Basketball

“I am better than you, Michael Jordan”: Kobe Bryant’s no. 24 jersey was a dig at MJ, per Kevin Garnett

Tonoy Sengupta
|PublishedMar 10, 2023

"I like his attitude": Kobe Bryant Attacked Michael Jordan From the Get-go During His First All-Star Game in New York

Credits: USA Today Sports

During his time in the NBA, Michael Jordan couldn’t have been more inspirational. In fact, it is widely believed that the man almost singlehandedly increased the league’s popularity worldwide, a massive reason why it is so popular today. And so of course, he was a pretty big deal in the states as well.

Over the years, countless people have tried to emulate the man. Many even had admirable careers in the NBA. However, unquestionably, there is no one who got as far as Kobe Bryant did. In many ways, it’s like the Black Mamba was almost an exact copy of Jordan.

But, given how Kobe Bryant was, he had no wish to stop there. No, the man wanted to far surpass him one day. And as Kevin Garnett once revealed, his iconic jersey number was the biggest proof of that.

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Kevin Garnett once revealed that Kobe Bryant’s #24 was simply an attempt at one-upping Michael Jordan

Kobe Bryant was always trying to one-up somebody, no matter what he was doing. And during his time in the NBA, Michael Jordan was the one being chased.

Of course, Kobe Bryant came into the NBA with the number 8. However, after certain allegations ruined the legend’s image, he was forced to rebrand. And with that rebrand, came a whole new number. The iconic #24.

Today, the number is associated with what were arguably Kobe Bryant’s greatest years in the NBA. However, as Kevin Garnett once revealed, the origin story for the number couldn’t have been pettier.

“People don’t understand what his No. 24 stands for, people don’t understand that was a sign to everybody that he was a step above 23. And that was a shot at Mike, like n—, I’m better than you.”

Kevin Garnett on Kobe:

“People don’t understand what his No. 24 stands for, people don’t understand that was a sign to everybody that he was a step above 23. And that was a shot at Mike, like n—, I’m better than you.”

(via @shobasketball, https://t.co/XJYKnXBYrt) pic.twitter.com/mnInC3utYA

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 9, 2023

As comically childish as that reason is, it couldn’t possibly be more like Kobe Bryant to do something significant just because of how competitive he is. But then again, that was exactly what the man was. Rest in peace, Black Mamba.

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About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.