Michael Jordan news comes via "MJ's" statement about how he has greatly influenced the playing style of another NBA great, "The Black Mamba", Kobe Bryant. LA Laker's star player, meanwhile, claimed that he has also inspired other players in what appears to be a domino effect in the sport.
In his latest biography entitled Michael Jordan: The Life, "MJ" explained how he plays a major role in "The Black Mamba's" style of basketball.
"But how many people lighted the path for me? That's the evolution of basketball," Michael Jordan said in his biography. "There's no way I could have played the way I played if I didn't watch David Thompson and guys prior to me.
"There's no way Kobe could have played the way he's played without watching me play. So, you know, that's the evolution of basketball. You cannot change that," the Hall of Fame awardee added.
There is indeed an evident similarity with the way the two NBA greats play. Both players possess the ability to defy gravity through lengthy hang-time shots, both can toy around with their opponents using the turn-around dribble, and both can instantly pick up two easy points by baiting the opposition through their patented pull-up shots.
But while there might be a glaring resemblance between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's style of play, the man who was also referred to as "His Airness" during his NBA days says that there still lies a sense of uniqueness in "The Black Mamba."
"So he's not one that's so different than me, but he is different than me," Jordan continued, still referring to Bryant. "People just have to understand that, and realize that you may see a lot of similarities, but he's definitely different."
Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, made a response about the said Michael Jordan news through Twitter, saying that it is a domino effect, as part of the evolution of the game of basketball.
"Domino effect. I stole some of his..this generation stole some of mine #thecycle," the tweet reads.
Are the similarities between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's playing style that obvious? Place your thoughts on the comments section below!
