SUMMARY
- In the latest episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, he spoke about how the most recent performance of Green reminded him of young Bryant.
- Back in April 2022, Simmons justified why he picked Herb Jones over Jalen Green for the All-Rookie team.
Jalen Green has emerged to be one of the rising players in the NBA. He has been a part of the league for only a couple of years and has already become a fan favorite. Green’s recent form has garnered a lot of appreciation from the basketball world. Amidst this, American sportswriter and cultural critic Bill Simmons drew a comparison to the legendary Kobe Bryant.
In the latest episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, he spoke about how the most recent performance of Green reminded him of young Bryant. “This version of the attacking the rim and then the jump shooting, [it] reminds me a little of young Kobe,” Simmons stated. Furthermore, he clarified that he didn’t mean to refer to three-rings-in-a-row Kobe but rather late-’90s ones where it was more about a lot going on.
Bill Simmons says that watching Jalen Green in March, he’s reminded of a young, late-90s Kobe Bryant.
“Watching him the last couple of weeks, it’s like, man, if you were just drawing a two-guard from scratch, from a scoring standpoint, what kind of move or shot doesn’t he have?” pic.twitter.com/4TBtrxxTMx
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) March 25, 2024
Additionally, he gave the biggest compliment to the young athlete as he said, “And watching him the last couple weeks, it’s like, man, if you were just drawing a two-guard from scratch, from a scoring standpoint, what kinda move or shot doesn’t he have?” Green who has somewhat been an underrated player for the first two seasons of his career seems to have risen from ashes.
Bill Simmons’ previous comment on Jalen Green is resurfacing
As the clip of Bill Simmons’ words of appreciation for Jalen Green and comparison to one of the greatest players to walk on the NBA court stormed the internet, everyone seemed to have been reminded of his previous comment on Green which was almost two years apart. Back in April 2022, Simmons justified why he picked Herb Jones over Jalen Green for the All-Rookie team.
“F–k Jalen Green. I don’t care you’re scoring 40 points and your team’s 19-60. Congratulations. Herb Jones is like guarding dudes in real games,” the famous NBA personality said on his podcast. He faced backlash from Green’s fans and now two years later, his comments are the opposite. This is undeniably the result of the Houston Rockets star’s determination and hard work.
Jalen Green studied Kobe Bryant to lock in his mentality
After Bill Simmons’ comment on Jalen Green which backfired and he received a lot of hate for it, he called the Rockets star on his podcast. Things seemed well settled between the two as they spoke about various topics. During this, Green revealed that he drew inspiration from Kobe Bryant and studied him extensively to lock in his mentality.
After talking about Bryant’s mindset, mentality, the way he carried himself, his hard work, etc, he said “That was the time I started to lock in mentally, tried to get stronger physically.” Furthermore, Green revealed that he watched a lot of Kobe when he was younger and “how he came into the league, and everything changed for him.” From taking inspiration to being compared to the Lakers star, Green has come a long way.
