Kobe Bryant Said Lakers Don't Win 5 Titles Without Michael Jordan On 'Last Dance'

Episode 5 of “The Last Dance,” which aired on ESPN Sunday night, began with Michael Jordan at the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. It was Jordan’s final All-Star appearance as a member of the Chicago Bulls and the first of 18 All-Star appearances for a future NBA legend.

Kobe Bryant received the most votes of any Western Conference shooting guard as a 19-year-old. He was the youngest starter in All-Star Game history. In his second season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant averaged 15.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

“That little Laker boy’s gonna take everybody one-on-one,” Jordan said to Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway in the locker room prior to the All-Star Game, as seen in “The Last Dance.”

“He don’t let the game come to him. He just go out there and take it.”

It was a thrill for Bryant, who played opposite the star that he had idolized as a kid. Bryant developed a close relationship with Jordan over the course of his career, trying to emulate the greatest basketball player of all time.

“I grew up watching Michael on TV and now you got a chance to go face-to-face with him, you get a chance to really see and like touch and feel – strength, speed, quickness and it was fun to be out there,” the late Bryant said on “The Last Dance.”

“It was a rough couple years for me, coming into the league. Because at the time the league was so much older. It’s not as young as it is today. So nobody was really thinking much of me. I was a kid that shot a bunch of air balls. And at that point, Michael provided a lot of guidance for me.”

As a rookie in the 1996-1997 season, Bryant would wait to speak with Jordan after the Lakers played the Bulls. In his speech during Bryant’s public memorial at Staples Center on Feb. 24, Jordan revealed that Bryant would often call him late at night seeking advice.

Bryant played 20 seasons, all with the Lakers. He was the closest thing to “next Michael Jordan” that the league has seen.

A fierce competitor and elite scorer, Bryant led Los Angeles to seven NBA Finals appearances and won five championships. He fell short of reaching Jordan’s six rings, but Bryant matched his idol with nine All-Defense First-Team selections. Bryant even surpassed the Bulls’ legend with 11 All-NBA First-Team selections and four All-Star Game MVP awards.

“I had a question about shooting his turnaround shot so I asked him about it, and he gave me a great detailed answer, but on top of that, he said, ‘if you ever need anything, give me a call.’ That’s like my big brother,” Bryant said.

“I truly hate having discussions about who would win one-on-one, and your fans saying, ‘Hey Kobe, you’d beat Michael one-on-one.’ I feel like, ‘Yo, 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.”