When Kobe Bryant’s silence spoke louder than words, the Mamba made Michael Jordan eat his own statement, dropping 55 points in a legendary showdown

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Gilbert Arenas recounted an incident between a nearly 40-year-old Michael Jordan and a young Kobe Bryant. The event unfolded during one of their final matchups, with Jordan emerging victorious while Kobe sported Jordan 8’s.’ In a post-match interaction, Jordan playfully patted Bryant on the rear, commenting, “You can wear the shoes but you’ll never fill them.”

Following this encounter, Arenas disclosed, “Kobe did not utter a word to anyone. For around two weeks, they said, Kobe stayed mute.”

As the quintessential competitor, Kobe Bryant didn’t forget Jordan’s words as their match on March 28, 2003, loomed. Arenas stated that Bryant refrained from speaking to his teammates for two whole weeks after that dynamic game. Here’s his narrative:

Kobe went silent, but his game was intensely focused. So the team asked, ‘Phil [Jackson], what’s up with Kobe? Is he annoyed with us?’ Jackson responded, ‘No, he’s not upset at you. It’s about Jordan… in Washington. He told him, he could mimic him all he liked, but he will never fill these shoes.’ They were like, ‘‘I feel sorry for Michael Jordan’.

 

 

In retaliation, Bryant ruthlessly targeted Michael Jordan and mercilessly defeated the Wizards by scoring 55 points in that game. Demonstrating a shooting accuracy of 51.9%, including 9-of-13 from behind the arc and 16-of-18 from the charity stripe, Bryant secured 42 points in the first half alone. The Lakers triumphed in that game with a 108-94 victory against the home team. Meanwhile, Jordan ended the match with 23 points on 10-of-20 shooting.

Battle of Legends: Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant in the 2000s

Michael Jordan, after a three-season break from basketball between 1999 and 2001, made a comeback as a 38-year-old player with the Washington Wizards. This comeback introduced him to a significantly advanced version of Kobe Bryant, who was already leading the LA Lakers to championship wins.

 

 

During the 2001-02 season, the Lakers secured two wins against the Wizards, with an average winning margin of 14.5 points for each game. In their initial head-to-head that year, Jordan achieved 22 points, while Bryant accomplished a triple-double with 23 points, 15 assists, and rebounds.

In the concluding season that saw both Jordan and Bryant in the league, they clashed twice more, resulting in each team – the Lakers and the Wizards – claiming a victory.

Jordan enjoyed initial success, notching up 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, leading the Wizards to a slim one-point win, 100-99. On that day, Bryant racked up impressive stats with 27 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, though his shooting was 8-of-21 from the field. In their final face-off, the LA Lakers emerged dominant, with Bryant steering the team with a whopping 55 points, while Jordan managed to score 23.