The big three of the tennis world are often compared to the three NBA GOAT frontrunners – Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Historically, Novak Djokovic has been compared to Kobe Bryant by several tennis and basketball enthusiasts. However, Nick Kyrgios tried to change the narrative by claiming that Djokovic was the LeBron of tennis.
“My GOAT’s LeBron. I think you’re (Novak) the LeBron of tennis. You know, the numbers, statistics, they are all yours,” Nick said in the latest Good Trouble episode.
Novak didn’t explicitly agree with Kyrgios. But the Serbian legend did reveal the traits that he admired and found similar between arguably 3 of the United State’s greatest athletes of all time, i.e. LeBron James, Serena Williams and Tom Brady.
According to the World No.1, who added Cristiano Ronaldo to the mix as well, each of the mentioned athletes thrived to improve on a daily basis. Due to their hunger for success, all of them “crushed the limits” set upon them and emerged as the most successful individuals in their respective sports.
“First of all incredible mind of a champion. Just incredible hunger for success, for improvement… Just willingness on a daily basis to take your body, your mind, your character, your emotions to a different level to be a better version every single day and to crush the borders and limits that everyone imposes on you,” Djokovic said in response to Kyrgios.
“That’s something that LeBron has been doing for so long and that’s why he’s still one of the best in the world and I really respect and admire that about him,” the World No.1 added.
By mentioning Serena Williams in the same breath as superstar male athletes, it is one of the biggest compliments Novak Djokovic has given to the 23-time Grand Slam champion. Djokovic knows what is it like to deal with unwarranted criticism and bias from many quarters from the tennis world and the media across the globe. Serena would relate surely to the Serb’s plight, having gone through the same.
Interestingly, both Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams do not hail from rich families. They are the true embodiment of working their way up with limited resources and relying completely on their talent and mental fortitude. It was pretty much the same with the likes of LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant.
While Novak Djokovic did not name his tennis GOAT, he picked Bryant as his basketball GOAT despite many records now being in LeBron’s name and here’s why.
Novak Djokovic Backs Kobe Bryant as His GOAT Pick
Novak Djokovic was great friends with Kobe Bryant. Apart from idolizing the latter, Novak would even take advice from the Black Mamba when struggling with injuries.
“Kobe always helped me when I needed it the most. When I had elbow surgery, mentally I was not well. I even considered leaving tennis. He encouraged me, shared his experience, gave advice,” Djokovic said in an old interview with L’Equipe.
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All things considered, it wasn’t surprising that the 24-time Grand Slam champion chose Kobe Bryant over Michael Jordan and LeBron James and here is what he had to say about it:
“It’s tough to choose between Kobe and Michael. I love LeBron as well. I mean, it’s unbelievable what he’s doing. It’s tough to choose. But I had a friendly relationship with Kobe, so I have to pick Kobe. Kobe is my guy.”
Novak hits 24 and pays tribute to the late Kobe Bryant 💙 pic.twitter.com/rDXVUvYe1Z
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2023
Djokovic has also displayed his love for Kobe on numerous occasions such as when the latter tragically passed away and the moment Novak won his 24th (Kobe’s jersey number was #24) Grand Slam at the US Open 2023. However, the Serb’s love for basketball remains strong as he watched some NBA games live in arenas in the United States on his tour earlier this year.
While the Lakers remains Djokovic’s favorite team, he also met the likes of Steph Curry and Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors separately in a heart-warming sports crossover.
