The 73rd NBA All-Star game is only a few days away and fans cannot wait to see their favorite stars in action against the rest of the league’s greats. As the world prepares to see the action-packed All-Star weekend that’s about to take place in Indianapolis, let’s have a look back at some of the best All-Star game matchups. And what better matchup to recap than Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan?
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Kobe Bryant came into the league as the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. That was the time when Michael Jordan had just started his second threepeat, winning his fourth championship that year. Though he retired and left the NBA once again, by the time Kobe came into the league, Jordan was still in his prime. But it wasn’t until 1998 that MJ got to face off against the then-young Los Angeles Lakers guard in the All-Star game.
The 1998 NBA All-Star Game
Michael Jordan not only led the East in All-Star votes but also had the most votes in the entire NBA by a huge margin. Kobe Bryant on the other hand was second on the list of guards to get the most votes in the Western Conference.
The East All-Stars ended up winning the star-studded matchup with a 135-114 final score. Michael Jordan went home with All-Star MVP honors with a 23-point performance paired with 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals for the game.
Bryant on the other hand led the West in scoring with 18 points in his first-ever All-Star game appearance. Even though the West lost, Bryant gave fans a glimpse of what to expect out of the young guard for years to come.
Even before stepping onto the court, Michael Jordan and the rest of the Eastern All-Stars knew what to expect out of Kobe Bryant. A small clip of the veteran stars talking about him even made its way to MJ’s The Last Dance documentary.
The 2002 NBA All-Star Game
It wasn’t until the 2002 NBA All-Star game that Kobe Bryant got to meet Michael Jordan once again. However, this time Jordan was playing for the Washington Wizards after coming out of retirement for the second time.
Both Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan led the league in votes for guards in their respective conferences. Not just that but Bryant and MJ were the only two players in the NBA who were averaging more than 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists at the time.
As for Kobe and Mike’s second All-Star game meeting, the West ended up going home with a 135-120 win over the East. Bryant led the West with a 31-point performance as opposed to Jordan’s 8-point game. The Lakers guard also went home with the All-Star MVP award that year.
By their second All-Star game meeting, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan had already developed a great bond with one another. Bryant had already started reaching out to MJ for insight on how to improve his game.
What started as a mentor-mentee relationship ended up evolving into a brotherly bond between the two that the world eventually came to know later on.
Kobe Bryant’s final All-Star matchup with Michael Jordan
The 2003 NBA All-Star game was the last time Kobe and Michael locked horns among the rest of the league’s greats. For their third and final meeting, Kobe Bryant spearheaded the event with the most votes in the league.
Michael Jordan would’ve come off the bench for his final All-Star game appearance if it weren’t for Vince Carter who gave up his position in East’s starting lineup to the six-time NBA champion. The game went into double overtime and it was the West that came out on top with a 155-145 final score. But the entire matchup could’ve had a completely different ending altogether.
The 2003 NBA All-Star game could’ve ended on a signature Michael Jordan fadeaway in the fourth quarter that he sunk over the outstretched hand of Shawn Marion. However, the West were able to tie the game once again and finally come out with a win after two overtime periods.
The final meeting between Kobe and Jordan resulted in NBA fans getting exclusive interactions between the two Hall of Famers during the game. Mike and Bryant indulged in constant trash talk back and forth, resulting in memories for generations to come.
These were some of the best moments between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan that are still talked about even after decades among NBA fans.
