No one knew the paradoxes of living as an athlete better than Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant – legends of their sport but hated by fans. They were living dichotomies of a still unanswered question, perhaps one that will always be debated. What makes an athlete? Is it sportsmanship, team play, or an obsession with winning?

Rodriguez had an insane amount of baseball talent that reflected in his paychecks but didn’t always earn him well wishes from fans. Bryant was one of the best ever to grace the NBA’s hardcourt, but his personality didn’t always win him points. The two were undoubtedly talented, but what’s more, they had respect for each other. However, in a 2012 interview, Bryant made a surprising revelation about A-Rod.

Kobe Bryant always knew Alex Rodriguez was the best, but he also had a frustrating quality

The late basketball player’s attitude may have been a problem to many but no one could deny his control over the ball. He knew it too. And when a reporter asked him about Rodriguez, the former LA Lakers star knew A-Rod was one of the greatest as well. “We’re different, but he’s one of the best to ever play. Period. I think really the difference is that sometimes he forgets he’s the best…where I don’t,” Bryant says with a laugh, but it really is true.

READ MORE – Kobe Bryant Once Saved Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez From a Serious Injury with His Golden Advice: “My Knees Were Banged Up”

Rodriguez has been criticized before for trying to make the public take a liking to him. Bryant thought that affected his ability to play well, and some fans have pointed out the former Yankee’s inability to often underperform in the postseason.

Interestingly, this acknowledgment came shortly after a family revelation from the late basketball player.

Bryant called his family “full of A-holes”

No, not the family with his wife and daughters, but the one he grew up in. The Bryants had a number of public disagreements, although the late NBA star was reportedly close to his sisters. However, that didn’t stop him from making disparaging comments about the rest of them.

In the same interview, Bryant details how his upbringing was in an extremely competitive environment with his cousins. “I grew up in a family full of A-Holes,” he says plainly. Although A-Rod’s upbringing wasn’t quite the same, everyone is a product of their environment.

The tough battles they faced as kids shaped them into the players of renown that they later became.

WATCH THIS STORY –  Lakers Legend Kobe Bryants Childhood Home: Where Did He Grow Up?