Kobe Bryant: Is it Bill Russell or does Michael Jordan’s stats motivate the Black Mamba: NBA Feature
Ever since Kobe Bryant’s rise to the elite set of NBA players, comparisons between him and Michael Jordan have always been a hot topic. Kobe came into the game at a time when Jordan was busy scooping title after title with the
Chicago Bulls, and was unarguably the best player in the league.
The Los Angeles Lakers prodigy was swiftly recognized as an exceptional talent, who quickly garnered praise and recognition from teams and players alike. The fact that Jordan was entering his twilight years and Kobe was emerging
from the rucksack meant that the people were quick in labelling him as the next Michael Jordan.
Kobe has and probably never will be able to run away from such comparisons and it is something that he has learnt to deal with over time. Instead, he uses it to feed his motivation and fuel his desire to surpass his goals.
However, that is not what Kobe has in mind, at least on the surface. Kobe has always been insistent that the real motivation for him is to minimize the gap between Bill Russell’s 11 NBA titles and his 5 NBA rings.
Really?
I don’t think so and neither does Phil Jackson, the legendary coach, who first coached Michael Jordan to numerous glories and then made Kobe into a star that he is today.
In a recent interview, when asked which player Kobe wants to get ahead of in the scoring books, Jackson swiftly uttered Michael Jordan’s name.
The Lakers point guard might very well be fully honest regarding his real motivation of getting close to 11 NBA Championships, however, everyone in the basketball world is aware of the fact that Kobe is pushing himself to be ranked
amongst the best players to have ever played the game. And in order to be ranked alongside or one step ahead of ‘His Airness’, Kobe will have to accomplish more than Jordan.
Although, it is true that even if Kobe surpasses Jordan’s scoring record, for most people Jordan will always remain a class above Kobe. This is primarily because of the image that Jordan was able to carve on his opponents and fans
alike.
‘Air Jordan’ currently stands tall at third position in the all time regular season scoring list with 32,292 points leaving Kobe trailing by 4,424 points, which the ‘Black Mamba’ is expected to eat up in the next 2-3 seasons.
One of the main reasons why both these athletes are pitched so much against each other is the dominant alpha male role they have held in their respective teams. Both have always been the ‘go to guy’ of their teams. The Bulls trusted
no one except Jordan to take the game winning shot and the Lakers do not hesitate in passing the ball to Kobe when the team is in dire straits.
Whether Kobe is eyeing that grand figure of 32,392 points or not, one thing is for sure, he is bound to get there if he plays at the same scoring rate with which he has played the last five seasons or so. What a shame it would
be if the lockout wipes out this season and the formidable point guard is eventually denied his moment of glory.
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