Kobe Bryant is considered one of the greatest shooting guards of all time, and there’s no doubt that he accomplished a lot in the league. He was an MVP and won 5 championships. His resume speaks for itself.
Everyone that watched Kobe Bryant knew that he based his moves on Michael Jordan. Some, like Tracy McGrady, even consider him the most skilled one-on-one player of all time:
“Kobe Bean Bryant. He’s the greatest one-on-one player I’ve ever competed against, and not just because of his skill set. It’s because of his mentality. He was just a certified killer,” McGrady said. “I see MJ & Kobe, but Kobe enhanced those skill sets that he took from Michael Jordan. The ball-handling skills. The fadeaways. I think Kobe is the most skilled basketball player that I’ve ever seen over Michael Jordan.”
During his second year in the league, Kobe Bryant’s scoring skills were on display already, and he once dropped 33 points on Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant explained what it was like to score 33 points on Jordan, claiming that he “wasn’t scared or nervous” when he faced him. Chris Palmer of ESPN relayed the news:
What was it like dropping 33 on him as a 19-year-old in your second year?
I wasn’t scared or nervous back then when I played Jordan. He looked at me like he was going to f— me up but I had to let him know that I wasn’t that guy. I let him know that I’m not like all those other guys he played against. That’s not what I was there for. I was there to compete, and I did.
There is no doubt that Kobe Bryant was not someone who backed down from a challenge, and this story illustrates that. There are few that could go toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan, and it is clear that Kobe Bryant wasn’t any regular player.
There are a lot of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan stories, and this just shows how connected the two were. Beyond playstyle, the two were good friends off the court, and also fierce competitors.
