Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were on-court rivals but off the court, they shared a profound relationship. The two showed each other immense respect and always had each other back. The last conversation they shared before the tragic death of Bryant is one of the proofs of their friendship. Furthermore, It is not a secret that Jordan was Bryant’s idol and he intended to walk on the same path as His Airness.
Due to this, It came as a shock that Bryant did not accept the invite from his Idol himself. Kobe reminisced about all the times that Jordan asked him to join in for a golf game, he candidly said, “He would try to get me to play golf all the time”. Furthermore, the Black Mamba who is well-known for his remarkable mentality and tactics apparently was scared of the humiliation.
Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/TBXqLr7W3F
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“‘Mike, I know about you. I’ve written book reports about you in elementary school. I know you started playing golf in North Carolina“, Kobe mentioned. He continued by stating that if he did the math, Jordan would have been playing the sport for like a hundred years.
Bryant spoke about the shortcomings of his own skills when it comes to Golf and candidly accepted, “I have not picked up a golf club ever. The last thing you’re going to do is get me on a golf course and annihilate me. Not gonna do it”. It is undeniable that it was a smart move by the Lakers star. He knew that Jordan wouldn’t take him easily and certainly wouldn’t leave a chance to show off his skills.
Kobe Bryant revealed that Michael Jordan’s competitive nature doesn’t make sense
In the same interview, Kobe Bryant cited another reason behind his refusal which is Jordan’s well-known competitive nature. He candidly spoke, “Michael is competitive in all things that don’t make sense”. Anyone who has watched even a single game of Michael won’t disagree with this statement.
Michael and his competitive nature are etched in the books of NBA history. Notably, even in his locker room stories speak volumes about this. However, it is noteworthy that this nature of his isn’t limited to the court but all areas of life.
Interestingly, even when it came to dating Madonna, Michael’s fierce competitiveness led him to be jealous of his teammate Scottie Pippen. There are numerous such examples wherein his nature is clearly evident. The resurfaced YouTube video of Kobe has led to adding another to the list.
Interestingly, this refusal saga is not the only time that Bryant drew a line with his Idol Michael Jordan. Notably, he has even kept himself at the forefront of the Greatest Player of All Time title and pushed Jordan to second place. While it is disheartening that fans did not get to witness the two legends play another sport together, it was indeed a wise decision.