Lakers News: Brash Young Kobe Bryant Stunned Michael Jordan With This Challenge

Who would win a game of one-on-one between Kobe and M.J.?

When Phil Jackson took the stage to honor the late Kobe Bryant at his statue unveiling on Friday, he recalled how young Bryant was when they first met.

He was 22.

Bryant was eager to be a superstar right then, but Jackson wanted him to be patient.

There were times I would pull him to the sideline and say, don't try to take over this game. It's not time. Don't try to take over this game. But he was dying to do so, and he was ready to do so.

Per Phil Jackson via Los Angeles Lakers

Bryant was a legend in the making, so Jackson turned to a former player from Chicago to talk to him.

FULL SPEECH: Phil Jackson speaks at the Kobe Bryant statue unveiling pic.twitter.com/F9LEftuNh1

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 9, 2024

He invited Michael Jordan to sit with Bryant and "give him a little impression of how to handle being in a restricted basketball system that relied on passing the ball to available teammates and wanting to go one-on-one with this guy in front of you."

So I arranged, we had a little meeting in the cigar room off the bar downstairs, and Michael and I were sitting there, and Kobe walked in after his shower and the press and whatnot, and he sat down, and he said, "Michael, I can take you one-on-one." And Michael said, well, I think you might. I'm 37, you're 22.

Per Phil Jackson via Los Angeles Lakers

Eventually, Bryant learned from those early years and embraced Jackson's philosophy, and they won five titles together.