The Los Angeles Lakers celebrated the life and legacy of Kobe Bryant on Thursday night by unveiling a statue that will exist outside of Crypto.com Arena. As part of the ceremony that ended in the statue getting unveiled, a number of individuals who were part of Bryant’s personal and professional life spoke.
One such person was Phil Jackson, the Hall of Fame coach who won five championships in Los Angeles alongside Bryant. At one point, Jackson told a story about a meeting he set up between Bryant and Michael Jordan, who won six rings under Jackson in Chicago and has likened Bryant to a little brother. It is a story that will not surprise anyone if they know anything about Bryant’s perpetual sense of self-assurance.
"Michael, I can take you one on one."
Phil Jackson recalls a meeting he set up between Kobe and Michael Jordan 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/JzMFxPwmka
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 9, 2024
“I arranged a meeting between Michael and Kobe to give him a little impression of how to handle being in a restricted basketball system that relied on passing the ball to available teammates and wanting to go 1-on-1 with this guy in front of you,” Jackson said. “So, I arranged, we had a little meeting in the cigar room off the bar downstairs, and Michael and I were sitting there and Kobe walked in after a shower and the press and what not. He sat down, and he said, ‘Michael, I can take you 1-on-1.’ And Michael said, ‘Well, I think you might, I’m 37, you’re 22.’”
It is unclear if they went on to play 1-on-1, but I really hope they did.
