Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan trash talk from 2003 All-Star Game (Video)
By Robby Sabo
Sitting down with Ahmad Rashad recently, Kobe Bryant once again spoke about Michael Jordan in glowing fashion.
We get it Kobe – you love Michael Jordan. Many folks do, especially those who grew up in the early 1990’s trying to “be like Mike.”
More from Los Angeles Lakers
- Predicting NBA’s Christmas Day Schedule: Lakers, Warriors highlight slate of postseason rematches
- Bronny James collapses at practice, taken to ICU with cardiac arrest
- NBA Rumors: Lakers nearing another savvy minimum signing
- Lakers projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
- NBA Rumors: Warriors, Lakers among contenders for key free agent
This fascination though is getting too extreme for some people.
While Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is done for the season with an injury, it didn’t stop him from sitting down with Ahmad Rashad last night to discuss Jordan among other things.
He recollected, as many older men do in their respective professions, about the good old days when he was afforded the opportunity to spit a little trash talk in the direction of his hero.
Wow is this guy arrogant.
To me, despite having five rings, Bryant is one of the more overrated players throughout history.
Is he an NBA great? Yes. Is he a Hall of Famer? Yes. Is he one of the Top 10 or 20 players of all-time? Hell no.
He was lucky to play on the teams he did, and when things were going so right he made sure to make them so wrong because he wanted to be Batman instead of Robin. He thought first of his place in history rather than team success.
It killed him to have to play second-fiddle to Shaquille O’Neal.
More than that though, his field goal percentages aren’t so hot. His career field goal percentage of 45.1 pales in comparison to what LeBron James does with his overall game, and can’t even touch his idol of Jordan at a career clip of .497.
Who cares how many points you’re scoring if you’re a chucker. You’re hurting the team for selfish reasons, thinking about only yourself. Quite frankly, he never made guys around him that much better.
So, my advice to Kobe Bryant is to start to work on his “own” identity. The “try to be like Mike” thing is wearing very thin on all of us.
He tries to shoot like him; he tries to speak like him; he tries to yell at teammates like him; hell, he even tried to cry after winning the championship just like him.
If I’m Jordan, I’m sick to my stomach that this guy doesn’t have his own identity.
It’s just straight weird. If you’re not Jordan you should never stick your tongue out.
More from FanSided
- Joe Burrow owes Justin Herbert a thank you note after new contract
- Chiefs gamble at wide receiver could already be biting them back
- Braves-Red Sox start time: Braves rain delay in Boston on July 25
- Yankees: Aaron Boone gives optimistic return date for Aaron Judge
- MLB Rumors: Yankees-Phillies trade showdown, Mariners swoop, India goes to Seattle