“It Was Pretty Much Equal”: Lakers Legend Compares Kobe Bryant’s Mentality With the Toughness of Michael Jordan

If you know Michael Jordan, you understand that he would want to win at all costs. Through the recently concluded docuseries, one could sense how much MJ inspired his teammates and the people around him. Shaquille O’Neal can definitely vouch for that, even though he has never been on the same team as ‘His Airness.’ But the Big Man definitely has felt his impact by playing in the same league as Jordan did. 

Shaquille O’Neal is a great player himself, but the former Lakers man will credit the GOAT title to MJ even if you ask him in his sleep. He has such reverence for the Chicago Bulls legend. While MJ’s extraordinary attitude has inspired millions, it really struck a chord with a kid from Pennsylvania. His name was Kobe Bryant. 

Kobe grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and watched him scale greatness as the years evolved. Kobe identified the success which MJ received because of his hard work and wanted to take the same route. While he achieved all of it, he needed a player like Shaquille O’Neal there by his side. 

The pair played together for eight years with the Lakers and won a three-peat. While they had many differences, the duo stuck together as teammates and achieved the team goal. In a recent appearance on ESPN’s special on ‘The Last Dance,’ Shaq spoke to Stephen A. Smith about the competitiveness of Michael Jordan and how Kobe learned from him. 

O’Neal exposes his thoughts on the mentality of Kobe and Michael Jordan

When Smith asked Shaq to compare the winning mentality of Kobe and MJ, the latter said it was the same. “I would think it was pretty much equal. Really never spent a lot of time with Michael, but watching them win the championships, watching this demeanor and watching them win the ball at the last second, I would say it’s pretty equal.”

The four-time NBA champion even brought out Kobe’s words about taking something from the past. “Kobe made a great point. We all look at the players before us, and we take a little something from them. I wanted to be mean like Patrick Ewing in the posts. I wanted to dominate like Wilt Chamberlain. You know the only difference is, Kobe was able to have a telephone number and have a relationship with these guys.”

Shaq expressed his delight over the pair’s bonding and said that he feels really glad that MJ and Kobe had such a strong connection. “I’m actually glad they had a relationship. You know a lot of people always say ‘who is the greatest player in the game?’ Jordan or LeBron? I think you must respect by adding Kobe’s name in that conversation.”

Kobe respected MJ’s game so much that he wanted to be just like him. This was no rivalry, but a genuine hunger to learn from the best. ‘The Last Dance’ certainly exposed many people of the superlative game Michael Jordan possessed. Kobe, who wanted to be just like him, received a similar amount of fame as well as team achievements.