“Kobe Bryant worked harder, Michael Jordan worked smarter”: When Tim Grover laid out the key differences between the Lakers and Bulls legends

Tim Grover revealed that Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant, worked harder than Michael Jordan but the latter worked smarter than Kobe. 

During the mid-2000s, Kobe Bryant seemed to have been struggling with a series of knee ailments. This led to him seeking a trainer that integrated his need to continue focusing on his craft while also taking care of his physical health as well. So, he turned to Michael Jordan for help as he knew that the 6x champ had yet another ace up his sleeve. 

Michael Jordan enlisted the help of Tim Grover back in 1989 to help him train in a way that would allow him to sustain the hits he took when going up against teams like the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons. His training clearly paid off as, not only did Jordan pack on several more pounds of muscle, but went on his historic streak of winning titles after losing to the Pistons in 7 in 1990.

Also read: “Michael Jordan on his worst day is 10x better than Kobe Bryant on his best day”: Reggie Miller had some choice words for the Lakers legend in comparison to the ‘GOAT’

Jordan claimed that he was hesitant to share his trainer, Tim Grover, with anybody but considering the relationship he had with Kobe Bryant, he eventually shared his details with Bryant. 

Tim Grover detailed the differences between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan’s training styles. 

It seems as though where Grover went, winning followed. Just like how two years after he started working with Jordan, the Bulls legend won his first title, two years after he started to work with Kobe Bryant, he won his 4th title. Tim trained Kobe from 2007 to 2012 and the Lakers won two back-to-back titles in that 5 year span.

Also read: ‘We’re fortunate that Allen Iverson isn’t 6’5″‘: When Kobe Bryant paid the ultimate compliment to his Sixers nemesis after the Lakers legend’s retirement

In a book that Grover wrote titled, ‘Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness’, Grover outlined the differences between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. “Kobe worked harder. MJ worked smarter,” wrote Grover. “Of all the things we worked on, the most challenging was simply getting him to stop.” 

Grover talked about how he got little to no sleep due to the fact that Kobe wanted to work out at odd hours in the morning like 2am to 4am and would sneak back into the gym after a grueling workout. Kobe simply did not know how or when to stop and Jordan did, according to Grover.