Hall of Fame guard Jerry West recalled some of his favorite Kobe Bryant memories in a recent interview. After Hall of Fame forward Dennis Rodman addressed Bryant's GOAT status recently, the Los Angeles Lakers legend, West, recalled memories of Kobe that separated him from the rest of the pack.

West discussed Bryant's work ethic in a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George.

“To watch him work out, it was like ridiculous, OK? Like a man playing against kindergarten people. That's how advanced he was,” West said. “He was versatile. But he was a ferocious defender. That's all he did. He wanted to compete. He was unbelievably skilled — his work ethic second to none. He wasn't afraid of anything, and it was genuine. It's not verbiage.”

West remembers an eager Bryant, who couldn't sit still.

“You go around training camp and you watch him, and it's like you almost felt you had to strap him down. He could not sit down,” West added. “He was just a natural player who when he was born, there was a heck of a lot of gold dust spinkled on this kid. A lot.”

West, a 14-time All-Star and 1972 champion, spent his entire 14-year career with the Lakers. Jerry West was also the Lakers GM who traded for Bryant during the 1996 NBA Draft. He was the team's GM from 1982 to 2000, an intregal part of the “Showtime” dynasty of the 1980s when Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson led the squad to four of its five championships.

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Dennis Rodman on Kobe Bryant's GOAT status

Kobe Bryant poses for a portrait inside of his office in Costa Mesa, California, on Jan. 17, 2020.
Harrison Hill / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After Hall of Fame guard Dwyane Wade blasted Bleacher Report's Kobe Bryant ranking, Dennis Rodman addressed Bryant's GOAT status in a recent interview. Coming from someone who won three championship with Michael Jordan, Rodman's voice resonates with NBA fans. For Dennis, Jordan is still the GOAT. However, Kobe deserves to be in the conversation.

Rodman hopes as time goes on, Bryant's case as one of the greatest players remains strong among NBA circles, he said, per Lakers Nation.

“We know who that is, Jordan, all day long. Get mad at me all you want. Guess what? People forgot about that one guy. That one guy, that’s called Kobe Bryant,” Rodman said. “People forget about him. They talk about everybody else. They don’t talk about Kobe for some reason.”

After B/R ranked Bryant No. 11 of all-time, Kobe's GOAT status has been a recent topic of debate.

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