Pacers three-point sensation Reggie Miller taught a 19-year-old Kobe Bryant how to use the step back jumper
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Kobe Bryant is arguably one of the most lethal scorers the league has ever seen. It’s hard to imagine Kobe Bryant as anything but Black Mamba.
A man who instilled fear into the hearts of his opponents just by his presence. The Mamba ruled the 2000s with a ruthlessness reminiscent of Michael Jordan.
But before he began to dominate the league, Kobe Bryant wasn’t so good. He built himself, put in the extra hours, to become the global icon he is today.
Perhaps what accelerated his growth exponentially was his eagerness to learn. Bryant wanted to learn from anybody and everybody willing to teach him.
He’s pester the legends into giving away their moves or watch tapes and copy what they did. Reggie Miller is one such legend Kobe took inspiration from.
The Knicks Killer started his career 8 seasons before Bean. Drafted 11th by the Pacers in 1987, Uncle Reg had a very similar early career growth as the Mamba.
Despite a lackluster performance in his rookie season, Reggie was a scoring maching by the time he was in his third year.
He quickly established himself as one of the scariest shooters in the league and cemented himself as a fearsome clutch talent. And by the time Kobe entered the league, Reggie was a force to be reckoned with.
Kobe immediately acknowledged his skills and decided to learn a trick or two from the Pacers legend.
19-year-old Kobe Bryant challenged Reggie Miller to a one-on-one
Reggie Miller in an interview with Dan Patrick, Miller narrated a typical Kobe Bryant story. Reggie revealed how Kobe Bryant and he were both working on an episode of The Real World show.
During the episode, Reggie and Bryant teamed up against the contestants and brutally proved their superiority. But it was off-the-screen when the real magic happened.
Miller revealed: “So, in the downtime, while we were waiting for them to come back, he’s like ‘do you wanna play one-on-one?’ I’m like ‘dude, I am not gonna play you one-on-one.’ I was thirty, he was 19.”
Immediately after getting rejected, Bryant changed his plans. Instead of testing Reggie out, he now wanted to learn something from him. So, Kobe asked Uncle Reg to teach him his mean step back jumper.
Reggie agreed but on the condition that Bean taught him his killer crossover. However, Miller had no idea that Kobe would not only choose not to teach the Pacers superstar his move but also use the step back against him.
The two again met in 2000 NBA Finals. Reggie, who had remained ringless until then, finally had the best shot at a championship. But what he had taught the 19-year-old Kobe came back to haunt him.
Reggie: “2 years later, in the finals, this dude is giving me my own move to me. What a idiot I was. Idiot!”
Bryant, then 21, averaged 15.6 points, 1.4 blocks, 1 steal, 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in that series. The Lakers won the league title 4-2 and Reggie Miller never got a better chance at winning the ring.
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