Andre Iguodala played alongside Jimmy Butler on the Miami Heat for two seasons from 2020 to 2021, and during that time, he got to see just how similar the forward is to the late, great Kobe Bryant.

The Golden State Warriors icon shared as much in a recent appearance on Gilbert Arenas' show, revealing how much he's impressed by Butler's mentality and his never-say-die attitude.

“He's probably the closest that I've seen to Kobe Bryant with that mentality of just man, Jimmy will figure out a way for us to win. I've never seen a will like that,” Iguodala said.

That's certainly a huge praise coming from Andre Iguodala, and one that's certainly going to turn heads. After all, during his playing days, Kobe Bryant was known for his competitiveness, fiery attitude and work ethic–all of which helped him establish the Mamba Mentality. And so to be compared to such greatness is certainly massive.

However, it's not hard to see where Iguodala is coming from in his praise of Jimmy Butler. The Heat star has always been the ultimate underdog, and as Iguodala said, it hasn't prevented him from finding success in the NBA. Among all the stars in the NBA, who would have thought that Butler would be able to lead Miami to two NBA Finals appearances in the last four years?

In the 2022-23 season alone, no one (except Miami fans, probably) had the Heat making it all the way the Finals. They finished as the eighth seed and needed the Play-In tournament to make it to the postseason, but not only did they upset the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round but also made carried that hot streak en route to the championship series.

Sure enough, Butler is a huge reason for that. His Kobe-like mentality has been a defining trait of him ever since he entered the NBA, and with Miami and its culture, it has fully blossomed.

As long as Butler is in Miami, no team will and should ever count out the Heat in every battle they play.