There were a lot of revelations that came from Kobe Bryant’s one-on-one interview with Dave McMenamin of ESPN. From his recovery process and the Achilles injury to comparisons between the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs, Kobe covered just about everything there is to cover in an offseason marred with injuries.
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However, there was one tidbit of information that I found interesting. Kobe was asked about the size of his hands compared to Michael Jordan’s. Here’s what he had to say about that, and how it differed between himself and Jordan.
“Michael was blessed with massive hands and Dr. J (Julius Erving) as well and some of these other players. I wasn’t. I have big hands, but (Jordan and Erving) can literally pick up the ball like an orange, so I’ve had to do things to strengthen my hands, strengthen my forearms to make sure I have that grip to be able to do it. They obviously had the natural capabilities to do it. I had to work to get that strength to be able to do it.”
This is one element we don’t generally think of when we’re examining basketball players. Obviously it’s something scouts look into when looking at potential prospects (Kawhi Leonard, anybody?), but in the Jordan v. Kobe debate, it hasn’t been discussed too often.
The thing I find most interesting is that Bryant immediately recognized this as a potential problem in his career, and took the necessary steps to counteract this. I guess it’s not very surprising considering Kobe is always looking for an edge, both on and off the court.
So, while we wait for the season to start and Kobe to get over his Achilles injury, these small tidbits are what we’ll have to use to get us through the summer.
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