Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are two names that shall forever be intrinsically linked to each other in basketball parlance. MJ was the first global superstar in all of basketball, and Kobe started out as a kid fascinated by his greatness.
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The younger Bryant was similarly built at 6ft 6″ and molded his game around His Airness’. The attitude they showed to the game, and their ruthlessness only added to the comparisons. Bryant was often dubbed as the second coming of Jordan owing to such similarities.
An individual who contributed to both of their phenomenal careers is arguably the best man to address any such comparisons. And that is none other than the “Zenmaster,” Phil Jackson.
Phil Jackson was the coach who led Kobe or Jordan to 9 of their 11 combined rings. Jackson’s offensive schemes got the best out of both superstars and eased the pressure on the stars.
The Zenmaster’s relationship with His Airness was well-documented. It was almost as if they bonded instantly. However, with Bryant, it seems an unfortunate injury proved to be the eventual icebreaker.
How did Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant bond over an injury?
Kobe Bryant was an upstart in the NBA community when he began his tutelage under Phil Jackson. Naturally, with the difference in status between the two at the time, a bond wasn’t immediate.
But when Kobe was on the ascendancy, there came an injury his way. Jackson’s empathy for Bryant paved the way for a bond to be formed between the duo at much last. As mentioned by Phil Jackson in Eleven Rings: Soul of Success, the duo started bonding over Kobe’s knee injury.
“Just when Kobe started finding his rhythm again, his right knee, which had been bothering him for years, began to swell and forced him to miss two games in April. This injury would bother him throughout the playoffs and contributed to his mystifying shooting slump at the end of the season. The only upside to Kobe’s knee problem was its positive effect on our relationship.”
“When his knee had started acting up the year before, I gave him the freedom to go light at practice—or even skip one here and there, if necessary, to help him maintain his leg strength. Kobe was touched by my concern for his well-being, and the bond between us grew stronger. We often bounced around ideas during practices and spent time scrutinizing game videos together on the team plane. Over time we developed the kind of intimate partnership that I’d enjoyed with Michael Jordan. But the connection was less formal with Kobe. With Michael, I’d often arrange meetings ahead to discuss strategy. Kobe and I talked all the time” revealed the Zenmaster. Empathy led to respect and respect led to success for Kobe and Jackson.
Young Kobe was more Kobe and less Black Mamba when Jackson got his hands on the prodigious Laker talent. Big Phil molded him to superstardom, and the informal relationship and comfort definitely helped.
What were Kobe Bryant’s numbers under Phil Jackson like?
1999-2004 marked the period when Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson united in LA. Bryant’s peak, and him averaging 40 points for the month, all came under Jackson’s leadership. The last three-peat in NBA history obviously formed the highlight of their time.
Bryant improved from a 22-point scorer to a 30 point a game guy under Jackson. As the scoring wing in Jackson’s triangle, Kobe set standards for shooting guards in the league. Bryant’s two-way play established him as the premier wing option in the NBA.
The move from excellent second to competent first option was basically how Bryant progressed under Jackson. While Jordan walked into the league as a first option, that wasn’t the case with Kobe. However, stardom wasn’t far apart from Bryant, and Jackson, with his familiarity with Jordan, played a key role in it.
