Despite His Envy Over Michael Jordan’s $35,000,000 Salary, Dennis Rodman Reasons Why ‘Gymnast’ Kobe Bryant was Inferior: “More Driven to Win”

Nithin Joseph | 13/07/2023
Despite His Envy Over Michael Jordan's $35,000,000 Salary, Dennis Rodman Reasons Why 'Gymnast' Kobe Bryant was Inferior: "More Driven to Win"

Dennis Rodman has recently been quite vocal about his life, giving his fans an inside look. From topics like his s*xuality to his time in the NBA, The Worm has been revealing all on VladTV. In a recent clip shared on the YouTube channel, Rodman compared two greats in Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. And, despite once admittedly being jealous of MJ’s $35,000,000 salary, he still conceded that the Black Mamba was inferior to His Airness.

Having played 14 seasons in the NBA, Rodman has played with some amazing players. This includes both Jordan and Kobe. The five-time NBA Champion spent three seasons with Jordan on the Chicago Bulls where he won three championships. And, he played 27 games with Bryant during his one season with the Los Angeles Lakers. So, his assessment of the two legends comes from his own experiences.

Dennis Rodman claims Michael Jordan was more driven to win than Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan have long been compared with each other. Drafted in 1996, the Black Mamba was hailed as the second coming of MJ. And, for the most part, they were very similar, from their mindset to their style of play.

Both Kobe and Jordan were incredibly competitive and are considered to be the two best shooting guards the game has ever seen. However, there can only be one top dog, and according to Dennis Rodman, that is none other than the Bulls legend.

The Worm had the pleasure of playing with both His Airness and the Black Mamba during his 14-year career. And, in his expert opinion, Jordan just about edges out Bryant. He believes that despite both of them being known for their competitiveness, MJ was more driven to win. He even justified this by suggesting that Kobe was more like a gymnast, whereas Michael was a ballet dancer.

“They were similar. But, I think Michael was more driven to win. Believe me… he hated the fact that… we’re gonna win… we’re gonna win! And, he took control of that. I give him that credit right there…I’ll give him that. Because Scotty had that will too. But, Kobe became like that. Kobe started to emulate his game like Michael’s and stuff like that. I think Kobe was more like a gymnast when he played and Michael was more like Baryshnikov…you know a ballet dancer!” 

Rodman certainly makes an interesting point. One that not too many would have expected him to make. After all, by his own admission, he used to be quite jealous of his former Bulls teammate.

Rodman was jealous of Michael Jordan and his $35,000,000 salary

Dennis Rodman spent three seasons backing up Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls. And, together, the two along with Scottie Pippen won three NBA Championships. However, The Worm was also incredibly jealous of Jordan. As he once explained in his book, Bad As I Wanna Be, he felt cheated, seeing MJ earn $35,000,000, while he earned just $3,000,000 a year.

Regardless, it would seem that this jealousy has not deterred Rodman’s judgment. When all is said and done, he will always concede that Jordan is undoubtedly the greatest of all time.

Post Edited By: Utathya Ghosh
Dennis Rodman Kobe Bryant Michael Jordan

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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