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When Kobe Bryant Shut Down Phil Jackson's Claims on Former Being Obsessed About Surpassing Michael Jordan
Kobe Bryant was one of the best basketball players ever and his admiration of Michael Jordan was on display for everybody.
Kobe Bryant was frequently compared to Michael Jordan before LeBron James' ascent, not only because of their similar playstyles but also because of their shared desire to win as many championships as possible.
Kobe's goal was to win at least seven chips, according to Phil Jackson, who led Mike to six NBA Championships. The Lower Merion standout aspired to surpass His Airness as the greatest player of all time in the Zen Master's opinion.
Jackson wrote about Bryant's desperation to surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time in his 2013 book "Eleven Rings." And he mimicked everything Mike did during this process.
"Kobe was hell-bent on surpassing Jordan as the greatest player in the game,” Jackson wrote. “His obsession with Michael was striking. Not only had he mastered many of Jordan's moves, but he affected many of M.J.'s mannerisms as well.”
When reporters questioned the Mamba himself to see if Phil's assessment of Bryant's actions was accurate, he categorically refuted his coach's assertions.
"Nah, it's a myth," Bryant said, per ESPN. "Phil likes to say things a lot of times to create good content, to create good stories, as most [reporters] do."
At this point in time, the five-time champion was just nine points away from surpassing Michael Jordan in the record book. Since the Jordan-Bryant comparison is among the most well-known in sports history, reporters were interested in hearing Bean's opinion.
It's interesting that he played down the achievement. The Los Angeles Lakers guard sticks to his script and claims that surpassing his "big brother" isn't really a noteworthy accomplishment.
"It's really not a big deal to say I passed him for something like that," Bryant said. "It's a great accomplishment, but the true beauty is in the journey."
Was Kobe shutting it down because he was tired of the comparisons? Not only Zen Master Jackson noted that Bean was "hell-bent" on surpassing MJ's standing. Former teammates of the Philadelphia native have told various tales of his absurd attempts to outperform Michael over the years.
ALSO READ: http://When Kobe Bryant Revealed How to Be the Closest Thing to Michael Jordan
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