The closest a person has ever come to replicating Michael Jordan’s game is Kobe Bryant. In every aspect, including technique, skill, and mentality. In the mentality aspect, his competitiveness on the court was second to none.
In a recent interview with NFL legend Shannon Sharpe, Kobe Bryant’s former teammate Tyronn Lue spoke about how competitive he was in practice, even against his own teammates.
He went so far as to say Bryant would challenge his own teammates, just to satisfy his own competitive ego that the Lakers were his team and he was the big dawg.
“What you saw in the game every single day, every single day. He wanted to be the best player every single day in practice, in the game, and that’s just how he competed, you know.”
“And so, every time we got a new player like, you know, Glen Rice. And Glen Rice was a bad dude. Kobe wanted to play one-on-one to show him, ‘This is my team’. We got J.R. Rider, same thing. Like J.R. Rider got there, he wanted to play him one-on-one. Show him, ‘this is my team.”
“And so, um, that’s just who he was. Like competed every single possession, every sprint, every drill. Like he wanted to be the best. And that’s no bullsh** Like it’s every single day, he was the same person. What you see in the game, you saw in practice every single day.”
Lue and Bryant were teammates for three seasons from 1998 to 2001. Kobe Bryant’s numerous teammates and players who faced him have recalled how lethal he was in practice and on the court.
He was clearly not just competitive but a bit possessive about the Lakers. He went so far as to fight one of his closest friends in Shaquille O’Neal, just to stake a claim over the team.
Bryant did not care if you were new to the league or a veteran with multiple years of experience; if you were a part of the Lakers, you needed to fall in line. While some might see this and compare it to an authoritarian leader, it was Bryant’s killer mentality that made him an icon, one that the younger generation looks up to, even today.
Kobe Bryant played 20 seasons in the NBA, all of them for the Lakers. He averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists and won five NBA championships. And yet for all that he achieved, he will more likely be remembered for the type of person he was than what he did on the court alone.
