One thing that often flies under the radar when comparing Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan is the unexplainable hunger Kobe had to truly become better than his idol. Many players had great work ethics and an incredible drive for success, but like most people, once they reached a certain NBA status, signed a big contract, and collected a few accolades, they were satisfied with what they had.

Kobe’s problem was that he wasn’t like most people. After five NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, an MVP award and two scoring titles, Kobe was still just as hungry to improve as a player. Matt Barnes, Kobe’s teammate between 2010 and 2012, remembered how Kobe still had that almost unhealthy obsession with catching Jordan.

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“Playing against him for a long time and then playing on the same team as him, you just got to see a whole other side of just his dedication and just how sick he was of trying to be the greatest. And he said, ‘MB, I got to get six.’ He’s like, ‘I got to be able to sit at that table with MJ.’ Like, he was so dead set on being able to get that one more ring so he could be in that table and that conversation with MJ. But he was a sicko when it came to just getting to it daily. Period,” Barnes said on the Club 520 Podcast.

Kobe had a vision that he had to surpass Michael

“Getting in daily” is the quote that sticks the most when you read it. By then, Bryant was well into his 30s, already considered the closest thing to Jordan, and there was nothing left he hadn’t achieved in terms of both individual and team success.

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Still, as Barnes claimed, just like on the very first day he entered the league, Kobe had a vision that he had to surpass his idol. Even after winning his fifth ring, when the chances of repeating it were slim, the fire in him never faded despite all the trophies and millions in the bank.

Kobe obsessively worked on every detail of his game. Sometimes, it was like watching Michael in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. His elite mentality was probably best described by Robert Horry, who once recalled that Kobe would never give up, even in practice.

“He would never stop. It was incredible. He practiced until one day, a couple months later, he finally won. If you literally said, ‘Kobe, I bet you can’t make five in a row by dropping the ball and kicking it in from half court,’ that motherf—er would go out there and practice it until he could do it. And that’s what people don’t understand when they talk about champions — when they talk about a winner’s mentality. Kobe’s dedication to the game is unreal,” Horry said.

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Kobe will forever be remembered as one of the greatest sports icons

Even though at some point it became clear he would never reach Jordan’s heights in terms of individual accolades – with MJ still ahead of Black Mamba, holding one more championship, eight scoring titles, four MVPs, three more Finals MVPs, and a DPOY, all in five seasons less – Kobe knew that at the end of the day, rings were what truly counted.

If he had managed to get that sixth one, he would have undoubtedly taken a seat at MJ’s table. Even with that, Kobe will forever be remembered as one of the greatest sports icons on and off the court, a legacy that can’t be measured only by accolades.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.