It is no secret that Kobe Bryant looked up to Michael Jordan as his ultimate idol. This is the very reason why the Los Angeles Lakers icon tried his very best to outdo MJ every time he had the opportunity to do so whenever they faced each other on the basketball court.
This was one of the topics of discussion in the new Lakers documentary that took a deep dive into the storied history of this fascinating franchise. Eddie Jones, one of Kobe's former teammates, described just how motivated Bryant was to be like Mike:
“He was so intent on being like Michael,” Jones said. “Being better than Michael.”
Nick Van Exel, another one of Kobe's old teammates on the Lakers, also chimed in as he dropped a truth bomb on one of the Black Mamba's deepest and darkest Michael Jordan secrets:
“Everything that MJ did Kobe did like the chewing of the gum, the walking, the mocves, the footwork,” Van Exel said. “I used have VHS tapes back in the day full of highlights of Michael Jordan. Kobe asked borrow them and I have never seen those tapes again. He would just laugh. ‘No, motherf–ker I want my tapes.'”
Nick Van Exel on @kobebryant:
“Everything that MJ did Kobe did like the chewing of the gum, the walking… I used have VHS tapes full of highlights of MJ Kobe asked borrow them &I Vee never seen those tapes again,” says @vanexel31.#LakersDoc #Lakeshow #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/xhnv98hmZJ
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) September 12, 2022
That's hilarious. For those that have no idea what a VHS tape is, just imagine a videotape version of a cassette tape. If you're still not familiar with that then you might be too young to really know who Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan is.
Kidding aside, though, this just goes to show how highly Kobe viewed MJ. He patterned his game on Jordan, and he did everything he can to surpass him. No wonder Jordan himself has nothing but the utmost respect toward his late compatriot.
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