{"id":20591,"date":"2021-05-28T03:10:34","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T08:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20591"},"modified":"2021-05-28T03:10:34","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T08:10:34","slug":"kobe-mamba-bryant-receives-an-assist-from-the-goat-michael-jordan-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20591","title":{"rendered":"KOBE &#8220;MAMBA&#8221; BRYANT,  RECEIVES AN ASSIST FROM THE &#8220;GOAT&#8221;, MICHAEL JORDAN, 2007."},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Michael Jordan Talking About His Trainer: &#8220;I Don\u2019t Pay Grover To Train Me. I Pay Him Not To Train Anybody Else.&#8217;\u201d<\/h1>\n<div id=\"maincontent\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content\">\n<article class=\"articlecontent allowvig loaded\" data-id=\"57\" data-m=\"{&quot;i&quot;:57,&quot;p&quot;:54,&quot;n&quot;:&quot;article&quot;,&quot;y&quot;:6,&quot;o&quot;:3}\" data-nativead-placements=\"article_aside:3;singlecard1:1;singlecard2:1;singlecard3:1;singlecard4:1;singlecard5:1;singlecard6:1;singlecard7:1;singlecard8:1;singlecard9:1;singlecard10:1;singlecard11:1;\">\n<section class=\"flexarticle\" data-id=\"58\" data-m=\"{&quot;i&quot;:58,&quot;p&quot;:57,&quot;n&quot;:&quot;flexarticle&quot;,&quot;y&quot;:6,&quot;o&quot;:1}\">\n<section class=\"articlebody \" data-id=\"59\" data-m=\"{&quot;i&quot;:59,&quot;p&quot;:58,&quot;n&quot;:&quot;articlebody&quot;,&quot;y&quot;:6,&quot;o&quot;:1}\"><span class=\"storyimage floated inlineimage\" data-aop=\"image\"> <span class=\"image\" data-attrib=\"Provided by Fadeaway World\" data-caption=\"\" data-id=\"60\" data-m=\"{&quot;i&quot;:60,&quot;p&quot;:59,&quot;n&quot;:&quot;openModal&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:&quot;articleImages&quot;,&quot;o&quot;:1}\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"loaded\" src=\"https:\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/AAKrLoG.img?h=180&amp;w=270&amp;m=6&amp;q=60&amp;o=f&amp;l=f&amp;x=328&amp;y=134\" alt=\"Michael Jordan et al. posing for the camera\" data-src=\"{&quot;default&quot;:{&quot;load&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;w&quot;:&quot;27&quot;,&quot;h&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/AAKrLoG.img?h=180&amp;w=270&amp;m=6&amp;q=60&amp;o=f&amp;l=f&amp;x=328&amp;y=134&quot;}}\" \/> <\/span><\/span><\/section>\n<section class=\"articlebody \" data-id=\"59\" data-m=\"{&quot;i&quot;:59,&quot;p&quot;:58,&quot;n&quot;:&quot;articlebody&quot;,&quot;y&quot;:6,&quot;o&quot;:1}\"><strong>The world can use a lot of moments to describe the relationship of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. First, Jordan was a mentor, then he became a friend for life thanks to sharing the same passion for basketball.They considered each other brothers and they proved that every time they had the opportunity. One of those was when Kobe asked MJ help to get in the best shape and reach new levels with his game.Tim Grover, the former trainer of Jordan, was the one selected to help the Black Mamba. It was Jordan himself who told Kobe to reach out to Grover. During a recent edition of FS1&#8217;s Undisputed, Grover recalled how Bryant found out about him.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cIn 2007 Kobe actually reached out to Michael and said, \u2018listen, I\u2019m having a lot of issues with my knees and he goes you got any recommendation?\u2019 And Michael said, \u2018listen this is not what I do, but I\u2019m not using Grover anymore.\u2019 He said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you give him a call?&#8217;\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>This is curious knowing that Jordan wouldn&#8217;t give this recommendation to anybody else but he was retired and this was Kobe Bryant we&#8217;re talking about. So things were different when it came to the Black Mamba (4:15).<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cIt was funny because when Michael was playing, he would always say, \u2018listen I don\u2019t pay Grover to train me. I pay him not to train anybody else.&#8217;\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cYou know the relationship and the work ethic that MJ saw in Kobe. He said, \u2018This would be a perfect fit.\u2019\u2026\u2019Why don\u2019t you give him a try?\u2019 I flew out to LA. We talked about some things and he explained to me what was going on. He introduced me to the members of his personal performance team and we made some adjustments there.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>After that, Kobe really took off, having a second youth with the Lakers. He took them to win two more NBA championships, finishing his career with five rings and Grover played a significant role.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>It&#8217;s not a secret that he owns a lot to MJ, and this is another case where the Chicago Bulls legend helped Kobe improve his game and reach the next level.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"postarticlecontent\" data-id=\"95\" data-m=\"{&quot;i&quot;:95,&quot;p&quot;:57,&quot;n&quot;:&quot;postarticlecontent&quot;,&quot;y&quot;:6,&quot;o&quot;:2}\">\n<div id=\"civsci-id-76398579\" class=\"civsci\" data-civicscience-widget=\"dc47b0af-1755-c124-4d1b-758f0eee9014\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-16657\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Michael-Jordan-Tongue-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Michael-Jordan-Tongue-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Michael-Jordan-Tongue-400x250.jpg 400w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Michael-Jordan-Tongue.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/div>\n<div data-civicscience-widget=\"dc47b0af-1755-c124-4d1b-758f0eee9014\">\n<h1 id=\"firstHeading\" class=\"firstHeading\">Michael Jordan<\/h1>\n<div id=\"bodyContent\" class=\"vector-body\">\n<div id=\"mw-content-text\" class=\"mw-body-content mw-content-ltr\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n<table class=\"infobox vcard\">\n<caption class=\"infobox-title fn summary\"><strong>Michael Jordan<\/strong><\/caption>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-image\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Michael_Jordan_in_2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Michael_Jordan_in_2014.jpg\/220px-Michael_Jordan_in_2014.jpg\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Michael_Jordan_in_2014.jpg\/330px-Michael_Jordan_in_2014.jpg 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/a\/ae\/Michael_Jordan_in_2014.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Michael Jordan in 2014.jpg\" width=\"220\" height=\"314\" data-file-width=\"398\" data-file-height=\"568\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"infobox-caption\"><strong>Jordan in April 2014<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Charlotte Hornets<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Position<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data role\"><strong>Owner<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>League<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA\">NBA<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Personal information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Born<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>February 17, 1963<span class=\"noprint ForceAgeToShow\"> (age\u00a058)<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a title=\"Brooklyn\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brooklyn\">Brooklyn, New York<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Nationality<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>American<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Listed height<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>6\u00a0ft 6\u00a0in (1.98\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Listed weight<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>216\u00a0lb (98\u00a0kg)<sup id=\"cite_ref-7\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Michael_Jordan#cite_note-7\">[a]<\/a><\/sup><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>High school<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data plainlist\"><strong><a title=\"Emsley A. Laney High School\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Emsley_A._Laney_High_School\">Emsley A. Laney<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a title=\"Wilmington, North Carolina\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wilmington,_North_Carolina\">Wilmington, North Carolina<\/a>)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>College<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data plainlist\"><strong><a title=\"North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_men%27s_basketball\">North Carolina<\/a> (1981\u20131984)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_draft\">NBA draft<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"1984 NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984_NBA_draft\">1984<\/a> \/ Round: 1 \/ Pick: 3rd overall<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Selected by the <a title=\"Chicago Bulls\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chicago_Bulls\">Chicago Bulls<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Playing career<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>1984\u20131993, 1995\u20131998, 2001\u20132003<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Position<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Shooting guard\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shooting_guard\">Shooting guard<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Number<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>23, 12,<sup id=\"cite_ref-10\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Michael_Jordan#cite_note-10\">[b]<\/a><\/sup> 45<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career history<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"1984\u201385 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984%E2%80%9385_NBA_season\">1984<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1992\u201393 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992%E2%80%9393_NBA_season\">1993<\/a>,<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a title=\"1994\u201395 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1994%E2%80%9395_NBA_season\">1995<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1997\u201398 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1997%E2%80%9398_NBA_season\">1998<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Chicago Bulls\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chicago_Bulls\">Chicago Bulls<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"2001\u201302 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2001%E2%80%9302_NBA_season\">2001<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2002\u201303 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2002%E2%80%9303_NBA_season\">2003<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Washington Wizards\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Washington_Wizards\">Washington Wizards<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>6\u00d7 <a title=\"List of NBA champions\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_NBA_champions\">NBA champion<\/a> (<a title=\"1991 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1991_NBA_Finals\">1991<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1993 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1993_NBA_Finals\">1993<\/a>, <a title=\"1996 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996_NBA_Finals\">1996<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1998 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1998_NBA_Finals\">1998<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>6\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Russell_NBA_Finals_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA Finals MVP<\/a> (<a title=\"1991 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1991_NBA_Finals\">1991<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1993 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1993_NBA_Finals\">1993<\/a>, <a title=\"1996 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996_NBA_Finals\">1996<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1998 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1998_NBA_Finals\">1998<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>5\u00d7 <a title=\"NBA Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA Most Valuable Player<\/a> (<a title=\"1987\u201388 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1987%E2%80%9388_NBA_season\">1988<\/a>, <a title=\"1990\u201391 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1990%E2%80%9391_NBA_season\">1991<\/a>, <a title=\"1991\u201392 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1991%E2%80%9392_NBA_season\">1992<\/a>, <a title=\"1995\u201396 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1995%E2%80%9396_NBA_season\">1996<\/a>, <a title=\"1997\u201398 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1997%E2%80%9398_NBA_season\">1998<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>14\u00d7 <a title=\"List of NBA All-Stars\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_NBA_All-Stars\">NBA All-Star<\/a> (<a title=\"1985 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1985_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1985<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1993 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1993_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1993<\/a>, <a title=\"1996 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1996<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1998 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1998_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1998<\/a>, <a title=\"2002 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2002_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2002<\/a>, <a title=\"2003 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2003_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2003<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>3\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star_Game_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA All-Star Game MVP<\/a> (<a title=\"1988 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1988_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1988<\/a>, <a title=\"1996 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1996<\/a>, <a title=\"1998 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1998_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1998<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>10\u00d7 <a title=\"All-NBA Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Team\">All-NBA First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"1986\u201387 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1986%E2%80%9387_NBA_season\">1987<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1992\u201393 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992%E2%80%9393_NBA_season\">1993<\/a>, <a title=\"1995\u201396 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1995%E2%80%9396_NBA_season\">1996<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1997\u201398 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1997%E2%80%9398_NBA_season\">1998<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"All-NBA Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Team\">All-NBA Second Team<\/a> (<a title=\"1984\u201385 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984%E2%80%9385_NBA_season\">1985<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Defensive_Player_of_the_Year_Award\">NBA Defensive Player of the Year<\/a> (<a title=\"1987\u201388 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1987%E2%80%9388_NBA_season\">1988<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>9\u00d7 <a title=\"NBA All-Defensive Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Defensive_Team\">NBA All-Defensive First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"1987\u201388 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1987%E2%80%9388_NBA_season\">1988<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1992\u201393 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992%E2%80%9393_NBA_season\">1993<\/a>, <a title=\"1995\u201396 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1995%E2%80%9396_NBA_season\">1996<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1997\u201398 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1997%E2%80%9398_NBA_season\">1998<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"NBA Rookie of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Rookie_of_the_Year_Award\">NBA Rookie of the Year<\/a> (<a title=\"1984\u201385 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984%E2%80%9385_NBA_season\">1985<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Rookie First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Rookie_First_Team\">NBA All-Rookie First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"1984\u201385 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984%E2%80%9385_NBA_season\">1985<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>10\u00d7 <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association annual scoring leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_annual_scoring_leaders\">NBA scoring champion<\/a> (<a title=\"1986\u201387 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1986%E2%80%9387_NBA_season\">1987<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1992\u201393 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992%E2%80%9393_NBA_season\">1993<\/a>, <a title=\"1995\u201396 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1995%E2%80%9396_NBA_season\">1996<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1997\u201398 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1997%E2%80%9398_NBA_season\">1998<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>3\u00d7 <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association annual steals leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_annual_steals_leaders\">NBA steals leader<\/a> (<a title=\"1987\u201388 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1987%E2%80%9388_NBA_season\">1988<\/a>, <a title=\"1989\u201390 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1989%E2%80%9390_NBA_season\">1990<\/a>, <a title=\"1992\u201393 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992%E2%80%9393_NBA_season\">1993<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a title=\"Slam Dunk Contest\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Slam_Dunk_Contest\">NBA Slam Dunk Contest<\/a> champion (<a title=\"1987 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1987_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1987<\/a>, <a title=\"1988 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1988_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1988<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>No. 23 <a title=\"Chicago Bulls\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chicago_Bulls#Retired_numbers_and_honorees\">retired by Chicago Bulls<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>No. 23 <a title=\"Miami Heat\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Miami_Heat#Retired_numbers\">retired by Miami Heat<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>3\u00d7 <a title=\"Associated Press Athlete of the Year\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Associated_Press_Athlete_of_the_Year\">AP Athlete of the Year<\/a> (<a title=\"1990\u201391 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1990%E2%80%9391_NBA_season\">1991<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"1992\u201393 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992%E2%80%9393_NBA_season\">1993<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sports_Illustrated_Sportsperson_of_the_Year\"><i>Sports Illustrated<\/i> Sportsperson of the Year<\/a> (1991)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA%27s_50th_Anniversary_All-Time_Team\">NBA&#8217;s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team<\/a> (1996)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"List of NCAA Division I men's basketball champions\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_champions\">NCAA champion<\/a> (<a title=\"1982 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1982_NCAA_Division_I_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament\">1982<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"List of U.S. men's college basketball national player of the year awards\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_U.S._men%27s_college_basketball_national_player_of_the_year_awards\">National college player of the year<\/a> (<a title=\"1983\u201384 NCAA Division I men's basketball season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1983%E2%80%9384_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season\">1984<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 Consensus first-team <a title=\"NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">All-American<\/a> (<a title=\"1983 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1983_NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">1983<\/a>, <a title=\"1984 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984_NCAA_Men%27s_Basketball_All-Americans\">1984<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atlantic_Coast_Conference_Men%27s_Basketball_Player_of_the_Year\">ACC Player of the Year<\/a> (1984)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 First-team <a title=\"List of All-Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball teams\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_All-Atlantic_Coast_Conference_men%27s_basketball_teams\">All-ACC<\/a> (1983, 1984)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atlantic_Coast_Conference_Men%27s_Basketball_Rookie_of_the_Year\">ACC Rookie of the Year<\/a> (1982)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>No. 23 <a title=\"North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_men%27s_basketball#Retired_numbers\">retired by North Carolina Tar Heels<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a title=\"USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/USA_Basketball_Male_Athlete_of_the_Year\">USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year<\/a> (1983, 1984)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"McDonald's All-American Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/McDonald%27s_All-American_Game\">McDonald&#8217;s All-American<\/a> (<a title=\"1981 McDonald's All-American Boys Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1981_McDonald%27s_All-American_Boys_Game\">1981<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Presidential Medal of Freedom\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom\">Presidential Medal of Freedom<\/a> (2016)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career NBA statistics<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"Point (basketball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Point_(basketball)\">Points<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>32,292 (30.1 ppg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"Rebound (basketball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rebound_(basketball)\">Rebounds<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>6,672 (6.2 rpg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"Assist (basketball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Assist_(basketball)\">Assists<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>5,633 (5.3 apg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/player\/893\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stats<\/a>\u00a0<a title=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q41421#P3647\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" width=\"10\" height=\"10\" data-file-width=\"20\" data-file-height=\"20\" \/><\/a> at NBA.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jordami01.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stats<\/a> at Basketball-Reference.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hoophall.com\/hall-of-famers\/michael-jordan\" rel=\"nofollow\">Basketball Hall of Fame as player<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fiba.com\/hall-of-fame\/Michael-JORDAN\" rel=\"nofollow\">FIBA Hall of Fame as player<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-below\" colspan=\"2\">\n<div class=\"mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<table class=\"infobox vcard\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-below\" colspan=\"2\">\n<div class=\"mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible\">\n<div>\n<div><strong>Medals<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mw-collapsible-content\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\"><strong><span class=\"nowrap\">Men&#8217;s <a title=\"Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball\">basketball<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"adr\" colspan=\"3\"><strong>Representing <span class=\"country-name\">the <span class=\"flagicon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbborder\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg\/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg\/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg\/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"\" width=\"23\" height=\"12\" data-file-width=\"1235\" data-file-height=\"650\" \/>\u00a0<\/span><a title=\"United States\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States\">United States<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\"><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"Basketball at the Summer Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball_at_the_Summer_Olympics\">Olympic Games<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/16px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/24px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/32px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" data-file-width=\"16\" data-file-height=\"16\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"1984 Summer Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984_Summer_Olympics\">1984 Los Angeles<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><a title=\"1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team\">Men&#8217;s basketball<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/16px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/24px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/32px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" data-file-width=\"16\" data-file-height=\"16\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"1992 Summer Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992_Summer_Olympics\">1992 Barcelona<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><a title=\"1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team\">Men&#8217;s basketball<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\"><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"FIBA AmeriCup\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIBA_AmeriCup\">Tournament of the Americas<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/16px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/24px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/32px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" data-file-width=\"16\" data-file-height=\"16\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"1992 Tournament of the Americas\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992_Tournament_of_the_Americas\">1992 Portland<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><a title=\"1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team\">Men&#8217;s basketball<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\"><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"Pan American Games\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pan_American_Games\">Pan American Games<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/16px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/24px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/32px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" data-file-width=\"16\" data-file-height=\"16\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"1983 Pan American Games\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1983_Pan_American_Games\">1983 Caracas<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><a title=\"Basketball at the 1983 Pan American Games\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball_at_the_1983_Pan_American_Games\">Men&#8217;s basketball<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional <a title=\"Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball\">basketball<\/a> player. He is the principal owner and chairman of the <a title=\"Charlotte Hornets\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charlotte_Hornets\">Charlotte Hornets<\/a> of the <a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA) and of <a title=\"23XI Racing\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/23XI_Racing\">23XI Racing<\/a> in the <a title=\"NASCAR Cup Series\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NASCAR_Cup_Series\">NASCAR Cup Series<\/a>. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the <a title=\"Chicago Bulls\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chicago_Bulls\">Chicago Bulls<\/a>. His biography on the official <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA\">NBA<\/a> website states: &#8220;By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.&#8221;<sup id=\"cite_ref-nbah_5-1\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Michael_Jordan#cite_note-nbah-5\">[5]<\/a><\/sup> He was integral in helping to popularize the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s,<sup id=\"cite_ref-Markovits_12-0\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Michael_Jordan#cite_note-Markovits-12\">[10]<\/a><\/sup> becoming a global <a title=\"Cultural icon\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cultural_icon\">cultural icon<\/a> in the process.<sup id=\"cite_ref-faze.ca_13-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan played <a title=\"College basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/College_basketball\">college basketball<\/a> for three seasons under coach <a title=\"Dean Smith\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dean_Smith\">Dean Smith<\/a> with the <a title=\"North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_men%27s_basketball\">North Carolina Tar Heels<\/a>. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels&#8217; national championship team in <a title=\"1982 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1982_NCAA_Division_I_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament\">1982<\/a>. Jordan joined the Bulls in <a title=\"1984\u201385 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1984%E2%80%9385_NBA_season\">1984<\/a> as the third overall draft pick, and quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring while gaining a reputation as one of the game&#8217;s best defensive players.<sup id=\"cite_ref-defensive_players_14-0\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Michael_Jordan#cite_note-defensive_players-14\">[12]<\/a><\/sup> His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing <a title=\"Slam dunk\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Slam_dunk\">slam dunks<\/a> from the <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Free throw line\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Free_throw_line\">free throw line<\/a> in <a title=\"Slam Dunk Contest\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Slam_Dunk_Contest\">Slam Dunk Contests<\/a>, earned him the nicknames &#8220;Air Jordan&#8221; and &#8220;His Airness&#8221;. Jordan won his first NBA championship with the Bulls in 1991, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a &#8220;<a title=\"Three-peat\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Three-peat\">three-peat<\/a>&#8220;. Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the <a title=\"1993\u201394 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1993%E2%80%9394_NBA_season\">1993\u201394 NBA season<\/a> to play <a title=\"Minor League Baseball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Minor_League_Baseball\">Minor League Baseball<\/a> but returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three more championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998 as well as a then-record 72 regular season wins in the 1995\u201396 NBA season. He retired for a second time in January 1999 but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the <a title=\"Washington Wizards\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Washington_Wizards\">Washington Wizards<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan&#8217;s individual accolades and accomplishments include six <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Russell_NBA_Finals_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards<\/a>, ten <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association annual scoring leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_annual_scoring_leaders\">scoring titles<\/a> (both all-time records), five <a title=\"NBA Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">MVP Awards<\/a>, ten <a title=\"All-NBA Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Team\">All-NBA<\/a> First Team designations, nine <a title=\"NBA All-Defensive Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Defensive_Team\">All-Defensive<\/a> First Team honors, fourteen <a title=\"NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star_Game\">NBA All-Star Game<\/a> selections, three <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star_Game_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">All-Star Game MVP Awards<\/a>, three <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association annual steals leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_annual_steals_leaders\">steals titles<\/a>, and the 1988 <a title=\"NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Defensive_Player_of_the_Year_Award\">NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award<\/a>. He holds the NBA records for career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the 20th century&#8217;s greatest North American athlete by <a title=\"ESPN\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ESPN\">ESPN<\/a>, and was second to <a title=\"Babe Ruth\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Babe_Ruth\">Babe Ruth<\/a> on the <a title=\"Associated Press\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Associated_Press\">Associated Press<\/a>&#8216; list of athletes of the century. Jordan was twice inducted into the <a title=\"Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Naismith_Memorial_Basketball_Hall_of_Fame\">Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a>, once in 2009 for his individual career and again in 2010 as part of the <a title=\"1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1992_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team\">1992 United States men&#8217;s Olympic basketball team<\/a> (&#8220;The Dream Team&#8221;). He became a member of the <a title=\"FIBA Hall of Fame\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIBA_Hall_of_Fame\">FIBA Hall of Fame<\/a> in 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>One of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation,<sup id=\"cite_ref-Markovits_12-1\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> Jordan is also known for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of <a title=\"Nike, Inc.\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nike,_Inc.\">Nike<\/a>&#8216;s <a title=\"Air Jordan\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Air_Jordan\">Air Jordan<\/a> sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred as himself in the 1996 live-action animated film <i><a title=\"Space Jam\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Space_Jam\">Space Jam<\/a><\/i>, and is the central focus of the <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Emmy Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Emmy_Award\">Emmy Award<\/a>-winning documentary miniseries <i><a title=\"The Last Dance (miniseries)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Last_Dance_(miniseries)\">The Last Dance<\/a><\/i> (2020). He became part-owner and head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats (now named the Hornets) in 2006, and bought a controlling interest in 2010. In 2014, Jordan became the first billionaire player in NBA history. With a net worth of $2.1\u00a0billion, he is the fourth-richest African American, behind <a title=\"Robert F. Smith (investor)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robert_F._Smith_(investor)\">Robert F. Smith<\/a>, <a title=\"David Steward\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/David_Steward\">David Steward<\/a>, and <a title=\"Oprah Winfrey\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oprah_Winfrey\">Oprah Winfrey<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"normalsection\" role=\"region\" data-section-id=\"oneriversection\">\n<div class=\"full-width\">\n<div class=\"sectioncontent\" data-region=\"oneriversection_section\">\n<div id=\"oneriverajax\" class=\"show\" data-first-page-ajax-url=\"\/en-us\/sports\/oneriverajax?li=BBnbfcL&amp;xd-name=ArticlePageOneRiver&amp;startIndex=0&amp;count=25&amp;contentId=AAKrLoX&amp;page-mode=Normal&amp;pageIndex=1&amp;pvid=b07348b91dea478895b1f160b0c06238&amp;rnd-mode=Flexible\" 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data-section-id=\"oneriver.main\">\n<div class=\"full-width\">\n<div class=\"sectioncontent\" data-region=\"oneriver.main_section\">\n<div class=\"content-header__container content-header__container-theme-standard\">\n<div class=\"content-header__row content-header__title-block\" data-event-boundary=\"click\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;pattern&quot;:&quot;TitleBlock&quot;}\" data-include-experiments=\"true\">\n<h1 class=\"content-header__row content-header__hed\" data-testid=\"ContentHeaderHed\"><strong>The Difference Between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, Explained By the Man Who Trained Both of Them<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lead-asset lead-asset--landscape content-header__lead-asset lead-asset--width-fullbleed lede-asset--inverted-background\" data-testid=\"ContentHeaderLeadAsset\">\n<figure class=\"lead-asset__content lead-asset__content-with-caption\">\n<div class=\"lead-asset__content__media lead-asset__content__photo\">\n<div class=\"lead-asset__content__media lead-asset__content__photo\"><strong><span class=\"responsive-asset lead-asset__media\"><picture class=\"sc-iJCRrE ifDxYI lead-asset__media responsive-image\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5f19eef8f903f569a3e23c1f\/1:1\/w_1024%2Cc_limit\/MJandKobe.jpg 1024w\" media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5f19eef8f903f569a3e23c1f\/16:9\/w_2560%2Cc_limit\/MJandKobe.jpg 2560w\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"responsive-image__image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5f19eef8f903f569a3e23c1f\/16:9\/w_2560%2Cc_limit\/MJandKobe.jpg\" alt=\"Michael JordanTim Grover and Kobe Bryant\" \/><\/picture><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-giAqHp dicebs cnUTto caption lead-asset__caption\" data-event-boundary=\"click\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;pattern&quot;:&quot;Caption&quot;}\" data-include-experiments=\"true\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<article class=\"article main-content\" lang=\"en-US\">\n<div class=\"content-background\" data-attribute-verso-pattern=\"article-body\">\n<div class=\"\" data-event-boundary=\"click\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;pattern&quot;:&quot;ChunkedArticleContent&quot;}\" data-in-view=\"{&quot;pattern&quot;:&quot;ChunkedArticleContent&quot;}\" data-include-experiments=\"true\">\n<div class=\"article__chunks\">\n<div class=\"grid grid-margins grid-items-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\">\n<div class=\"grid--item body body__container article__body grid-layout__content\">\n<p><strong>In 2007, a handful of years after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/about\/michael-jordan\">Michael Jordan<\/a>&#8216;s second retirement from the NBA, his longtime trainer Tim Grover started working with a new client: Kobe Bryant.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bryant had, by then, established himself as the heir apparent to MJ\u2014a three-time champion (two more titles to come), with a remarkably similar skillset and mindset. And by 2007, 11 years into his pro career, Bryant&#8217;s knees were killing him.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cThis guy&#8217;s pain tolerance was off the charts,\u201d Grover says.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-gtsrHT juhBur ad ad--in-content\">\n<div class=\"ad__slot ad__slot--in-content\" data-node-id=\"thloy3\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-16454\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/kobe-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/kobe-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/kobe-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/kobe.jpg 950w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/div>\n<div data-node-id=\"thloy3\">\n<h1 id=\"firstHeading\" class=\"firstHeading\"><strong>Kobe Bryant<\/strong><\/h1>\n<div id=\"bodyContent\" class=\"vector-body\">\n<div id=\"mw-content-text\" class=\"mw-body-content mw-content-ltr\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n<table class=\"infobox vcard\">\n<caption class=\"infobox-title fn summary\"><strong>Kobe Bryant<\/strong><\/caption>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-image\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"image\" title=\"Bryant handling the basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Kobe_Bryant_2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/5\/56\/Kobe_Bryant_2014.jpg\/275px-Kobe_Bryant_2014.jpg\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/5\/56\/Kobe_Bryant_2014.jpg\/413px-Kobe_Bryant_2014.jpg 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/5\/56\/Kobe_Bryant_2014.jpg\/550px-Kobe_Bryant_2014.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Bryant handling the basketball\" width=\"275\" height=\"262\" data-file-width=\"944\" data-file-height=\"900\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"infobox-caption\"><strong>Bryant with the <a title=\"Los Angeles Lakers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Lakers\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> in 2014<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Personal information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Born<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>August 23, 1978<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania\">Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Died<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>January 26, 2020 (aged\u00a041)<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a title=\"Calabasas, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Calabasas,_California\">Calabasas, California<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Nationality<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>American<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Listed height<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>6\u00a0ft 6\u00a0in (1.98\u00a0m)<sup id=\"cite_ref-height_note_3-0\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kobe_Bryant#cite_note-height_note-3\">[a]<\/a><\/sup><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Listed weight<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>212\u00a0lb (96\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>High school<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data plainlist\"><strong><a title=\"Lower Merion High School\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lower_Merion_High_School\">Lower Merion<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a title=\"Ardmore, Pennsylvania\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ardmore,_Pennsylvania\">Ardmore, Pennsylvania<\/a>)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_draft\">NBA draft<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"1996 NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996_NBA_draft\">1996<\/a> \/ Round: 1 \/ Pick: 13th overall<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Selected by the <a title=\"Charlotte Hornets\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charlotte_Hornets\">Charlotte Hornets<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Playing career<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>1996\u20132016<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Position<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Shooting guard\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shooting_guard\">Shooting guard<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Number<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>8, 24<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career history<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"1996\u201397 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996%E2%80%9397_NBA_season\">1996<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2015\u201316 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season\">2016<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Los Angeles Lakers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Lakers\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>5\u00d7 <a title=\"List of NBA champions\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_NBA_champions\">NBA champion<\/a> (<a title=\"2000 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2000_NBA_Finals\">2000<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2002 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2002_NBA_Finals\">2002<\/a>, <a title=\"2009 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2009_NBA_Finals\">2009<\/a>, <a title=\"2010 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010_NBA_Finals\">2010<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a title=\"NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Finals_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA Finals MVP<\/a> (<a title=\"2009 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2009_NBA_Finals\">2009<\/a>, <a title=\"2010 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010_NBA_Finals\">2010<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"NBA Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA Most Valuable Player<\/a> (<a title=\"2007\u201308 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2007%E2%80%9308_NBA_season\">2008<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>18\u00d7 <a title=\"List of NBA All-Stars\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_NBA_All-Stars\">NBA All-Star<\/a> (<a title=\"1998 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1998_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1998<\/a>, <a title=\"2000 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2000_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2000<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2016 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2016<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>4\u00d7 <a title=\"NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star_Game_Kobe_Bryant_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA All-Star Game MVP<\/a> (<a title=\"2002 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2002_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2002<\/a>, <a title=\"2007 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2007_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2007<\/a>, <a title=\"2009 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2009_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2009<\/a>, <a title=\"2011 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2011<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>11\u00d7 <a title=\"All-NBA Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Team\">All-NBA First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2001\u201302 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2001%E2%80%9302_NBA_season\">2002<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2003\u201304 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2003%E2%80%9304_NBA_season\">2004<\/a>, <a title=\"2005\u201306 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2005%E2%80%9306_NBA_season\">2006<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2012\u201313 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2012%E2%80%9313_NBA_season\">2013<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a title=\"All-NBA Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Team\">All-NBA Second Team<\/a> (<a title=\"1999\u20132000 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1999%E2%80%932000_NBA_season\">2000<\/a>, <a title=\"2000\u201301 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2000%E2%80%9301_NBA_season\">2001<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a title=\"All-NBA Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Team\">All-NBA Third Team<\/a> (<a title=\"1998\u201399 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1998%E2%80%9399_NBA_season\">1999<\/a>, <a title=\"2004\u201305 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2004%E2%80%9305_NBA_season\">2005<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>9\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"All-NBA Defensive Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Defensive_Team\">NBA All-Defensive First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"1999\u20132000 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1999%E2%80%932000_NBA_season\">2000<\/a>, <a title=\"2002\u201303 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2002%E2%80%9303_NBA_season\">2003<\/a>, <a title=\"2003\u201304 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2003%E2%80%9304_NBA_season\">2004<\/a>, <a title=\"2005\u201306 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2005%E2%80%9306_NBA_season\">2006<\/a>\u2013<a title=\"2010\u201311 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010%E2%80%9311_NBA_season\">2011<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>3\u00d7 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"All-NBA Defensive Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Defensive_Team\">NBA All-Defensive Second Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2000\u201301 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2000%E2%80%9301_NBA_season\">2001<\/a>, <a title=\"2001\u201302 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2001%E2%80%9302_NBA_season\">2002<\/a>, <a title=\"2011\u201312 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2011%E2%80%9312_NBA_season\">2012<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>2\u00d7 <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association annual scoring leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_annual_scoring_leaders\">NBA scoring champion<\/a> (<a title=\"2005\u201306 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2005%E2%80%9306_NBA_season\">2006<\/a>, <a title=\"2006\u201307 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2006%E2%80%9307_NBA_season\">2007<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Slam Dunk Contest\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Slam_Dunk_Contest\">NBA Slam Dunk Contest<\/a> champion (<a title=\"1997 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1997_NBA_All-Star_Game\">1997<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"All-NBA Rookie Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Rookie_Team\">NBA All-Rookie Second Team<\/a> (<a title=\"1996\u201397 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996%E2%80%9397_NBA_season\">1997<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Nos. 8 &amp; 24 <a title=\"Los Angeles Lakers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Lakers#Retired_numbers\">retired by Los Angeles Lakers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Naismith_Prep_Player_of_the_Year_Award\">Naismith Prep Player of the Year<\/a> (1996)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>First-team <a title=\"Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Parade_All-America_Boys_Basketball_Team\"><i>Parade<\/i> All-American<\/a> (1996)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Fourth-team <a title=\"Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Parade_All-America_Boys_Basketball_Team\"><i>Parade<\/i> All-American<\/a> (1995)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"McDonald's All-American Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/McDonald%27s_All-American_Game\">McDonald&#8217;s All-American<\/a> (<a title=\"1996 McDonald's All-American Boys Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996_McDonald%27s_All-American_Boys_Game\">1996<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career statistics<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"Point (basketball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Point_(basketball)\">Points<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>33,643 (25.0 ppg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"Rebound (basketball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rebound_(basketball)\">Rebounds<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>7,047 (5.2 rpg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"Assist (basketball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Assist_(basketball)\">Assists<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>6,306 (4.7 apg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/player\/977\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stats<\/a>\u00a0<a title=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q25369#P3647\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" width=\"10\" height=\"10\" data-file-width=\"20\" data-file-height=\"20\" \/><\/a> at NBA.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bryanko01.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stats<\/a> at Basketball-Reference.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hoophall.com\/hall-of-famers\/kobe-bryant\" rel=\"nofollow\">Basketball Hall of Fame as player<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-below\" colspan=\"2\">\n<div class=\"mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<table class=\"infobox vcard\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-below\" colspan=\"2\">\n<div class=\"mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible\">\n<div>\n<div><strong>Medals<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mw-collapsible-content\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\"><strong>Men&#8217;s <a title=\"Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball\">basketball<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"adr\" colspan=\"3\"><strong>Representing <span class=\"country-name\"><span class=\"flagicon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbborder\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg\/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg\/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg\/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"\" width=\"23\" height=\"12\" data-file-width=\"1235\" data-file-height=\"650\" \/>\u00a0<\/span>United States<\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\"><strong><a title=\"Basketball at the Summer Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball_at_the_Summer_Olympics\">Olympic Games<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/16px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/24px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/32px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" data-file-width=\"16\" data-file-height=\"16\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"2008 Summer Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2008_Summer_Olympics\">2008 Beijing<\/a> <\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><a title=\"2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2008_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team\">Team<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/16px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/24px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/32px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" data-file-width=\"16\" data-file-height=\"16\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"><a title=\"2012 Summer Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2012_Summer_Olympics\">2012 London<\/a> <\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><a title=\"2012 United States men's Olympic basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2012_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team\">Team<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\"><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"FIBA Americas Championship\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIBA_Americas_Championship\">FIBA Americas Championship<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/16px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/24px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg\/32px-Gold_medal_icon_%28G_initial%29.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Gold medal \u2013 first place\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" data-file-width=\"16\" data-file-height=\"16\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><span class=\"nowrap\"> <a title=\"2007 FIBA Americas Championship\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2007_FIBA_Americas_Championship\">2007 Las Vegas<\/a> <\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong><a title=\"2007 FIBA Americas Championship\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2007_FIBA_Americas_Championship\">Team<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Kobe Bean Bryant (<span class=\"rt-commentedText nowrap\"><span class=\"IPA nopopups noexcerpt\"><a title=\"Help:IPA\/English\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:IPA\/English\">\/<span title=\"\/\u02c8\/: primary stress follows\">\u02c8<\/span><span title=\"'k' in 'kind'\">k<\/span><span title=\"\/o\u028a\/: 'o' in 'code'\">o\u028a<\/span><span title=\"'b' in 'buy'\">b<\/span><span title=\"\/i\u02d0\/: 'ee' in 'fleece'\">i\u02d0<\/span>\/<\/a><\/span><\/span> <a title=\"Help:Pronunciation respelling key\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key\"><i title=\"English pronunciation respelling\">KOH-bee<\/i><\/a>; August 23, 1978 \u2013 January 26, 2020) was an American professional <a title=\"Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball\">basketball<\/a> player. A <a title=\"Shooting guard\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shooting_guard\">shooting guard<\/a>, he <a title=\"List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_NBA_players_who_have_spent_their_entire_career_with_one_franchise\">spent his entire 20-year career<\/a> with the <a title=\"Los Angeles Lakers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Lakers\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> in the <a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time,<sup id=\"cite_ref-4\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> Bryant won five <a title=\"NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Finals\">NBA championships<\/a>, was an 18-time <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Star\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star\">All-Star<\/a>, a 15-time member of the <a title=\"All-NBA Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/All-NBA_Team\">All-NBA Team<\/a>, a 12-time member of the <a title=\"NBA All-Defensive Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Defensive_Team\">All-Defensive Team<\/a>, the 2008 <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA Most Valuable Player\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Most_Valuable_Player\">NBA Most Valuable Player<\/a> (MVP), and a two-time <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Russell_NBA_Finals_Most_Valuable_Player_Award\">NBA Finals MVP<\/a>. Bryant also <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association annual scoring leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_annual_scoring_leaders\">led the NBA in scoring<\/a> twice, and ranks fourth in <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_career_scoring_leaders\">league all-time regular season<\/a> and <a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_career_playoff_scoring_leaders\">postseason scoring<\/a>. He was posthumously voted into the <a title=\"Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Naismith_Memorial_Basketball_Hall_of_Fame\">Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a> in 2020.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Born in <a title=\"Philadelphia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Philadelphia\">Philadelphia<\/a> and partly raised in <a title=\"Italy\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Italy\">Italy<\/a>, Bryant was recognized as the top American high-school basketball player while at <a title=\"Lower Merion High School\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lower_Merion_High_School\">Lower Merion<\/a>. The son of former NBA player <a title=\"Joe Bryant\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Joe_Bryant\">Joe Bryant<\/a>, he declared for the <a title=\"1996 NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996_NBA_draft\">1996 NBA draft<\/a> and was selected by the <a title=\"1996\u201397 Charlotte Hornets season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1996%E2%80%9397_Charlotte_Hornets_season\">Charlotte Hornets<\/a> with the 13th overall pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 <a title=\"Slam Dunk Contest\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Slam_Dunk_Contest\">Slam Dunk Contest<\/a>, and was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a <a title=\"Shaq\u2013Kobe feud\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shaq%E2%80%93Kobe_feud\">feud<\/a> with teammate <a title=\"Shaquille O'Neal\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shaquille_O%27Neal\">Shaquille O&#8217;Neal<\/a>, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from <a title=\"2000 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2000_NBA_Finals\">2000<\/a> to <a title=\"2002 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2002_NBA_Finals\">2002<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>After the Lakers lost the <a title=\"2004 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2004_NBA_Finals\">2004 NBA Finals<\/a>, O&#8217;Neal was traded and Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers. He led the NBA in scoring in the <a title=\"2005\u201306 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2005%E2%80%9306_NBA_season\">2005\u201306<\/a> and <a title=\"2006\u201307 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2006%E2%80%9307_NBA_season\">2006\u201307<\/a> seasons. In 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points; the second <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association single-game scoring leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_single-game_scoring_leaders\">most points scored in a single game<\/a> in league history, behind <a title=\"Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wilt_Chamberlain%27s_100-point_game\">Wilt Chamberlain&#8217;s 100-point game<\/a> in 1962. Bryant led the team to consecutive championships in <a title=\"2009 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2009_NBA_Finals\">2009<\/a> and <a title=\"2010 NBA Finals\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010_NBA_Finals\">2010<\/a>, both times being named NBA Finals MVP. He continued to be among the top players in the league through the <a title=\"2012\u201313 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2012%E2%80%9313_NBA_season\">2012\u201313 season<\/a>, when he suffered a <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Torn achilles tendon\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Torn_achilles_tendon\">torn achilles tendon<\/a> at age 34. Season-ending knee and shoulder injuries followed in the next two seasons. Citing physical decline, Bryant retired after the <a title=\"2015\u201316 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015%E2%80%9316_NBA_season\">2015\u201316 season<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Guard (basketball)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Guard_(basketball)\">guard<\/a> in NBA history to play <a title=\"List of National Basketball Association seasons played leaders\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_seasons_played_leaders\">20 seasons<\/a>. His 18 All-Star designations are the <a title=\"List of NBA All-Stars\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_NBA_All-Stars\">second most all time<\/a>, while it is the record for most consecutive appearances as a starter. Bryant&#8217;s four <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Star Game MVP Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Star_Game_MVP_Award\">NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards<\/a> are tied with <a title=\"Bob Pettit\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bob_Pettit\">Bob Pettit<\/a> for the most in NBA history. He gave himself the nickname &#8220;Black Mamba&#8221; in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public. At the <a title=\"Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics\">2008<\/a> and <a title=\"Basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics\">2012 Summer Olympics<\/a>, he won two <a title=\"Gold medal\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gold_medal\">gold medals<\/a> as a member of the <a title=\"United States men's national basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_men%27s_national_basketball_team\">U.S. national team<\/a>. In 2018, he won the <a title=\"Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Academy_Award_for_Best_Animated_Short_Film\">Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film<\/a> for the film <i><a title=\"Dear Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dear_Basketball\">Dear Basketball<\/a><\/i> (2017).<sup id=\"cite_ref-Oscar_9-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bryant died, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, in a <a title=\"2020 Calabasas helicopter crash\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_Calabasas_helicopter_crash\">helicopter crash<\/a> in <a title=\"Calabasas, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Calabasas,_California\">Calabasas, California<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-10\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> A number of tributes and memorials were subsequently issued, including renaming the All-Star MVP Award in his honor.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>For the latest episode of <em>The Assist<\/em> on GQ Sports\u2014originally recorded in November 2019, a few months before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/rip-kobe-bryant-los-angeles\">Bryant&#8217;s tragic death<\/a>\u2014Grover recalls how he helped Kobe completely reconstruct his training routine, and what he learned about Kobe in the process.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cHis biggest obsession was to have more championships than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/michael-jordan-icon-interview-gq-2007\">Michael<\/a>,\u201d Grover says. \u201cIf you asked him when he was going to retire, he&#8217;d say, \u2018After [championship] number seven.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Grover ultimately worked with Bryant from 2007 to 2012. He discovered that Bryant&#8217;s relentless pursuit of success had left him with a major deficit between his ability to accelerate on the court, which was off the charts, and his ability to de-accelerate, which had long been neglected and was causing knee issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bryant was always ready and willing to listen to Grover&#8217;s advice, but couldn&#8217;t stop himself from making some\u2026 adjustments along the way, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cOne of the biggest differences between the two is Michael always knew when it was enough,\u201d Grover says. \u201cAnd he would listen to you. If you said, \u2018That\u2019s it,&#8217; then that&#8217;s it. With Kobe, to him, \u2018That\u2019s it&#8217; means that&#8217;s it for that <em>moment,<\/em> but three hours later, I can start back up again.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Check out the full video below, which includes more comparisons between MJ and Bryant, and more one-of-a-kind Kobe stories, like the 4:30 am bike ride he put together in Las Vegas before the 2008 Olympic Games.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-fJxALz lfZoIg fQdwQs content-card-embed content-card-embed--stacked\" data-testid=\"ContentCardEmbedWrapper\" data-event-boundary=\"click\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;pattern&quot;:&quot;ContentCardEmbed&quot;}\" data-include-experiments=\"true\">\n<div class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-cSiAOC lfZoIg ldhwGj content-card-embed__image\" data-testid=\"ContentCardEmbedImage\"><strong><span class=\"responsive-asset\"><picture class=\"sc-iJCRrE ifDxYI responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"responsive-image__image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5e987a5ddf7bcc00099c2abb\/3:2\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/Tim%252520Grover%252520Michael%252520Jordan%252520Trainer%252520gq%252520april%2525202020.jpg\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5e987a5ddf7bcc00099c2abb\/3:2\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/Tim%252520Grover%252520Michael%252520Jordan%252520Trainer%252520gq%252520april%2525202020.jpg 775w, https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5e987a5ddf7bcc00099c2abb\/3:2\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/Tim%252520Grover%252520Michael%252520Jordan%252520Trainer%252520gq%252520april%2525202020.jpg 775w, https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5e987a5ddf7bcc00099c2abb\/3:2\/w_768%2Cc_limit\/Tim%252520Grover%252520Michael%252520Jordan%252520Trainer%252520gq%252520april%2525202020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5e987a5ddf7bcc00099c2abb\/3:2\/w_768%2Cc_limit\/Tim%252520Grover%252520Michael%252520Jordan%252520Trainer%252520gq%252520april%2525202020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.gq.com\/photos\/5e987a5ddf7bcc00099c2abb\/3:2\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/Tim%252520Grover%252520Michael%252520Jordan%252520Trainer%252520gq%252520april%2525202020.jpg 640w\" alt=\"Michael Jordan lifting weights with a trainer spotting him behind\" \/><\/picture><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-lgWdIC lfZoIg\">\n<h3 class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-jrsJWt sc-hlXxXZ lfZoIg bQjFKf jMKSdr content-card-embed__hed\" data-testid=\"ContentCardEmbedHed\"><strong><a class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-jrsJWt sc-kEqXSa sc-gswFgi lfZoIg bQjFKf hCfmMd hnsESW content-card-embed__hed-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/tim-grover-michael-jordan-the-assist\" data-testid=\"ContentCardEmbedHedLink\">Michael Jordan&#8217;s Trainer Used to Count MJ&#8217;s Steps By Hand<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-container\">\n<div role=\"main\">\n<div id=\"infinite-article\" class=\"off\" data-infinite=\"off\" data-infinite-count=\"\" data-security=\"5be72e57b8\">\n<div class=\"row post-detail-row top-padding post-detail-style1\">\n<div class=\"small-12 medium-8 columns\">\n<article id=\"post-243130\" class=\"post blog-post post-243130 type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-nba tag-chicago-bulls tag-kobe-bryant tag-michael-jordan tag-tim-grover\" data-id=\"243130\" data-url=\"https:\/\/thesportsrush.com\/nba-news-michael-jordan-always-wanted-to-win-in-the-face-of-adversity-legendary-trainer-tim-grover-claims-the-goat-was-just-as-intense-as-the-last-dance-p\/\">\n<header class=\"post-title entry-header cf\">\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\"><strong>\u201cMichael Jordan always wanted to win in the face of adversity\u201d: Legendary trainer Tim Grover claims the \u2018GOAT\u2019 was just as intense as the \u2018Last Dance\u2019 portrayed him to be<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<figure class=\"post-gallery\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-goodlife-post-style1 size-goodlife-post-style1 thb-lazyload wp-post-image wp-stateless-item lazyautosizes lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620.jpg\" sizes=\"770px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-20x11.jpg 20w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-385x217.jpg 385w\" alt=\"\u201cI got anxious and lost the ball\u201d: Michael Jordan was hilariously pushed into talking about his most embarrassing play against the Lakers by Phil Jackson\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620.jpg\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-20x11.jpg 20w, https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-385x217.jpg 385w\" data-attachment-id=\"243133\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/thesportsrush.com\/nba-news-michael-jordan-always-wanted-to-win-in-the-face-of-adversity-legendary-trainer-tim-grover-claims-the-goat-was-just-as-intense-as-the-last-dance-p\/untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741-620\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Untitled design \u2013 2021-05-26T075741.620\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-300x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620-1024x576.jpg\" data-image-size=\"goodlife-post-style1\" data-stateless-media-bucket=\"cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\" data-stateless-media-name=\"2021\/05\/a59a8959-untitled-design-2021-05-26t075741.620.jpg\" \/><\/strong><\/figure>\n<div class=\"share-container\">\n<div class=\"post-content-container\">\n<div class=\"post-content entry-content cf\">\n<h3><strong>Tim Grover talks about the intensity Michael Jordan brought to everything he did and claims that he was always looking to win.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Michael Jordan\u2019s journey through the NBA from the 80s in the 90s is perhaps the most picture-perfect climb to the top of the league. Almost as though it was written in the stars for the\u00a0events\u00a0he took part in on the court, to take place; Jordan accomplished more than most NBA players dream of, and did so by carrying an obscure franchise into title contention for nearly a decade.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Michael Jordan was lauded for an ample\u00a0amount\u00a0of things he did on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. After all, he was a 10x scoring champion and a 9x All-Defensive team selectee. However, along with his expertise for the game of basketball, came an innate sense of competitiveness to, for the lack of a better word, \u2018obliterate\u2019 his opponents.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan\u2019s approach to the game could best be described by a man who helped him reach the level he needed to from a physicality standpoint, to compete for championships on the regular.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tim Grover claims Michael Jordan always looked to win in the face of adversity.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Tim Grover trained Michael Jordan for nearly 15 years and was a major factor in the Bulls\u2019 3-peats in the 1990s. Along with being Jordan\u2019s personal trainer, he was also a close friend of his and got an up-close and personal look at what drove the \u2018GOAT\u2019 to reach a level of perfection as high as his.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cI remember when Zach LaVine had a\u00a050 point\u00a0game in Chicago and he was the first player to do it in a while and they asked him about Mike and he said MJ\u2019s a ghost, a myth. The Last Dance just took it to a whole other level, to see how intense he was and how focused he was during one of the most difficult times to win.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cHis desire and the mental fortitude to win during any adversity that was thrown at you, for most individuals that would been like, \u2018I\u2019m not going to do this.\u2019 For him, everything that happened was just another chance to show how to win under all these different circumstances.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Though Kobe Bryant would enter the NBA at the tail-end of Michael Jordan\u2019s prime with the Bulls, he would emulate the exact same mentality as the 6x champ. Tim Grover is actually quoted as saying that Michael was more strategic with his training and knew when to stop at most times. Kobe however, didn\u2019t. It\u2019s no\u00a0surprise\u00a0that the man Bryant idolized the most coming into this was\u00a0greatest\u00a0to ever do it.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"article-tags entry-footer\"><\/footer>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"content-footer\" data-event-boundary=\"click\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;pattern&quot;:&quot;ContentFooter&quot;}\" data-include-experiments=\"true\">\n<div class=\"content-footer__bottom\">\n<div class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-hBMUJo lfZoIg wnuBm\">\n<div class=\"grid grid-margins grid-items-2 grid-full-bleed\">\n<div class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-gGuRsA lfZoIg cCVlOR grid--item content-footer__outbrain-widget grid-layout__span-6\" data-testid=\"OutbrainWidgetWrapper\">\n<div class=\"sc-pNWdM sc-iueNdr lfZoIg OUTBRAIN\" data-ob-template=\"gq\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/tim-grover-kobe-bryant-the-assist\" data-widget-id=\"AR_14\" data-testid=\"OutbrainWidgetContent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Jordan Talking About His Trainer: &#8220;I Don\u2019t Pay Grover To Train Me. I Pay Him Not To Train Anybody Else.&#8217;\u201d The world can use a lot of moments to describe the relationship of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. First, Jordan was a mentor, then he became a friend for life thanks to sharing the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2405,330,11,8,1314,2432,1456,1156,110,2416,13,2404,2406,107,14,191,106,104,187,1,1282,537,12,7,9,10],"tags":[4113,2153,4111,1475,1667,1367,2066,2235,2239,2060,2065,2058,2057,2063,2064,1681,2062,2059,2236,1555,2061,3225,4112,2234],"class_list":["post-20591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-gamers","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-golf-sports-news","category-hall-of-fame","category-health","category-high-school-sports","category-mbs-hss","category-mlb-sports-news","category-most-commented","category-nascar-racing","category-nba-sports-news","category-ncaa","category-ncaa-basketball","category-news","category-olympics","category-racing","category-scitech","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-b-45-career-history-1984-1993","tag-2153","tag-1963-age-58-brooklyn","tag-1475","tag-1667","tag-1367","tag-1993-2x-nba-slam-dunk-contest-champion-1987","tag-1995-1998","tag-1995-1998-chicago-bulls-2001-2003-washington-wizards-career-highlights-and-awards-6x-nba-champion-1991-1993","tag-1996-1998","tag-1996-1998-3x-nba-steals-leader-1988","tag-1996-1998-5x-nba-most-valuable-player-1988","tag-1996-1998-6x-nba-finals-mvp-1991-1993","tag-1996-1998-all-nba-second-team-1985-nba-defensive-player-of-the-year-1988-9x-nba-all-defensive-first-team-1988-1993","tag-1996-1998-nba-rookie-of-the-year-1985-nba-all-rookie-first-team-1985-10x-nba-scoring-champion-1987-1993","tag-1681","tag-1998-10x-all-nba-first-team-1987-1993","tag-1998-14x-nba-all-star-1985-1993","tag-2001-2003-position-shooting-guard-number-23","tag-1555","tag-2003-3x-nba-all-star-game-mvp-1988","tag-michael-jordanmichael-jordan-in-2014-jpg-jordan-in-april-2014-charlotte-hornets-position-owner-league-nba-personal-information-born-february-17","tag-new-york-nationality-american-listed-height-6-ft-6-in-1-98-m-listed-weight-216-lb-98-kga-career-information-high-school-emsley-a-laney-wilmington","tag-north-carolina-college-north-carolina-1981-1984-nba-draft-1984-round-1-pick-3rd-overall-selected-by-the-chicago-bulls-playing-career-1984-1993","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}