How Kobe Bryant was motivated to score points against Michael Jordan, according to 7′ Shaquille O’Neal

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are two of the greatest NBA players with several uncanny traits between them.

Michael Jordan is considered to be a basketball god by many sporting enthusiasts around the world. The Chicago Bulls leader dominated the league during his playing days and ended his illustrious career with one of the most decorated resumes we’ve ever seen. His Airness’ long list of achievements includes 10 scoring titles, 5 MVPs, 6 championships, and 6 Finals MVPs, among many other accolades.

Truly, there can not be a personality quite like Michael. However, there is one former legend who comes pretty close – Kobe Bryant.

Having almost the identical game style, mannerism, drive to win the game, and mentality as the Bulls GOAT, The Black Mamba was regarded as his generation’s Michael Jordan.

Also Read: Multi Billionaire Michael Jordan explained why he was a ‘tyrant’ at 6x NBA champs Bulls

“Kobe Bryant emulated his game after Michael Jordan”: Shaquille O’Neal

Bryant and Jordan are widely considered two of the greatest players ever. Both these megastars had an insanely deep offensive arsenal that allowed them to become two of the most prolific scorers in the history of the league.

Over the years, there have been numerous players who have spoken about the two icons having extremely similar traits. Shaquille O’Neal, who has already talked about this topic before, reiterated his words.

Michael Jordan has been selected as the cover athlete for NBA 2K23. The developers have introduced 15 “Jordan Challenges” where players can recreate some of MJ’s most iconic moments.

For the unveiling of the same, 2K got a few of Michael’s competitors to talk about the wrath of Jordan. In the video, Shaq spoke about the uncanny similarity between the Bulls’ two-guard and Bean. The 7-foot Hall-Of-Famer said:

“Kobe emulated his game after Mike. And every time Mike scored he knew he had to score. That’s what you do when you go against a great player, aka your idol.”

Both the 6-foot-6 guards were some of the most fierce competitors, who dedicated uncountable hours to preparations, and were natural winners, having a total of 11 championships between them.

Fortunately, we were able to witness these legends go at it against each other 8 times during their careers. However, we would’ve definitely loved seeing many more of those well-competed duels.

Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s three-peat wouldn’t be possible if $20 million man didn’t ‘throw a towel’