Kobe Bryant Was Bullied For Trying To Emulate Michael Jordan, Says God Shammgod

Kobe Bryant was one of a kind. No one, in all fairness, matched his competitive edge and ferocious intensity on the court. Well, perhaps Michael Jordan, who, funnily enough, was also the only person Bryant ever tried to walk in the footsteps of.

Ex-NBA player turned coach God Shammgod recently shared the story of a young Bryant playing alongside him at ABCD camp, where the future Hall of Famer was strutting around like Jordan. “He was walking like Jordan, talking like Jordan,” revealed Shammgod during an interview with the Catch 12 program. The impersonation, however, didn’t do too well for Bryant.

Everyone at the camp was young. And naturally, watching someone emulate an icon like Jordan warranted some teasing, and even some bullying. Among themselves, Shammgod and the others kept snickering about how Kobe would never be like the Chicago Bulls legend.

“You know how kids are. We either haters or we cruel. ‘Man, this dude think he Jordan? This dude’s a clown. He ain’t never gonna be no Jordan’,” he continued.

That kind of bullying would have easily weighed on a weaker-minded player. But what those kids didn’t realize was Kobe’s strength, even at just 16 years old. Even Shammgod was impressed by the Mamba’s refusal to believe he belonged in the same conversation as Jordan. Kobe believed he was better.

“What people don’t understand with Kobe, he had the same mindset in the end, and the same mindset in the beginning. He’s the only person I know that was saying he was better than Jordan, and he honestly believed it. There was nothing you can tell him. And that was at 16,” he added.

That moment sparked a friendship between Shammgod and Kobe that lasted up until his tragic passing in 2020. “That right there built into a 25-year friendship. I was training his daughter. He would fly me to LA to train his daughter,” Shammgod revealed with a hint of sadness.

It’s sad that there are now only stories of Kobe that are shared without him being here to rebut them. He lived such a large life, yet was still struck from this earth far too soon.

Bryant’s admiration for Jordan

The Black Mamba made an appearance on Netflix’s superhit Last Dance documentary about Jordan and the Chicago Bulls Dynasty. During his small cameo, Kobe heaped words of praise on the man who he tried to copy as a 16-year-old.

“He’s like my big brother. What you get from me is from him. I don’t get five championships here without him because he guided me so much and gave me so much great advice.”

Behind the competitive brick wall was a man filled with gratitude, someone truly appreciative of the opportunities he had to play the game he loved. Stories like Shammgod’s and his memories of Kobe’s words about MJ continue to carry the Mamba’s unmatched spirit. There’s a reason Kobe remains a constant presence in basketball conversations today.

In time, his accomplishments, both as a man and as an NBA player, will be remembered as folktales. Until then, much like Shammgod has, all we can do is keep placing respect on Bryant’s name.