“He’d watch it for HOURS!” Kobe Bryant used to have tapes exclusively playing Michael Jordan’s movements

The late Los Angeles Lakers great was an admirer of Michael Jordan and would ask for tips whenever they played.

“He’d watch it for HOURS!” Kobe Bryant used to have tapes exclusively playing Michael Jordan’s movements

Kobe Bryant used to watch tapes showing Michael Jordan's moves for hours

Basketball fans saw the late great Kobe Bryant in a similar light to the basketball legend Michael Jordan. So much so that Bryant used some of Jordan’s moves during his playing days. Bryant has acknowledged the impact of Jordan on his basketball career.

However, new revelations suggest that Bryant was modeling his game after Jordan, by learning his moves. Steve Stoute, a record label owner was discussing his time with Kobe Bryant on Club Shay Shay. Stoute recalled the schedule Bryant would follow every day he lived with Stoute.

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He said:

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In the morning, get up, I got him to go to this local gym. He was shooting 1000 shots. Then he had these tapes. The tapes were split of Jordan moving left, Jordan moving right, Jordan guarding people left, Jordan guarding people going right. He'd watch it for HOURS. That was his routine every single day.
Steve Stoute said

Stoute mentioned that Bryant’s discipline and dedication were inspiring for an accomplished person like him. Bryant would dedicate the bulk of his time to learning what made Jordan great. So that he could replicate that in his career.

Kobe Bryant lived with Stoute for those 6 weeks when he was 18 years old and entering his second year in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers star’s motive of staying with Stoute had less to do with basketball and more to do with his interest in a musical career. But that did not stop him from getting the repetitions in and learning from the tapes of Jordan.

Had he not spent that time before heading to the studio for recording sessions, the legend of Kobe Bryant would have probably taken a bit longer to develop. But his dedication to learning from the best paid off handsomely with a Hall of Fame career.

Kobe Bryant learned from Michael Jordan to be what he became

When Kobe Bryant entered the league, Michael Jordan played his final season before retirement. So they did meet a few times on the court. During one of those meetings, Bryant took tips from the Bulls great. In essence, Bryant was learning everything he could from the 6-time champion. Now when one adds the film study Steve Stoute was talking about, one can see the obvious similarities.

Bryant’s fadeaway jumper was eerily similar to that of Jordan. His footwork looked like it was Jordan playing with Bryant’s face. But what matched the most was the killer instinct Bryant had. Jordan was famous for instilling fear in the eyes of opponents. Bryant had the same, which led him to a Hall of Fame career.

Kobe Bryant’s discipline and study helped him channel his unreal basketball skills on the court in the best way possible. 5 NBA titles and a gold jacket later, there is no doubt those tapes of Jordan helped him.

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