The time Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant put on a show in Chicago

His Airness Michael Jordan went at it against his heir, Kobe Bryant.

On December 17th, 1997, basketball fans got a Christmas present a week early when two of the game's greatest players, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, faced off in a spectacular match-up. The Bulls were playing the Lakers at the United Center in Chicago, and it was a matchup of legends.

Jordan was already established as one of the all-time greats, while Bryant was an up-and-coming superstar who had just begun to make his mark on the league. While the Bulls came away with a dominant 103-84 victory, the real highlight of the night was Jordan and Bryant trading spectacular plays back and forth.

From one icon to the other

While Jordan was his usual brilliant self with 36 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a block, Bryant was also spectacular, going toe-to-toe with Jordan and finishing with 33 points, three rebounds, and two assists. The two legends wowed the crowd with a series of exciting plays—Jordan hitting long jumpers, Bryant swishing mid-range shots, and each player attacking the rim for highlight dunks.

It was a clinic in basketball skill, with Jordan and Bryant trading highlight plays, much to the delight of the crowd. Bryant, then just 19 years of age and playing in his second season, looked right at home going up against Jordan and made it clear that he was a force to be reckoned with. For his part, Jordan showed no signs of slowing down, playing the same brand of dynamic basketball that had propelled him to superstardom.

Imparting lessons

Jordan, who's considered by many to be the ultimate competitor, even went out of his way to share some tricks of the trade with Bryant after the game. He made sure Bryant knew that it wasn't enough to just be talented but also to consistently work hard on his craft and never stop improving. While the night belonged to Jordan, it was also a seminal moment for Bryant and marked the beginning of an incredible career.