Watch: Kobe Bryant playfully punches and exchanges banter with Michael Jordan in latter's last ever game at Staples Center, on this day 19 years ago
On this day 19 years ago, Michael Jordan and the late Kobe Bryant squared up against each other at Staples Center and shared an iconic moment. In a cross-conference match-up between the LA Lakers and Washington Wizards, a clash between the two greats made the game a stand-out fixture.
With less than a minute left in the third quarter, Kobe Bryant worked his way around a screen set by teammate Rick Fox, only to find Michael Jordan holding his ground. Bryant ran into him and picked up an offensive foul.
19 years ago today. An iconic moment in Jordan’s last game at Staples Center 🐍🐐
The passing of the torch.
(via @Lakers) https://t.co/YIbR3KLCvs
While Tyronn Lue of the Wizards tried to help his teammate up, Bryant intervened with a series of playful punches to Jordan’s chest – before lifting him up, as the two of them shared a laugh. It was an appealing sight for the fans, giving them a glimpse of the friendly relationship that the two competitors shared.
Referee Gary Zielinski, who made the offensive foul call, later commented on the incident by saying:
“And then he starts swinging at him. And as a referee, you don’t know, you don’t want to overreact. And then you realize the two people that are involved, and I just said to myself, ‘They’re just having a good, old moment right now.’”
The Lakers went on to grab a 108-94 victory against the Wizards, with Kobe Bryant scoring 55 points, which included nine shots from beyond the arc and 16 free-throws. Michael Jordan, on the other hand, finished the game with 23 points, shooting 50% from the field – playing his final game in Los Angeles.
On a night that ended up being the final time Bryant and Jordan faced-off against each other, Shaquille O’Neal commented on their relationship in an interview after the game:
“In every good karate flick, in order for the student to become the man, he has to kill the teacher.”
While that season marked the end of an astounding career for Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant went on to win two more championships and break a lot of records. It is no secret that Bryant drew inspiration from Jordan’s career in the league, forging his own path over 20 seasons.
Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan head-to-head
Bryant and Jordan’s career over-lapped for only four seasons, during which they faced-off against each other eight times in the regular season and multiple times in All-Star games. To the dismay of NBA fans, Jordan and Kobe never met in the playoffs, but when they did face-off – it was always a highly intense game.
In their regular-season match-ups, Kobe got the upper hand with five wins out of eight. Over those eight games, Jordan averaged 24.5 points, while Bryant averaged 22.8 points – their rebounding and assists numbers have been almost identical.
Kobe Bryant vs Michael Jordan – Identical Plays Trilogy | VIDEOS: bit.ly/1ofaYPy http://t.co/nypkLudmES
In terms of game-highs, Bryant’s highest scoring game was this match-up – with 55 points, while Jordan recorded 36 points in a Bulls jersey in 1997. Bryant’s triple-double of 23 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists in 2002, gave him better game-highs in both assists and rebounding categories – while Jordan managed only nine rebounds and six assists over different seasons.
Numbers apart, both Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were generational talents, dominating the league in their respective eras.