“He Tries to Foul Me”: Forcing Magic Johnson Into ‘Isolation’, Kobe Bryant Once Left Lakers Legend Empty of Resentment

Kobe Bryant came to the NBA in 1996. He never got the opportunity to share the NBA court with Magic Johnson, who retired a few months prior. As Kobe was still a rookie, Magic needed to gain more knowledge of him, and Kobe himself had questions regarding his own skills.

But this would all change once the two got the opportunity to face each other on the basketball court. In the book “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality,” Kobe talks about the first time he met the legendary Magic Johnson and how the 5x champion gave Kobe his confidence.

Kobe Bryant wanted to prove himself to Magic Johnson

One day in 1996, Kobe was at a gym at UCLA and was getting ready to play some pick-up basketball. But little did he know one of the icons of the Lakers was about to walk in. Magic walks in with sneakers and shorts, and Kobe realizes that he is getting a chance to go up against him.

Kobe and Magic played on the same team for the first few games. After that, they split up. Kobe won three games in a row. Magic was not happy with the outcome, and he came back the next day. This time Magic won three in a row against Kobe.

This led to Kobe remembering how Magic acknowledged a young Kobe that day. Kobe got into a 1-on-1 situation against Magic. They were at the wing, and that was when Kobe realized that he was going to drive to the rim to prove a point.

Kobe said, “I’m gonna take him to the hoop. So bam. I go to the hoop, and I go for a layup on one side, and he tries to foul me.”

As Magic was about to foul him, Kobe saw that another help defender was coming in from the baseline. This made Kobe hang in the air for longer, do a reverse scoop layup, and score with an and-one. Magic was impressed and said, “Yeah, man. Ok, Ok, Ok, Nice move”.

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There was no resentment or envy from Magic. He wanted to know what Kobe could do and he showed it. That was enough for Kobe. He knew that he belonged in the NBA. Hearing a sense of approval from the legendary Magic Johnson went a long way for Kobe Bryant.

Kobe wanted to be like Magic

After Kobe’s passing, Magic talked about Kobe’s dream. Kobe had told Magic once he retired that he wanted to be like him and that he had been following in Magic’s footsteps. Kobe was setting his company up after seeing what greats like Magic and Jordan have done.

Magic loved Kobe. Magic has revealed to himself that he was always looking forward to the speech that Kobe would have given at his Hall of Fame ceremony, as it would have been the best speech ever.

What do you think of the impact that Magic Johnson has had on Kobe Bryant? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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