Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are part of a much larger story. If you are a student of the history of basketball, you probably understand that great players often “pattern” their games off of generations of previous stars.

For example, Richard Hamilton patterned his game after Reggie Miller. Current star Stephen Curry said back in 2013 that he also patterned his game around Miller as well as Steve Nash.

Similarities can be drawn between a number of players. There is a comparison for nearly every player that has laced up a pair of sneakers. That is especially true for Kobe Bryant.

Kobe entered the league as Michael Jordan was preparing to depart from it after an unprecedented run of success with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. But Jordan recognized the fire inside of Bryant, and he became somewhat of a mentor and confidant for the youngster who, in due time, would blossom into a superstar.

In fact, Kobe became one of the most dominant scorers ever in part because he drew inspiration from Jordan and the way in which he evolved throughout his career.

Here are a couple things that Kobe Bryant learned from Michael Jordan:

The midrange fade

Perhaps the most evident and striking similarity between Jordan and Bryant is their affinity for scoring in the midrange game.

Kobe is perhaps the last true “post up” guard that the league has seen, and he was willing to carve out space on the block at a spot where he could also help spread the floor and facilitate the triangle offense. So where did he learn that from?

Well, Jordan of course. MJ was probably the most dominant scoring guard in the post. He used his size and strength to back down opponents, but also resorted to pivots, shoulder jabs and fallaways to leave defenders helpless as he rose up for jumpers.

Consider:

Both Kobe and Jordan were experts at using jab steps, shimmies and ball fakes to create space and offense.

But their dominance of the midrange from the guard position is something that likely will never be seen again, especially in a modern era that prioritizes perimeter shooting.

Confidence

Kobe had confidence as soon as he entered the league. He was one of the most brash and arrogant young talents in the game, even telling Shaquille O'Neal as a rookie that he was going to be the greatest player in the history of basketball.

But he also had the privilege of growing up during an era where Jordan repeatedly took the onus upon himself to score at will and do everything he could to help his team win, especially in the playoffs.

Of course, Jordan dropped 63 in the Boston Garden during the 1986 playoffs against a dynastic Celtics team. He also averaged better than 34 points per game during a pair of playoff runs that ended against the Detroit Pistons towards the tail end of the 1980s. He never wavered in his belief that he could be the most dominant player for a championship team, and that belief would eventually pay off with six championships in the 90s.

Similarly, Kobe was not afraid to fail in his first few seasons. He took–and missed–multiple shots (in fact, they were airballs) down the stretch against the Utah Jazz in Game 5 the 1997 Western Conference Finals, and the Lakers would not even reach the Finals until 2000.

Yet just as Jordan's confidence helped him thrive in the big moments, it also helped Kobe to put the Lakers on his shoulders even in the early years when O'Neal was still the focal point of the team. Kobe took over in the overtime period when Shaq fouled out in Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals.

Both players have rebounded from defeat in their career, and that kind of confidence is what made both Kobe and Jordan two of the greatest assassins and winners in NBA history.