Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant motivated Zach LaVine to become a better player

Chicago Bulls star guard Zach LaVine wants to try to be like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had the same mindset, killer instinct, and playing style. Chicago Bulls star guard Zach LaVine appeared in the ‘Ball Don’t Stop’ podcast with Ekam Nagra and talked about the similarities between Jordan and Bryant and how they made the mid-range shot a crucial part of their game.

“It’s almost like art the way that they operated and how they could manipulate defense. You know, pump-fake, slide-through and a ball-fake. They could take one-two dribbles; it’s crazy,” LaVine said.

LaVine is a big Jordan and Bryant fan

LaVine was born in 1995. Still, he found ways to witness Jordan lead the Bulls to six NBA Championships in eight years. LaVine talked about it during his appearance on the ‘Scoop B Radio’ podcast.

“I was a big Michael Jordan fan, so I watched a lot of the tapes. I just remember how good they were; they were so dominant, especially in the East. The East back then was really good and they had to go through the Bad Boys, the Pistons. They had to go through Indiana, so it was; they had some good teams back then. Even Miami was pretty good at the time. Michael Jordan obviously the most dominant player,” LaVine explained.

Like Kobe/Mike

LaVine appeared on the ‘ALL THE SMOKE’ podcast and shared that Jordan and Bryant are whom he wants to try to be like and that Bryant is one of the reasons he wears number 8.

“Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were the guys I want to try to be like,” LaVine revealed. “Kobe was my biggest inspiration. Wearing number 8, things like that, that’s one of the main reasons I wear it.”

Jordan and Bryant have impacted LaVine’s game and work ethic. The two-time NBA All-Star has admitted to not being 100 percent coming off left knee surgery, but based on his recent performances and what he’s been saying, he believes he could play more.

“I try to play as much as I can. That’s what I say,” LaVine noted on November 7. “Until we get to a point where we can figure out what is the best-case scenario, back-to-backs are going to be a little in the air. But I felt good. And I felt even better today. I wish I played yesterday and tried to make up for it today.”