Wikimedia Commons / Keith Allison (DR)
Fond of the various lessons he could receive on his early career, Kobe Bryant was able to benefit in particular from the recommendation… of Michael Jackson. Recommendation that he made sure to honor to the letter thereafter.
Unlike many league icons, he did not enjoy a very high rating before his arrival. Simply selected with the 13th pick of the 1996 Draft, Kobe Bryant had to prove his worth for a long time before seeing his talent truly recognized in the NBA. He even spent the majority of his first two seasons as a substitute for the Lakers, where his style of play was not always unanimous.
Arrived within the franchise as soon as he left high school, the Young Mamba did not display a very strong sense of the collective. Individualist on the pitch, isolated in the locker room, his integration was not the most optimal. The help provided by his elders then proved essential, both within the team and outside. One of them has also caused his immense surprise, and for good reason.
The precious tip given by Michael Jackson to Kobe Bryant
Just coming out of a tricky rookie season, Kobe is spending part of his summer in the gym, determined to gain muscle in order to bend to the physical toughness of the NBA. It was then that he received a phone call… from Michael Jackson, as Jackie MacMullan relates in the columns ofESPN :
Kobe Bryant : His call was completely unexpected. I even thought it was a prank call.
Kobe Bryant: ‘When I was 18, Michael Jackson tried to…’
During this ten-minute exchange, the “King of Pop” not only invites his young interlocutor to visit him, but also gives him a first piece of advice:
Michael Jackson : Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t blend in and be normal just to conform to others. Be yourself.
Once in Neverland, Bryant was able to receive other suggestions of the kind, one of which seems to have particularly marked him:
Michael Jackson : Your curiosity is the greatest gift that has been given to you. Use it to widen your field of vision. Ordinary people won’t understand your insatiable pursuit of excellence. They won’t bother trying to follow you because it’s too hard. (…) You must study all the legends. You have to learn what made them successful and what caused their downfall.
What justify the behavior adopted by Kobe in the face of his prestigious counterparts on the floors, like the thirst for learning he displayed with Michael Jordan !
Despite a career still at the top during the summer of 1997, Michael Jackson took the time to help young Kobe Bryant. A boost that remained engraved in the memory of the latter, and oh so precious on the rest of his career in the NBA!
