Legendary trainer Tim Grover worked with both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. And from his observation, the two became close because Bryant saw Jordan differently than most people.

In an interview on The Jim Rome Show, Grover said that Bryant saw Michael Jordan as someone he can learn things from, not as some mystical basketball figure that cannot be touched. As transcribed by Sam Quinn of CBS Sports:

“The reason Kobe was different in MJ's eyes is because Kobe looked at Michael as a reference book, encyclopedia, whatever you want to call it. He didn't look at him as a fan. He wasn't interested in, ‘Mike can I have your shoes after the game? Can I get the signed jersey? Can you do this?' He wanted to absorb the knowledge that MJ had, and MJ would test individuals. He would give them a little, and then he would see if they actually applied it, and if they actually learned it, and if they actually learned to use it.

Grover hinted that other players have approached Jordan for tips. But they were always too intimidated by Jordan's “aura” and therefore, the relationship failed to bloom. Meanwhile, Bryant was determined to become the best player he could be. And nothing stopped him from achieving this goal.

“Then if he did that, and you came back and asked for more, he would give you more, but most people never got past that first stage because they were more enamored by the MJ aura than about the actual learning process of becoming the best basketball player. This was his test to see how dedicated these individuals were for the game. You know Michael, the one big thing he's always big about, ‘I don't like individuals, I don't like players, I don't like players, I don't like anybody that disrespects the game.'”

Jordan's eulogy to Bryant as well as the sports documentary “The Last Dance” has revealed so much about the relationship between the two basketball greats. Fans will always compare but as they said so themselves, these debates are futile. For they treated one another as brothers.