According to Jordan, that didn't happen by accident.
The six-time champion dished on the five-time champion at an NBA predraft camp in 2008. In his new biography Michael Jordan: The Life, sports scribe Roland Lazenby relayed Jordan's words of how Bryant modeled his game after that of the tongue-wagging Hall of Famer (via Lakers Nation's Ryan Ward):
But how many people lighted the path for me? That’s the evolution of basketball. There’s no way I could have played the way I played if I didn’t watch David Thompson and guys prior to me. There’s no way Kobe could have played the way he’s played without watching me play. So, you know, that’s the evolution of basketball. You cannot change that.
The similarities between the two are striking.
Bryant has adopted a number of Jordan's trademarks: the physics-defying hang time, the lethal turnaround, the stop-on-a-dime pull-up. Hide the face and the jersey, and it's hard to tell which player's highlight reel is rolling.
"It’s no secret that Kobe studied Jordan while perfecting his own game," wrote The Source's Shay Marie. "It’s not something Kobe denies and it’s something Jordan likes to remind us about."
In an interview with reporters promoting NBA 2K14 before the start of the season, Jordan gave Bryant the best chance to beat him playing one-on-one "because he steals all my moves."
Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, and no league seems to better understand that premise than the NBA:
With Jordan and Bryant, though, there's more than just a mimicked style of play.
Like Jordan, B...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
