"Would conjure up stories": Stephen A. Smith outlines Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's eerily similar technique to find motivation

LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan have long been compared, as Bryant famously mimicked Jordan’s playstyle. However, according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, the two legends also had an eerily similar technique for motivating themselves, which separated them from their opponents.

During a recent appearance on the “Ultimate Human Podcast with Gary Brecka,” Smith spoke about the importance of finding motivation in life. He then used Jordan as an example, saying that the Bulls legend used to make up stories about his opponents to fire himself up:

“In life, you have to find different things to make yourself motivated. When Michael Jordan was playing basketball, he would conjure up these stories about his opponents to get inside his head, so he would be motivated to go out there and just take them out,” Smith said.

Smith added that Bryant had the same mindset regarding his naysayers and used a similar technique to motivate himself:

“You have Kobe Bryant, dear friend of mine, God rest his soul, he was an assassin, and he thought the same way [about] the doubters and the haters and stuff like that,” Smith said.

(11:40 mark below)

Bryant and Jordan’s competitive mindset paid off, as the two legends won a combined 11 NBA titles. However, most would agree that few players have been able to replicate their intensity since their respective retirements.

---

---

Stephen A. Smith says health is the key to success for athletes like Michael Jordan and everyday people

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith

Later in his interview, Stephen A. Smith spoke about how health is another major key to success for athletes like Michael Jordan and everyday people.

Smith said that despite his massive success, he still struggles with maintaining his health and finding the motivation to get up every morning. According to the ESPN analyst, no one has ever seen him operating at 100%:

“What does it for me is that. … I know for a fact that in every single thing that I have done in my adult life, no one has seen me at better than 50%. I can promise you that,” Smith said.

Smith added that health is crucial because it motivates people to overcome obstacles and accomplish their goals:

“The better you feel health-wise, the more emboldened you feel to tackle whatever challenges come your way,” Smith said.

“What happens is, you embrace the challenges and you look forward to it because it’s a test as to what you can withstand, what you can overcome, what you can endure.”

(12:40 mark below)

Fortunately for Smith, he has been able to overcome his health-related struggles and is now widely regarded as one of America's premier sports analysts.

---