Weeks After Fatal Scare, Deion Sanders Gets Likened to Michael Jordan in Tear Jerking Tribute

An entire generation of NBA stars looks up to Michael Jordan. Even Kobe Bryant idolized him. His Airness and The Black Mamba would form one of the most iconic friendships within the NBA. They had their offbeat moments, but Bryant had the fortune of calling his idol his friend and Jordan saw him as a brother. Their dynamic is so famous, it can be used as an example. That’s what a former NFL cornerback did during his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He used that ceremony to credit Deion Sanders for his success. He claimed the NFL legend had an influence on him the way Michael Jordan had on Kobe Bryant.

Super Bowl XLIX winning cornerback draws a Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant comparison

The Pro Football Hall of Fame had a new addition this August. 7x Pro-Bowler and Super Bowl champion, Darrelle Revis, was inducted in a ceremony in Canton, Ohio. In his speech, the retired cornerback spoke about fellow NFL star Deion Sanders.

“What Jordan is to Kobe… Is Prime to Revis Island,” he said in his speech. He was referring to ‘Prime Time’ Deion, who won the Super Bowl twice and is an eight-time Pro-Bowler across 14 seasons. This touching statement comes when Sanders has been dealing with serious issues in his left leg and has undergone multiple surgeries on it.

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‘Revis Island’ idolized Sanders the way a young Kobe Bryant looked up to Michael Jordan. It’s a comparison that goes well beyond sports. Both were superstars on the NBA court in their respective eras. When MJ retired for real in 1998, Bryant was getting noticed for his talent. Many NBA fans believe the Chicago Bulls legend passed on the baton that is representing a generation of NBA stars to Bryant.

Sanders’ and Revis’ careers did not overlap similarly. The player-turned-coach retired in 2005, leaving a legacy of inspiring the new class of NFL rookies like Revis who made his NFL debut in 2007. The two of them were powerhouses in the gridiron, the way Jordan and Bryant dominated the hardwood court. However, it wasn’t all love for Bryant initially.

Kobe Bryant once hated his idol

Like his idol, Kobe Bryant had the same burning competitive tenacity and could be the sorest of losers. When he entered the NBA in 1996, the Chicago Bulls dynasty was in its prime. A teen Bryant had the opportunity to play against Jordan at that time.

DeMar DeRozan, who played with the Bulls, recently revealed that Bryant was once very mad at his idol. Apparently, Bryant hated being compared to Jordan early in his career. He had a strong desire to surpass the NBA star. There’s even a story of a child Bryant hating Jordan because he dunked over another one of his idols, Magic Johnson.

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But that stemmed from an admiration for Jordan. They would go on to form a close friendship until Bryant’s demise in 2020. Jordan speaks fondly of his former protégé to this day.