Kobe Bryant is often regarded as one of the best NBA players in history. He managed to achieve that thanks to his elite ‘Mamba Mentality’ and relentless work ethic. Kobe’s favorite player was Michael Jordan, as Vanessa Bryant claimed in her speech after his death. The two players faced in the 90s and witnessed the greatness of each other.
The NBA community must be aware of how Jordan allegedly claimed that Bryant could never fill his shoes. That could have been the start of Kobe’s goal; to be better than his idol. This was also reportedly one of the reasons for his iconic jersey number.
Kevin Garnett says Kobe Bryant wore number 24 as a sign he was a step better than 23 Michael Jordan 👀 pic.twitter.com/VwqMqJqsBo
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) March 10, 2023
Kevin Garnett recently claimed that Kobe changed to number 24 after some time in the league to make sure he had the edge over His Airness. MJ’s number was 23, and Kobe just wanted to be better than that, according to Garnett.
He said, “People don’t even know [what] the 24 stands for,” Garnett said. “People don’t even understand that that was a sign to everybody that he was a step above 23 [Michael Jordan’s jersey number], if y’all even got that.” However, an old video of Kobe has resurfaced at this point.
Is Kevin Garnett right about the reason for Kobe Bryant’s jersey number change?
Knowing Kobe’s mindset, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that wanted to be better than who he idolized the most. However, Bryant disclosed a unique reason as to why he changed his jersey number, a long time back.
Kobe explaining his decision to switch from number 8 to number 24 🐍 pic.twitter.com/UjVeNjCS45
— Hoops Supply (@HoopsSupply) April 28, 2021
“For me, 24 is about appreciating that moment. There [are] 24 hours in a day, that’s what it symbolizes to me. It’s my eleventh year in the league, everything went by so fast, I never had the chance to soak it all in.”
The Black Mamba won five NBA titles and is still one shy of MJ’s six. However, despite that, there are fans who regard Bryant to be the greatest player in the league of all time. The main reason for that would be the impact and influence he had on the league.
The Chicago Bulls legend admitted, “When Kobe died, a piece of me died” after Bryant’s death. It speaks at length about the relationship and bond they shared despite being rivals on the court.
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