There may not be a player in the NBA right now who would say that he was not inspired by Michael Jordan. Jordan was an absolute sensation for every 80s and 90s kid. But even someone who was not born at the time and wanted to become a basketball player, no basketball fan would disagree with being mesmerized by what MJ did on that court. Kobe Bryant was no different.

Every player is a fan of the game. NBA stars of today were mostly all inspired by Michael Jordan at some point in their lives. However, Kobe was in absolute awe of Michael Jordan. He was obsessed with MJ. Kobe always tried to imitate his style, aura, mentality, and moves. In the process of chasing the best, Kobe made his own legacy which MJ certainly should be proud of. 

Michael Jordan was very close with Kobe Bryant. People often compared the two but for Michael Jordan, Kobe was a little brother. Michael Jordan always said how Kobe was a ‘pain in the a**’ but he was someone MJ would go to lengths for. The two NBA legends loved and adored each other. The retired ESPN columnist Jackie MacMullan echoed the same thoughts.

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Michael Jordan did a lot for “the kid” Kobe Bryant

MJ was deeply affected by Kobe’s death as many of the NBA stars and fans all around the world were. Jackie MacMullan shared the thoughts of Michael Jordan after the release of his documentary – The Last Dance. She said that he was not happy about the few backlashes the series brought. He was introspective and Jackie revealed that Kobe may have been the reason.

“You know he’s pretty introspective these days. I think losing Kobe was a huge blow for him. They really were very good friends and we really chronicled the amount of time they spent together and the amount of times Kobe called Jordan. Sometimes in the middle of the night and he’d be asking these very specific questions. Jordan would be talking to him and they’d lie back down and say ‘why the hell am I doing this? Why am I giving this kid all my secrets? I’ve never done this with anybody else. Why am I doing it for this kid?’ and I think the answer really was that he was in many ways just flattered that Kobe wanted to be here. You know he[Kobe] really strived to be him and then be better than him” Jackie revealed.

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Jordan and Kobe were as close as family. Even closer than that. The mutual respect, love, and admiration between the two NBA greats were wholesome. Even now when MJ talks about Kobe, you surely see a sense of pride and happiness that he knew Kobe as well as he did. That is a feeling that other people would get who know MJ. But for MJ to feel this way for Kobe certainly shows how special their bond was.