Mike Krzyzewski, better known as Coach K, has been around the game longer than most players. Having developed talent for over 40 years, the former Duke head coach talks about Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant’s competitive edge and how no one ever came close to it.
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Making an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Coach K spoke about the level of competitiveness shared by Kobe and MJ. When asked if there was any difference in the two players’ level of intensity, the Duke legend had this to say.
“I think they are probably two of the most similar great players in the history of our game. They were just super-talented but they are also incredibly prepared. I don’t think anybody was any more competitive than those two guys. They were that all the time, that was their personality.”
Krzyzewski had the privilege of coaching both Jordan and Bryant during his time with Team USA. Having witnessed both stars in practice and on the court, Coach K did not hesitate in stating that no one ever came close to how competitive those two were.
“So, in a game, they were all business. They wanted to be great, not good. I mean, they wanted to win. And they wanted moments. They were never afraid of a moment. They craved moments.”
Coach K spoke more about Bryant since he coached him twice during his stint as the head coach of the “Redeem Team” in 2008. He mentioned how Kobe craved those moments more than MJ and would often smile in a tough game situation while everyone else was sweating on the sidelines.
Now, over the course, many have stated that Bryant and MJ were cut from the same cloth. Both players had that killer instinct and the ability to turn up their game when necessary.
But the reason many fans and analysts claim that Bryant had the same mentality as MJ was due to his imitation of the Chicago Bulls legend and how he approached the game.
Jordan and Bryant’s level of competitiveness
The older generation of basketball fans got to witness Michael Jordan’s greatness first-hand. And many of them would reiterate how competitive MJ was back in the day. Here is Air Jordan talking about his drive to win.
“You’ve got to be very competitive. I think a lot of defense is because of my competitve nature that, ‘I don’t want you to outscore me or I don’t want you to score a certain number of points on me’.”
While the younger generation may have gotten a glimpse of MJ in his twilight years with the Wizards, they were still lucky enough to grow up watching Bryant and his Black Mamba moniker. Take a look at what Bryant’s Mamba Mentality meant to him:
“My mission is to destroy you. My whole purpose was to make you reconsider your choice to play basketball…How can I mentally figure out ways to break you down? How can I show you, ‘No, I have the edge.’ I’m going to beat you. I’m going to let you know that I beat you. And I’m gonna want you to reconsider your professional life choice.”
Both players have talked extensively about what drove them to the pedestal they were at during their prime. And the amount of similarity in the level of intensity they had to come out on top was uncanny. It really is no wonder why people often say Kobe was cut from the same cloth as Jordan.
