“First he was an irritant, but then secondly, it became ‘man it’s a sense of respect’” - Michael Jordan on Kobe Bryant calling him late in the night for advice

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant shared a special bond, but the former was once angry at Bryant because of how much the LA Lakers legend pestered him.

When the greats are being mentioned, it is impossible to leave out the names of these two players. Despite the GOAT debate being between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, some argue that Kobe Bryant should be in the conversation.

Michael Jordan's teammate Scottie Pippen once talked about how much Kobe Bryant tried to be like MJ. However, he believes the five-time champion worked very hard and became better than Michael Jordan.

On the latest episode of Ringer's Icons Club podcast, it was revealed that Michael Jordan first saw Bryant as an irritant before ultimately choosing to help however possible. Although Michael Jordan extended the invitation, asking Bryant to call if he needed anything, the Chicago Bulls legend got annoyed with the calls at one point because the Los Angeles Laker called at odd hours.

"At first he was an irritant but then secondly, it became, man, it's a sense of respect, you know, and I respect him for that, and from that point on, it was like, I'm gonna do whatever I can to help him out."

Michael Jordan always felt like people had to figure things out for themselves to be among the elite. He believed Kobe knew it all but needed confirmation, so to speak.

"Yeah, I would lay in my bed after talking to him. And I mean, that's pretty cool. But yeah, I don't know if I could have done that, where I'm bleeding information from someone, and at times, I've thought about why am I giving away all this information that he's gonna use right against me? It's almost like protecting the book of professionalism, but for whatever reason, no matter how I start the conversation, he knew the answer. It wasn't like I was telling him anything that he didn't know. I think I was more or less confirming it."

In all his years of helping Mamba, His Airness jokingly said that he regrets teaching him the turn-around fadeaway jumper.

"The one thing that I did give him that I felt like I regretted, but then again I appreciated was the turn around fade away. He learned my move, and he learned that to a point where he would use it relentlessly, especially when you know you're getting double-teamed. You feel like you're in a good rhythm. I took great pride in seeing him utilize that. Even though he didn't do it against me that much."

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Kobe Bryant was one title away from winning as many championships as Michael Jordan

Jordan's perfect run in the NBA Finals will always be highlighted in the history books. He won six titles in eight years with two three-peats.

Although Kobe had a three-peat, he lost his chance at getting another after his Lakers were swept by Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals. The Mavericks went on to win the title over LeBron and the Miami Heat.

There are a lot of similarities between Kobe and Jordan, with the most striking feature being their work ethic. They were both exceptional leaders and always demanded more from themselves and their teammates.

Kobe retired after 20 years, finishing his career with five championships, two scoring titles, and only two Finals MVP awards in five appearances, no thanks to Shaquille O'Neal.