Few players have studied the game of basketball as closely as Kobe Bryant. While chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan, Bryant developed a skill set that is rarely seen in the NBA. His attention to detail and the work he put in made the Mamba a generational spectacle. However, Jeff Teague didn’t like to witness Bryant working his magic. So, what turned him off about Bryant’s playing style? On his Club 520, the 2021 champion touched upon why he didn’t particularly relish the 5x champion’s operations on the NBA floor.
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For Teague, Bryant’s pursuit of meticulous movements made him feel that he was striving too hard, an aspect which he felt was laborious to witness. According to the former NBA guard, Mamba’s straining ways didn’t make for a smooth viewing experience. Relaying his astonishing take about the Black Mamba, Jeff Teague expressed,
“I never liked watching Kobe play, he just wasn’t my type. He was cold, I know he was a killer but I ain’t never like watching him play. He was trying too hard, it didn’t come like easy, like he scored easy, but all his moves was like [makes grunting noise].”
To bring his point home, the former Hawks PG relayed that Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony made the game look easier than the Mamba. As per Teague, one could easily discern that Bryant was emanating a lot of sounds owing to the work was putting in, while KD looks like the doesn’t have to waste a breath while scoring the ball.
He then compared MJ’s seemingly effortless method to Bryant’s ceaseless aggressive movements, and the latter turned Teague off who is a bigger fan of smooth-looking game styles. While it can be debated if the Lakers legend was smooth or not, it is unarguable that he left no stone unturned to improve his game.
The tall tales of Kobe Bryant’s obsession with hoops
Who doesn’t know about Mamba’s habit of watching thousands of game tapes? When a young Baron Davis visited Bryant’s home, he thought the Lakers guard was not normal for harboring so many game DVDs. To understand his obsession better, during the build-up to the 2010 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, ESPN’s Jackie McMullan wrote about Bryant’s pursuit of greatness and found that Bryant wasn’t just mimicking Jordan’s game.
He watched game tapes that spanned across all eras and picked the moves from greats like Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Hakeem Olajuwon, to name a few. Thus, the great Shooting Guard didn’t limit his study to a few guards or Wings, his method involved soaking in the game style of numerous players.
And it wasn’t just the All-Time greats who inspired the basketball savant, he was willing to learn an array of moves from the likes of former Atlanta Hawks guard John Battle, who had a terrific off-hand game.
This commitment to improving himself also exudes his love for hoops itself. While he hit the hardwood with a mean face, inside him was a humble self who was willing to pick the brains of anyone who had ever played in the league.
