Kobe Bryant described going up against Michael Jordan as a 19-year-old and claims MJ looked like he was going to ‘f**k him up’.
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Kobe Bryant burst onto the NBA scene as a high schooler with the mental fortitude of a 10-year vet. His mentality going into any game for the Los Angeles Lakers was to be the best version of himself on both ends of the floor. The ‘97 Lakers had a plethora of experienced guards and so he didn’t all too much time on the floor as he’d hoped.
However, whenever he did get to see time on NBA hardwood, Bryant made the most of it. In doing so, he caught the attention of Michael Jordan. By ‘caught his attention’, we really mean Kobe spent every single match-up he had against the Bulls or Wizards telling MJ he was coming for him.
The similar physiques to go along with even more similar playstyles was enough for the Kobe Bryant-Michael Jordan comparisons to go through the roof during the late 90s and early 2000s.
The two Hall-of-Fame shooting guards fed into the hubbub by becoming close friends off the court and hardened competitors on it.
Kobe Bryant on facing Michael Jordan as a teenager.
17 years into his career, Kobe Bryant sat down with ESPN during quite the tumultuous season which saw the Lakers trying to incorporate Dwight Howard and Steve Nash into the mix. During this interview, he opened up about everything from his ability to drop 50 in his late 30s to his 81 point game.
When asked about what it was like facing MJ as a 19-year-old, Kobe said:
“I wasn’t scared or nervous back then when I played Jordan. He looked at me like he was going to f**k me up but I had to let him know that I wasn’t that guy. I let him know that I’m not like those other guys he played against. That’s not what I was there for. I was there to compete and I did.”
‘That little Laker boy’ certainly took the fight to Jordan whenever they faced off against one another, finishing with a 5-3 record throughout their regular season matchups.
