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“The Last Dance” director Jason Hehir has been in-demand of late because of his tremendous work on the epic ESPN docuseries about Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls. Recently, the 43-year-old Newton, Massachusetts native opened up about Jordan's relationship with Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
According to Hehir, he himself did not realize that Jordan and Bryant had formed such a close bond until the director was able to do a sit-down with Kobe last year.
Article Continues Below“I didn't realize they had the relationship that they had until we interviewed Kobe in July a few weeks after the birth of his daughter (Capri),” Hehir said, via Chicco Nacion of The Score. “And he told me that from the time he was a youngster in the league, he did seek out Michael's advice.”
In his interview, Hehir learned much more about the dynamics of the relationship, as well as how much respect and gratitude Kobe has for MJ.
“But then Michael took it a step further and gave him his number and said, ‘Anytime you need advice – on or off the floor – you can call me.' … (Kobe) said, ‘Michael is like the big brother that I never had,” Hehir added. “Without Michael Jordan, you don't get Kobe Bryant.'
“(Kobe) said that he's offended when people say, ‘You could beat (Jordan) one-on-one, or if you guys played one-on-one, you'd smoke him.' And he always told people, ‘No, no, no. Fall back. This is not a guy that I'm going to talk that way about.' … And then for Michael to make the speech at Kobe's memorial service and from his perspective call him his little brother, it was just so poignant.”
Jordan was reduced to tears when he delivered that unforgettable eulogy in Bryant's memorial service, which further proves just how much Kobe meant to him.
