Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady are two of the most skilled and prolific scorers to ever step foot on the NBA court. Their offensive repertoire featured an assortment of maneuvers that left their opponents panting for breath. The two even locked horns on numerous occasions, delivering an offensive masterclass for the onlookers.

While Bryant and McGrady gave way to multiple spectacular individual battles, they were quite close as teenagers. They were around the same age and had the same ambition: to make it big in the NBA. So, it’s no surprise that the two clicked as youngsters. In fact, McGrady even stayed with Bryant and his parents once when he was 19 years old.

“To take you even back, that [Kobe Bryant] was my brother,” he said recently during an appearance on the Pivot Podcast. “I think I was 19 and Kobe was 20…when he was still living with his parents, I used to go out there and stay with him,” the NBA Hall of Famer added.

T-Mac went on to recount some of his memories from that time. The NBA Hall of Famer revealed some of the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s hobbies, such as watching Karate movies and studying Michael Jordan tapes.

“Me and Kobe would sit in his room. He would watch all these home videos of MJ, watch Karate flicks,” McGrady said. He further added that Bryant was different from any 19 or 20-year-old guy he had ever come across.

It’s evident from McGrady’s comments that the two shared a tight friendship. Regardless of the battles on the court, one thing constant was mutual respect for each other. He also revealed that Bryant used to study Michael Jordan tapes, a player he admired and patterned his game after.

Kobe Bryant was the spitting image of Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan wowed the NBA globe with his otherworldly offensive skillset. Seeing “His Airness” in action inspired children throughout the globe to “Be Like Mike.” Growing up, Kobe Bryant was one of those youngsters who idolized Jordan. In fact, he was so enamored by the Chicago Bulls legend that he fashioned his entire game after him.

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It’s a known fact that Bryant studied Jordan’s game extensively while trying to polish his own game. All of that physics-defying hang-time, lethal post-game paired with deadly footwork, incredible finishing at the rim, and unfazed winning mentality contribute to the assertion that both were almost mirror images of one another.

Bryant, like Jordan, possessed a merciless killer instinct that was on display night after night. With ravenous competitive drives, both shooting guards demoralized opponents and demanded more from themselves each game.

The big brother-little brother mentorship between Jordan and Bryant is what fascinates and makes all of this make sense. The Bulls icon was always available to the Black Mamba for sound guidance and to help him add new offensive maneuvers to his arsenal.

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While Jordan had a great contribution to Bryant’s ascent, the man responsible for his legendary career is none other than himself. What do you think about the relationship that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant shared?