Eleven-time NBA title-winning head coach Phil Jackson had the fortune of coaching Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant during his glorious career. He has more insight into the two icons’ personalities, play styles, and mentality than anyone else. In his book ‘Eleven Rings: A Soul of Success,’ explaining the two legends’ differences, Jackson claimed that Jordan was an extrovert, while Bryant was reserved. He wrote,
Advertisement
“On a personal level, Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved being with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around. Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn’t been able to develop his social skills in college.”
While Bryant kept to himself in his early career years, his personality evolved as he got older. Jackson wrote that the five-time NBA champion avoided spending time with his older teammates, but his approach automatically changed once they were replaced with players closer to his age. He spent more time with his teammates, got more involved in their lives, and socialized with them. Jackson wrote that by the 2008-09 season, Bryant was the ‘life of the party.’
The Los Angeles Lakers icon was drafted into the NBA straight out of high school. He had also spent seven years in Italy when his father played professional basketball. Bryant never had the opportunity to develop social skills, and he even admitted that living in Europe and being unable to speak the local language thwarted him from making friends. He got comfortable living in isolation and remained that way until his mid-20s when he finally shared a locker room with people his age.
Phil Jackson outlines the differences between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had similar measurements. They both stood 6-foot-6-inches tall and had a wingspan of 6-foot-11-inches. They also weighed roughly the same during their playing days. However, they had a couple of physical attributes that stood out. Phil Jackson explained,
“Michael [Jordan] was stronger, with bigger shoulders and a sturdier frame. He also had large hands that allowed him to control the ball better and make subtle fakes. Kobe [Bryant] is more flexible—hence, his favorite nickname, ‘Black Mamba.'”
Despite outlining the differences and watching them up close, Jackson agrees with the popular sentiment that Bryant was the player who came closest to emulating Jordan. He wrote,
“Ever since Kobe was a rookie, the question of whether he would become ‘the next Michael Jordan’ had been the subject of endless speculation. Now that Kobe’s game had matured, this no longer seemed like a frivolous question. Even Jordan has said that Kobe is the only player who can be compared to him, and I have to agree.”
Bryant’s admiration for Jordan is well-documented, and the Chicago Bulls icon was also fond of the Lakers legend. Jordan even admitted that Bryant is probably the only player who could beat him one-on-one because he stole all his moves. Bryant and Jordan will forever be linked because of their similarities as players and their impact on the sport.
