What levels were Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant performing every week ? Coach K, often known as Mike Krzyzewski, has been in the game longer than most players. The former head coach of Duke, who has been developing talent for more than 40 years, discusses the competitive edge possessed by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and how no one has ever come close to it.
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When Coach K spoke on The Dan Patrick Show, he talked about how competitive Kobe and MJ were. The Duke legend responded as follows when asked if there was a difference in the two players’ intensity levels.
“I think they are probably two of the most similar great players in the history of our game. They were just super-talented but they are also incredibly prepared. I don’t think anybody was any more competitive than those two guys. They were that all the time, that was their personality.”
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While on Team USA, Krzyzewski had the honor of coaching both Bryant and Jordan. Coach K said without hesitation that no one ever came close to how competitive those two were, having seen both stars in practice and on the floor. He said,
“So, in a game, they were all business. They wanted to be great, not good. I mean, they wanted to win. And they wanted moments. They were never afraid of a moment. They craved moments.”
Since Coach K mentored Bryant twice while serving as the “Redeem Team”‘s head coach in 2008, he has talked more about Bryant. He talked about how, in tense game situations, Kobe would frequently smile while everyone else was perspiring on the sidelines, and how he missed such times more than Michael Jordan.
Many people have now claimed that MJ and Bryant were of the same caliber over time. Both athletes were capable of raising their game when called upon and possessed that killer instinct. But because of his attitude to the game and his impersonation of the Chicago Bulls star, many fans and commentators argue that Bryant shared MJ’s mentality.
