Episode 5 of ESPN's “The Last Dance” will include a segment on the 1998 NBA All Star Game featuring a young Kobe Bryant memorably dueling with his idol, Michael Jordan. According to Magic Johnson, that famous matchup at Madison Square Garden began a profound relationship between the two, which Jordan movingly discussed in his eulogy at February's memorial service for Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
“Kobe respected guys but it was different [with Michael],” Johnson told Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times.
Bryant proudly emulated Jordan — both his style of play and the intensity with which he worked on his craft. Kobe “idolized Michael in a way that was different from anybody else,” Johnson noted.
Johnson also recalled how the '98 All-Star game felt like a passing of the torch, similar to how Michael approached the Dream Team.
“It was like, ‘Man, I'm trying to be like you but I also want to show you what I got in this All-Star Game too.' I loved the fact that I was there and I could witness it just like Larry [Bird] and I witnessed during the [1992] Olympics, how we were passing the torch to Michael,” the NBA legend furthered.
Magic Johnson also discussed how Kobe Bryant was still chasing Michael Jordan in his post-NBA life.
“‘I want to be like you and Michael, not only on the court but I want to be like you guys off the court.' That was one of the last things Kobe told me…He was chasing those six championships and he always wanted Michael's vice respect,” Magic shared. “I think they could go to [places in] conversations that nobody could go to… He knew that Michael really cared about him and versa, Kobe really cared about Michael.”
Episode 5 of the “The Last Dance” will reportedly be dedicated to Kobe.
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