A Page Out of Michael Jordan’s Playbook, 3x All-Star Reveals Kobe Bryant’s Unconventional Test for Teammates

“I can’t relate to lazy people… I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you,” said Kobe Bryant once. In the unforgiving arena of professional basketball, where mere talent isn’t enough to carve a legacy, Bryant and Michael Jordan didn’t just dominate the game – they redefined the meaning of excellence through their ruthless pursuit of greatness. While Jordan would intentionally berate teammates during practices to test their mental fortitude, Bryant developed his own psychological warfare. Now, a former NBA All-Star has pulled back the curtain on yet another fascinating parallel between these two legends, revealing Bryant’s unconventional loyalty test for his teammates.

During Gilbert Arenas’ recent appearance on the ‘REAL ONES with Jon Bernthal’ podcast, the former All-Star revealed that Bryant employed a simple yet effective method to gauge his teammates’ commitment which was similar to what Michael Jordan used to do in the later part of his career.

“Michael Jordan in 2001 was Kobe Bryant in his last couple years where Kobe can’t turn off, he can’t accept… The people Kobe didn’t respect was this: If he called you at 3 in the morning which was a test, hey what are you doing, well I’m sleeping [other person gesture], well I’m about to workout, come to the gym. If you don’t come to that gym, he lost respect. He don’t give a f–k that you are asleep, he don’t give a f–k that you are drunk. Come to the gym, workout, be tired, but work out, he respects you as a player because he does it, he’s doing it,” said Arenas during the podcast.

Kobe Bryant’s 20-year NBA career was one of those masterclass in determination and skill. His famous 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 proves how much of a scorer and mentally focused he was. He is fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (33,643) but still wasn’t happy winning only five championships with the Lakers. His wish to win another title during his later years with the team turned him to be strict with the players.

“Bryant had tried to cajole the Lakers into fielding better teams around him in his final few seasons in L.A., recruiting free agent forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, and encouraging a trade for Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins,” wrote ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne about Kobe’s efforts to rebuild a championship-winning team.

Michael Jordan’s NBA success is without argument the Gold standard in competitiveness and leadership. Jordan’s career average of 30.1 points per game would stand as the highest in league history, and Jordan has six NBA titles and five MVPs.

However, in the later part of his career with the Washington Wizards, he was not happy with the team’s performance and it was evident from his, “One of the bad decisions I made was to go back and play. Even though I was soothing an itch that I had, I also thought I was being innovative in my job by going down and evaluating the talent firsthand,” he said in an interview with Marvin R. Shanken.

Also in his stint with the Wizards, he averaged just 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 142 games. Arenas also touched on this fact during the podcast and gave the reason why the Chicago Bulls legend was so harsh with his final team in the league.

“Same with Jordan. So he couldn’t turn it off, so that was what those young guys, it was a young team, it wasn’t an older team. You know for the most part those guys were 18, 19, 20,21, most of the guys is under 24. They were scared of Micahel Jordan. So you can’t fault MJ for not turning off MJ,” added Arenas during the podcast.

Kobe Bryant’s “gym test” and Michael Jordan’s demanding leadership reveal a shared philosophy: greatness is non-negotiable. Both icons understood that achieving excellence required not only talent but also an unwavering commitment to improvement. However, even though the 3x All-Star touched on Jordan’s and Kobe’s leadership styles here, there was once when he gave another insight into the two basketball legends.

Once Gilbert Arenas lauded Bryant over Jordan

It’s quite hard to anticipate on whose side Arenas will pick. The former NBA player, in his several appearances on multiple podcasts and interviews, has given different views on Jordan and Bryant. Once, he sided with His Airness, and another time, he spoke highly of Black Mamba.

A similar situation arose during an episode of his podcast, Arenas went ballistic when Kobe’s ex-teammates Dwight Howard and Nick Young agreed that the Black Mamba is better than Jordan. “Why the f–k are you talking about Kobe enhanced MJ’s moves when you’re only talking about MJ ’95, ’96? Kobe don’t look nothing like MJ in ’84 to ’93,” said Arenas during the podcast.

Moreover, he also added that Bryant never played like the prime version of Michael. “He don’t know who that n—a is. He learned Michael Jordan’s old n—a comeback with the post-up and fadeaway. That’s the MJ he mimicked. He did not mimic Air Jordan,” said Arenas.

While Kobe’s skills mirrored Jordan’s, Arenas implied that Jordan’s ability to dominate across all facets of the game gave him an edge. Kobe, despite his unmatched footwork and shot-making, came into his own in an era where he adopted many of Jordan’s techniques but lacked the same overwhelming physical edge Jordan possessed in his earlier years.

The debate underscores the enduring legacy of both icons, with Arenas highlighting the nuanced differences that separate the two legends in the ever-ongoing GOAT conversation.