“Call Michael Jordan Black Cat, I’ll Be the Caramel Cat”: 19-year-old Kobe Bryant Was Ready to Be the Next MJ
For years, Kobe Bryant was hailed as the second coming of Michael Jordan. The man was almost a carbon copy of the six-time champion.
From his build to the way he played. Watching Kobe play was like watching a prime Air Jordan. The Black Mamba did everything he could to emulate his hero.
He even tried to get similar nicknames. Back when he was 19, Kobe heard Reggie Miller’s nickname for Jordan, The Black Cat. After that Kobe insisted upon being called the Caramel Cat.
Kobe Bryant wanted to be called the Caramel Cat after hearing MJ’s Black Cat nickname
Michael Jordan was Kobe Bryant’s idol, hero, and big brother. As a young star in the NBA, the Black Mamba wanted to be just like Mike. To the point that he even wanted a similar nickname.
Reggie Miller tells the story best. In 1998, Miller had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Jordan in a seven-game series. He was devastated but still took the time to have a chat with a 19-year-old Kobe. While talking to him, Miller could not help but refer to MJ as the Black Cat. Upon hearing that, Bryant insisted he be referred to in a similar fashion, as the Caramel Cat.
“A day after maybe two days after the seven-game loss I had against MJ, Scottie, and the Bulls, he calls me. And, we’re having a conversation about that game and I keep referring to MJ as that Black Cat, ‘That Black Cat man…you know he kept willing those guys. We had him down, he was struggling but he kept the pressure on us’, and there was stone-cold silence on the other end of the phone and then he’s like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna become the Caramel Cat…you call him the Black Cat…I’m gonna become the Caramel Cat!’. It’s just funny because I was so upset about that series because I wanted to retire MJ and I’m thinking, ‘Uh oh! Here comes the next MJ!’ “
Michael Jordan thought of Kobe as an annoying younger brother
Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan had a special relationship. The two were close and shared a brotherly bond. One where MJ was the older brother to Kobe’s annoying younger brother.
As such, Kobe’s passing was hard for Michael. He loved Kobe both as a person and as a player. Much like the rest of the world.
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