For the majority of his career, Kobe Bryant has been compared to Michael Jordan. It makes sense given the fact that both are shooting guards, built similarly, with an unrivaled passion towards winning and being the best.
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Kobe opened up about his relationship with Jordan to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, callng him a big brother to him. As far as the constant comparisons to Jordan, Bryant said that he welcomes them:
I’ve always welcomed the comparison to Michael if it’s in competitive spirit or in terms of records that I may set. I’ve always been cool with that. To be in that kind of company is…is…is…crazy, for lack of a better term. Rare air.”
Despite welcoming the comparisons, Kobe said that there is one thing that has always bothered him in regards to those:
The thing that I always bristled at was the notion that I learned everything that I know from Michael. That’s just not true. Hakeem Olajuwon deserves a lot of credit; Jerry West deserves a lot of credit. Oscar Robertson deserves a lot of credit. I really was a student of the game and watched everybody.”
Kobe grew up watching the game and always studied all of the greats. He has spoken on moves he learned from watching players like West, Robertson, and Elgin Baylor and his work with Hakeem Olajuwon has noticeably improved his work in the post, and led to others working with Olajuwon as well.
Jordan made a comment once that the only person he might lose to one-on-one was Kobe Bryant because he ‘steals all my moves.’ Bryant would argue that point, but the comparisons between the two will never end, especially while Kobe is still thriving in the league.
[divide]NBA Record: Kobe Bryant First With 6,000 Assists And 30,000 Points
