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NBA Legend Who Challenged Michael Jordan With a Broken Ankle, Reveals Why Kobe Bryant Was “Hands Down” His Toughest Opponent

Published 06/10/2022, 1:01 PM EDT

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Kobe Bean Bryant was one of the greatest ever to have played the game of basketball. He was an offensive genius who could score from anywhere and at any time. The fans loved him and his peers respected him. And this ex-NBA legend had some high praise for Kobe.

Grant Hill, the former Duke University superstar, was recently on the “ALL THE SMOKE” Podcast. There he talked about many things about his career and also talked about Kobe in particular. The Detroit Pistons drafted Grant third overall in the 1994 NBA Draft. During his first six years with the Pistons, Grant was on his way to superstardom before an ankle injury derailed his career. During his playing career he went against Kobe and also against Michael Jordan.

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Grant and his battles against Kobe

When talking about a specific incident involving Kobe, Grant said, ” So one shot right in front of our bench where he tapped Alvin on the … so he hit a tough shot on me before that and I tried to deny him the ball but he gets it.” Grant continued, “ He goes right, I go with him he shot fakes.. I don’t go for it actually I go closer into him I go up when he goes up.. you know how hard it is to do a shot fake reload from three.. and I I couldn’t be any closer to him without fouling.”

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via Getty

Grant then explained how he was in awe of Kobe ” Man this dude is I was like.. I was actually proud of the defense I played.. like I am thinking I couldn’t have done anything from just prevent him to get the ball.. but he was the best player I played against.. and I say tis respectfully to Jordan I didn’t guard Jordan, Pippen and I matched up but the best player I played against was Kobe.” See the whole interview below –

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Kobe: The legend of the game

Kobe was with the Los Angeles Lakers throughout his career. He saw many ups and down with the team. From winning three straight NBA Championships to going years without contending. Then making another run at the Championships and then another lull. When Kobe finally retired in 2016 after a 20-year-long career, the Lakers retired two of his jerseys, numbers 24 and 8. Let us know in the comments below your favorite Kobe memory.

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Written by:

Nirjhar Sharma

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Nirjhar Sharma is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a sports enthusiast who follows all major sports and has been watching the NBA for the past 7 years now. A firm believer in the 'Greek Freak' being the best player in the league right now, he believes that the Bucks are primed for another championship run unless the injury bug bites them.
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Edited by:

Ankit Sharma