Kevin Garnett says he was better player than Tim Duncan: “Thought I did more, all around a better player”Kevin Garnett says he was better player than Tim Duncan: “Thought I did more, all around a better player”
Mike Bibby recalls playing against Kobe Bryant in the ’96 All-American game: “It was like seeing MJ out there”
MJ inspired Kobe plenty of times, including his competitiveness which Bibby saw.
Mike Bibby was a highly touted prospect in the 1996 high school class. After that, he played three seasons in college, as he was a vital cog in winning the National Championship in 1997. Bib was impressed with many players in college, but he always remembered the 1996 high school All-American game where he played against Kobe Bryant.
The Black Mamba skipped college to go straight to the NBA, so the hype around him was unreal. Bean was the most exciting player in the high school ranks, and he pulled off some exciting highlights during the All-American Game. Bibby was part of the event and saw first-hand why KB was getting hyped up that much.
“You could tell by the aura that he had around that he was going to be special. His seriousness, the other guys were f****ng around. He was all about his business, you could see it back then,” Bibby said on The OGs. “It was like seeing MJ out there. Exactly what it looked like, the way he stood, the way he walked, the way he ran, everything was MJ, man.”
Kobe already had a Mamba Mentality in high school
Bryant was a superb athlete in high school, which led to him getting massive hype as the superstar of Lower Merion. Kobe had a natural knack for scoring, which helped him build a fantastic skill set through the years.
From Lower Merion to his early years in the NBA, KB primarily relied on his athleticism to perform well. He dunked over everybody because of his speed and leaping ability.
Even though Kobe had natural talent, his approach to the game set him apart from other players. Bryant was always a fantastic individual, but his ‘Mamba Mentality’ helped him establish himself at the highest level. KB was already doing this in high school because he took basketball as seriously as possible.
That approach showed how seriously Bean took basketball. Bryant earned his role as one of the biggest stars in NBA history, and he started building that reputation from the first time he was under the spotlight in Lower Merion.
Kobe was always similar to Michael
Bryant always saw Michael Jordan as a player from whom he would love to learn. They had plenty of similarities as they were shooting guards who stood at 6’6″ with elite athleticism. Kobe emulated how MJ played while adopting some of his mentality, as they were both elite competitors.
As Bibby said, Kobe was already observing how Michael played the game. They were similar because that was what Bryant intended to do. He wanted to help himself reach a higher level by emulating the greatest player ever to lace them up.
