Michael Jordan may be the first name that comes to mind when thinking about the NBA, and one Hall-Of-Famer named a Los Angeles Lakers legend as his closest comparison.
Many NBA legends have had the honor of wearing purple and gold, and arguably one of the most prolific recently received high praise from nine-time All-Star Dominique Wilkins.
"I love Kobe [Bryant]," Wilkins said during an "All The Smoke" podcast episode. "Kobe’s an old-school throwback with a new-school twist. I remember when he was leaving his last game in Atlanta, and I went in the locker room afterward. I said, ‘Man, I loved the way you played the game, you never made excuses, and you played hurt. You’re the last of our kind. When you leave, the last of our kind leaves with it.' And he looked at me, he said, ‘Man, that really means a lot coming from you because a lot of legends have told me that.’ I said, ‘It’s true, man. I mean, you played really on a bad Achilles, which, nobody’s gonna do that.' He’s the closest to me, as a Michael [Jordan]-like player ever.”
The Lakers legend spent 20 years with the 17-time world champions and contributed to five championships during his playing days. Bryant never displayed fear when challenging his teammates in Los Angeles. His no-nonsense approach resulted in an exceptional two-decade-long NBA career.
In addition to achieving ample team success with Los Angeles, Bryant received numerous accolades. The 2020 Hall of Fame inductee recorded 18 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA team honors and 12 All-Defensive team honors.
Jordan and Bryant are two of the most talented players to participate in the NBA, so it is easy to spot the glaring similarity between the two greats. Unsurprisingly, they were both willing to exercise grit under unfortunate circumstances.
While dealing with flu-like symptoms heading into Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, Jordan orchestrated a masterful 38-point scoring performance to lead the Chicago Bulls to a thrilling 90-88 victory over the Utah Jazz. After dislocating his finger during a 2016 regular season contest against the San Antonio Spurs, Bryant endured the pain of getting it popped back into the appropriate position and returned to the ball game.
Like Jordan, Bryant never took the easy route during his illustrious career, so he will always stack up well against the six-time NBA champion.
Bryant tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in 2020, but he left behind a legacy that will live on forever.
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