6ft 6″ Kobe Bryant Once Revealed How ‘The Redeem Team’ Enabled Him to Play His Favorite Part of Basketball

Two names come to mind when one thinks of the fiercest competitors the game of basketball has ever had. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Both 6ft 6″ guards were known for their fire to win, and their ability to do whatever was required to secure the win for their teams.

Michael Jordan paved the way and set an example for Kobe Bryant. The Black Cat was the fiercest competitor the NBA had in the 80s and 90s. When MJ set foot on the hardwood, the opponents used to tremble. Kobe was cut from the same cloth as well.

Known for being one of the hardest workers in the league, Bryant used to do anything and everything required to get the win. Known as a scorer throughout his career, Kobe shared that the same wasn’t his favorite aspect of the game.

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Kobe Bryant preferred playing defense over offense

Kobe Bryant is known for being one of the most gifted offensive players. The Mamba didn’t believe offense was his favorite suit in the game of basketball. The 6ft 6″ guard said defense was his favorite aspect of basketball.

Talking about the same, Mamba shared,

“For me, scoring is something I do when necessary. I score when I have to score. But on the Olympic team, it was a breath of fresh air because I could really focus on what I really really love to do, which is play defense.”

On the Redeem Team, Kobe didn’t really have the pressure to score points. He had the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and more to score the points the team needed. Instead, Kobe used to lock down the opposing team’s best player and make a mark defensively.

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How good was Kobe defensively?

Even though his reputation as a scorer, Kobe never gave up an easy bucket. The Mamba always used to take on the defensive assignment of the best player from the opposing team and give them a tough time.

Although Kobe did not win any DPOY honors for his efforts, The Mamba had 12 All-NBA Defensive team selections. Out of these 12, nine of them were to the First Team, and the other three to the Second Team.

These numbers alone show us how good Kobe was on both ends of the floor. He may have been one of the best two-way guards the league has ever seen.

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