in it, and it’s the excitement of opening it. That’s the feeling I had. … It was an honor, an absolute honor. I just tried to make him proud.”
Bryant was more determined than most players in the NBA. While players like LeBron James have also learned alongside Hakeem, it was Kobe who learned his lessons the best and implemented them into his game.
Kobe Bryant approached Hakeem Olajuwon in 2009, after his fourth NBA championship win against the Orlando Magic. And those tools certainly came in handy, as he ended up defeating the Boston Celtics with the Lakers, and won his fifth NBA championship.
