Michael Jordan's greatest games: The day Kobe proved himself to his idol

Michael Jordan's greatest games: The day Kobe proved himself to his idol

How the Airman saw the future up close and gave him valuable advice with his performance

After his two-year absence from the National Basketball Association, no one expected Michael Jordan to come back even stronger than before. However, "Air" does it and even instantly wins 3 titles in a row to equal his record. However, there are more and more basketball players in the league who are inspired by the shooting guard game and want to emulate it.

It's no secret that one of them is Kobe Bryant. The Los Angeles Lakers legend has stated more than once that Jordan is his idol and he has always strived to come close to his unparalleled achievements. And in his second year in the NBA, "The Mamba" raised the bar so high in his Lakers' game against Chicago that he forced Jordan into one of his most memorable games. A match where the present and the future of basketball will meet. A match in which a 19-year-old will prove that he can chase his dream, but will be soundly slapped by his idol.

In Jordan's final campaign with the Bulls, Kobe got a chance to play 29 minutes for the first time in his career, and he did not disappoint, scoring 33 points on 60% shooting, or to put it another way, 12 of 22 field goals. Interestingly, at halftime of the game, Kobe and Michael were talking to each other as the young guard received advice from his longtime hero. Tips he will continue to seek for the next 23 years to become a worthy successor to the great number 23 racer.

In addition to answering Bryant's questions, however, Jordan also responded with his performance on the floor, after scoring 36 points that were largely key to Chicago's 104-83 victory. In addition to his performance, MJ is credited with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 umbrella. However, the shooting percentage is weaker than that of Kobe - only 55%, or 12 accurate hits from 22 attempts. In almost 35 minutes of play, Jordan is again brilliant for his team.

One thing is clear. After this game, regardless of its development, a true friendship was born, which Jordan also spoke about during his speech at the Kobe tribute in February 2020, calling Bryant his little brother.

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