“Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were the guys I want to try to be like”: Zach LaVine expands on how the Bulls and Lakers GOATs have framed his interest in basketball

When Zach LaVine was asked in ALL THE SMOKE podcast about his basketball inspiration, he said “I was the biggest Kobe fan.” The Bulls star said “Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were the guys I want to try to be like.”

Zach LaVine said Kobe is one of the reasons why he is wearing no.8. Throughout Zach’s career so far, there are enough moments to know how much of an impact Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan had on him.

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How does Zach LaVine measure up to Michael Jordan outside of the Dunk Contest?

Back in the 2015 NBA Slam Dunk contest, Zach LaVine shocked the world with his insane dunks. He came into the court with the “Space Jam” theme song and performed his first dunk wearing a Michael Jordan’s Space Jam jersey.

He went to win that contest. He won it at the age of 19. Kobe Bryant won the 1997 Slam Dunk contest at the age of 18. Ironic?

In 2018, Zach was traded to The Chicago Bulls after his knee surgery. At the start of the 2018 -2109 season, LaVine scored at least 30 points in each of the Bulls’ first three games of the season, becoming the third Chicago player to do so after  Michael Jordan and Bob Love.

His years in Chicago has turned him into an excellent scorer. In 2021, he became an All-Star for the first time. Zach LaVine is scoring 26.4 points so far this season with an efficient 47.2% FG.

Since the arrival of Demar Derozan and Lonzo Ball, the team has been on a ride. The Trio of the Bulls is exciting to watch and has the potency to make some noise in the Eastern Conference.

According to Sir Charles Barkley,  “Out of all the teams in NBA, they [Bulls] had the best off-season.” The Chicago bulls are Charles’ “sleeper team” this season.

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