Over the course of his 18 years in the NBA, Kobe Bryant has built a reputation based on hard work, dedication and a relentless pursuit of perfection. Kobe has won five NBA titles throughout his basketball career with the Los Angeles Lakers paving the way for a Hall of Fame induction when he decides to walk away from the game in the near future.
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During his rise to superstardom in Los Angeles, Kobe has taken every opportunity to improve by soaking up the knowledge from great players of the past. One of those players was none other than Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon.
Kobe was looking to improve his post game and who better to help do that than Olajuwon. The seven-footer dominant the paint during his prime with the Rockets leading Houston to two straight titles while Michael Jordan pursued a career in baseball.
Olajuwon was so dominant during his time in Houston making some of the greatest centers of all time look foolish trying to contain him. Olajuwon, on more than one occasion, torched the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson and Patrick Ewing with his moves in the paint.
Perhaps one of Hakeem’s best performance, putting his incredible skill set on display against an elite player, came against Robinson. The Spurs superstar was given the NBA MVP before the game and Hakeem proceeded to put on a show:
With Kobe coming off consecutive season-ending injuries, the superstar guard could play in the post more and more in the final years of his career. Lessons learned from the master of post moves and footwork will come in handy in what could be his last two years in purple and gold.
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