“Michael Didn’t Care” – NBA Photographer Reveals Major Difference Between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan

The entire world celebrated ‘Kobe Day’ on the 42nd birth anniversary of the late legend. A lot of retired and current players paid their tribute to Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers even wore special jerseys to honor their fallen icon. Similarly, Andrew Bernstein, a renowned NBA photographer, appeared on ‘The John Roa Show’ where he celebrated Kobe and detailed how he had a different mentality as compared to Michael Jordan. 

Bernstein has been capturing NBA through his lens for several decades now. He’s been in this business since 1983, watching athletes like Jordan and Bryant enter the league and find tremendous success. 

He highlighted how both superstars carried the same demeanor on the court, something that makes them stand out as the best. “I wasn’t around Michael as much, but they both had that look in their eye, that assassin’s look,” Bernstein said. “They relished, they absolutely relished at the most complex, the most nerve-wracking time. Just give them the ball.”

How do Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan differ in their approach to the game? 

Kobe and MJ are the two greatest ever to play the game. However, their approach to the game might have been different. Even though both of them hated the taste of defeat, they prepared themselves for battle in different ways. 

On one hand, you have Jordan, who never wants to back down to any challenge. He’s willing to do anything that it takes to reach the top. That is exactly what Bernstein told, when describing Michael Jordan‘s work ethic. 

“They both worked out hard,” Bernstein mentioned. “They both were religious workaholics in terms of their physical fitness and being in shape. The difference was that Michael didn’t care about the ‘why.’ Michael just wanted to get stronger, get bigger, and get in the best possible shape he could be.”

On the other hand, Kobe did not settle for anything unless he got an answer. He was a person who always sought the meaning behind everything. “Kobe was relentless about asking about the ‘why.’ Like, ‘Why are we doing this exercise? Why are we working on these muscles?’ And that was really the difference between the two of them.”

Well, that is what the veteran NBA photographer Andrew Bernstein has observed from the two legends. This take is also similar to how Tim Grover, the personal trainer of both MJ and Kobe compared the two.