When an 18-year old Kobe Bryant asked Michael Jordan for advice regarding improving his turnaround jump shot.
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When it comes to the greatest players to grace the NBA hardwood, it is impossible not to mention Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The two basketball icons were some of the best talents the sporting world had ever seen. Both the MJ and Kobe were legends of their respective generations.
The two shared an extremely close relationship away from the public glare. The Black Mamba considered his Airness his idol and mentor. Kobe has publicly accepted stealing various moves of Jordan. On the other hand, MJ treated Kobe as his younger brother.
The Lakers legend made his debut in 1996, at the mere age of 18. At the same time, Jordan was at the peak of his career, winning his fourth championship and Finals MVP. Though he had just stepped into the league, Kobe feared no one, including his Airness.
In his debut match against the Bulls, Kobe had approached MJ for some advice on the defensive end of schemes.
Kobe Bryant wanted to learn some trade secrets from Michael Jordan.
The date 17th December 1996 is an iconic date in the NBA calendar. It was when an upcoming star met the legend of the game. The Bulls were hosting the LA Lakers at the United Center. At the time, there was quite the buzz around the rookie Kobe.
In the 10-minutes that he played, the Lakers guard had 5-points, while MJ scored an impressive 30. The game resulted in favor of the Bulls, winning it 129-123. However, Kobe had the attention of the Bulls legend, who was mightily impressed with the former.
MJ had the following to say when asked about the Lakers rookie.
“He certainly has a lot of skills, and you see that. He’s got a lot of confidence. When you realize how great he is, he’s actually in the second year of college. He’s in the top league, and he’s certainly gonna learn a lot more.”
When asked if he imparted any wisdom to Kobe, MJ replied the following.
“He asked me one question, he wanted to know ‘when I turn around on my jump shot how to lock the defense or how to get the feel of defense.’ So I told him you should feel the defense with your legs, once you feel the defense with your legs, you can take advantage of that.”
MJ had no problems imparting Kobe with trade secrets, the Bulls superstar believed if it helped someone enhance his basketball skills, why not?
Jordan believed Kobe had already learned a lot in his short time in the league and was not against giving the latter any kind of hints about his game.
