Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are the most fearsome duo, perhaps second only to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. The legendary Bulls Batman and Robin guided their team to 6 titles. Effectively making them one of the only two franchise’s in league history to three-peat twice.
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While this lethal duo holds a very special place in history, all greats must grow old. Pippen and Jordan, despite how skilled they were, couldn’t beat father time. As they grew older, they obviously lost that athletic edge they had when young. After all, not everyone is born with LeBron James’ longevity.
During their later years, when they were not high-flying kids anymore, the Bulls faced the Lakers in Dember of 1997. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen then witnessed Kobe Bryant pull some moves they had forgotten they were once capable of.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were in awe of Kobe Bryant’s vertical
In his book Michael Jordan: The Life, famed author Roland Lazenby wrote of Jordan and Pippen’s fascination with Bryant’s jump. The duo was so taken by the youngster that they couldn’t help but contemplate if they had been capable of the same.
Jordan even asked Pippen if they had been as impressive when they were young. Scottie assured Michael that they had once done the same but it was a long time ago.
The story is detailed in the following excerpt by Lazenby:
“When he saw Bryant’s leaping ability, Jordan admitted to being a bit awed by the talent on display: “I asked Scottie Pippen, ‘Did we used to jump like that? I don’t remember that.’ He said, ‘I think we did, but it’s so long ago I can’t remember it.’ I felt like I was in the same shoes of some of the other players I’ve faced,” Jordan explained.”
In reality, Kobe’s vertical at its peak is estimated to be about 38″. Meanwhile, Jordan’s vertical at its peak literally stands above all other NBA players in history. He had a vertical of up to 48″ in his arsenal. So, in his past, not only was Michael able to jump high, but he elevated 10 inches more than Bryant.
Jordan saw a copy of himself in Kobe
Kobe was, in essence, an MJ imitator. He began by studying and practicing every move ever executed by Jordan. In December of 1997, he had the opportunity to display that imitation to the legend himself.
In that game, Bryant dropped 33 on the Bulls but Jordan answered back with an impressive 36 points. After the match, Jordan noted that Bryant was a versatile attacker. Jordan also noted that his opponents must have faced the same challenges while facing him that he did while defending Bryant. Perhaps the greatest compliment to Kobe’s fierceness.
