Kobe Bryant had an extensive interview with ESPN’s Chris Palmer that was released earlier in Thursday (he seems to be giving out a lot of extensive interviews as of late). They went over a lot of topics, which included Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and Tracy McGrady among other subjects.
While it’s a little weird that he seems to be showing more of a human side as he gets older, his competitive fire continues to stay hot. Palmer asked Bryant about how he would fare in one-on-one games against a lot of NBA players.
Who would you most like to play one-on-one, either active or retired?
Jordan. No question.
What would happen?
I’m not sure, but he would win some and I would win some in a seven-game series. It would probably come down to the last few shots.
Of course, he would want to play Michael Jordan. Kobe has been getting Jordan comparisons pretty much throughout his whole career. And Kobe is the closest we’ll ever get to another Michael Jordan. Kobe indicated that the Jordan comparisons got old quickly. And I would feel the same way about those comparisons if I were trying to forge my own identity.
You versus LeBron? Who wins?
Me. No question. As far as one-on-one, I’m the best to ever do it.
I am not too sure about this one as LeBron is younger, faster, and stronger. LeBron’s got about 40 pounds and two inches on Kobe but Bean has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. This is definitely something that everyone would want to see.
Then Palmer brought up a star from the past.
I always wanted to see you play Tracy McGrady.
I played T-Mac. I cooked him. Roasted him. Wasn’t even close. Ask him, he’ll tell you.
Kobe also described his one-on-one with T-Mac in hilarious fashion. And I can see that as Kobe is known for his legendary work ethic while McGrady wasn’t exactly known for that.
Palmer also brought up other players like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the subject of one-on-one. Kobe admitted that Durant would give him trouble; Durant is 6’9″ and has a 7’5″ wing span. It would be tough to get to Durant if only for KD’s length alone.
But nevertheless, it’s yet another riveting interview of Kobe Bryant that every one of you should read. It’s great that he’s becoming more and more open about topics like these but what may not be great for Kobe Bryant and Lakers fans that we are realistically nearing the end of his career. As I’ve reminded time and again, let’s enjoy Kobe Bryant while he’s still playing.
