Kobe Bryant‘s first and Michael Jordan‘s last with the Bulls — the 1998 All-Star game was mostly about two competitive spirits. By that time, His Airness was already sitting at 5 NBA championships, ready to claim his sixth. Meanwhile, the Black Mamba was just in his second season and had become the youngest All-Star ever at 19. The energy of the game was so high that Kevin Garnett still remembers it with a great amount of passion. 

Appearing on the Club 520 Podcast recently, Garnett recalled the iconic match-up between Mike and Kobe. “… That was a magical game. Cause MJ was looking for it, too. And he wanted all smoke throwing his hand, licking his fingers and shit… The demon came out of it in Madison Square,” he said. The former Celtics star further spoke of MJ solidifying himself in the game while Kobe trying to establish himself. On the podcast, KG described the moment as a magical one. 

This was Mike’s 12th All-Star game, but his competitive spirit had not given up. “So in that sense, I feel like I got to protect something,” MJ had said, as per The Sporting News article. However, the 6x NBA champ had described that initial experience against Kobe as almost looking in a mirror. Reflecting on the same, Jordan knew Kobe would not want to play anyone else but mostly him.

His assumption was not wrong as the Black Mamba took His Airness on from the start. If Kobe Bryant could not forget those shots by MJ against him, no basketball enthusiast from that era would. “He hit those two turnarounds and I was like, ‘Cool, let’s get it on,'” Kobe said, per Sports Illustrated. However, Bryant’s defense on Jordan, forcing a turnover, and his 360 dunk were no less than memorable.

But eventually it was Michael Jordan with his 23 points, who led Eastern Conference All-Stars to a 135-114 win. Doing so, he became the All Star MVP for the third time in his career. Meanwhile, Bryant emerged as the second highest scorer of the game with his 18 points.

The 1997-98 period made Kobe Bryant grow closer with Michael Jordan

The two had already faced each other four times, even before the 1998 All Star game. In fact, they were in a match up just one week before the All Star game. Although Jordan dropped 31 points in the game as compared to Kobe’s 20, it was the LA Lakers who emerged victorious in the game.

However, MJ was said to be left impressed by the Black Mamba after he had scored 33 points during the 1997-98 season. It was after this game that the 6x NBA champ told Kobe that he could reach out for advice. And it has been well documented that the Lakers icon did so on numerous occasions.

“At times, I thought, ‘Why am I giving away all this information that he’s going to use right against me?'” Jordan said, as per The Ringer. “No matter how I’d start the conversation, he knew the answer. It wasn’t like I was telling him anything that he didn’t know. I think I was more or less confirming it,” he added. No wonder the two shared the bond of an elder and younger brother.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.