“I got the Master Chef right here in front of me” - Rip Hamilton on Michael Jordan guiding him in practice
Not many have been opportune to learn from Michael Jordan, as the Chicago Bulls legend believes players need to figure things out for themselves to be among the elite. However, he took pride in mentoring players who were willing to learn, including former Washington Wizards teammate Rip Hamilton.
Hamilton joined the Wizards in 1999 after a nine-year stint with the Detroit Pistons. MJ joined the Wizards in 2001 in what was his second return from retirement. Although they only spent a year together, Hamilton was thrilled with the opportunity to learn from MJ.
On the latest episode of The Hoop Genius Podcast, Mo Mooncey asked Hamilton what the biggest thing he learned from MJ was, and he said:
(From 14:15)
"The mid-range game. As a kid, I envied Michael Jordan, like he was my idol growing up. I couldn't jump as high as him but it was little details stuff I could try to figure out to kind of take off his game and just get an opportunity to compete with him in practice."
"I was a two-guard, he was a two-guard now," he continued. "It's like, hey, I got the Master Chef right here in front of me. So, I can sit there and ask him questions or talk to him, watching all the time."
"And I always tell the story of being in practice with him and being able to guard him and him telling him to dribbles and pulling up in my face and he's like, 'Yo, rip put that in your game. Learn that, perfect that, that's the hardest play in basketball to guard.'"
"And for a guy like Michael Jordan to be able to tell me because I'm like the apprentice at the time, to give me that type of information. And me to actually work on each and every day and practice it, and he's able to come to me and say, oh, that's not a good shot."
"Oh, the first dribble was not hard enough, or the second you got to push the second dribble out a little further. That little detail stuff you just can't get unless you get the opportunity to play with the greatest player of all time."
While he was not asked about the GOAT debate, he subtly included it in his response, saying he learned from the greatest player of all time.
Michael Jordan was proud of Kobe Bryant for utilizing his famous turn-around fadeaway jumper
![Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant [Photo: The Sportsrush]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/04/666c5-16501051050460-1920.jpg)
Although MJ initially got annoyed with how Kobe Bryant pestered him, even though he first extended the invitation, he respected him for his mentality and was eventually willing to do whatever to help him. On episode 7 of Ringer's Icons Club podcast, Jordan revealed:
"The one thing that I did give him that I felt like I regretted, but then again I appreciated was the turn around fade away. He learned my move, and he learned that to a point where he would use it relentlessly, especially when you know you're getting double-teamed. You feel like you're in a good rhythm. I took great pride in seeing him utilize that. Even though he didn't do it against me that much."
Jordan and Kobe were a lot similar in terms of how they approached the game. They both wanted to win at all costs and had multiple championships to show for their efforts.