There is perhaps no better person to present the late Kobe Bryant at his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame than Michael Jordan, who will do so on Saturday, May 15. Much like MJ's tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant at Staples Center after their tragic deaths, his upcoming speech is sure to be full of tears, laughs and everything in between to fully honor the Lakers' Hall of Famer's legacy and celebrate his life.
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And if the final text messages that MJ and Kobe exchanged before the tragic crash are any indication, the values that the two giants of basketball shared will be focal points of the presentation.
Jordan revealed these messages to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan ahead of the enshrinement ceremony, and the conversation touched on each other's families and their love of basketball (h/t Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report).
Bryant reached out to Jordan to thank him for a bottle of his Cincoro Tequila, additionally asking him about his family. "All good. Yours?" Jordan replied, to which Kobe affirmed that his family, too, was all good. It was then that basketball found its way into the conversation, as MJ asked about Kobe's "career" as a coach for Gianna. Here's that interaction, straight from MacMullan's account:
"Happy holidays," Jordan texted back, "and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!"
"I added that little crying/laughing emoji," Jordan chuckles.
"Ah, back at you, man," Kobe wrote. "Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8."
45-8. That's a score that both Kobe and MJ would love to see for their teams, whether as players or coaches, and Jordan commented that he loved that text "because it shows Kobe's competitive nature." Also, coincidentally, 45 and 8 are two numbers that were worn by Jordan and Bryant, respectively, at different points of their careers.
Jordan was also complimentary of Bryant, lauding him for his toughness among other qualities, as Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk notes.
"He was a mentally tough kid, maybe even tougher than I was," Jordan told MacMullan. "Remember, the people who followed me, my fans, didn't like that he was trying to copy what I had done.
"His style of play was identical to mine. He stayed true to his course, and I respect that."
You also have to remember that Bryant started his road in the NBA without any college experience, stepping into a professional role at the age of 18 years old and becoming an All-Star when he was just 19. That type of ascension into superstardom, especially in a place like Los Angeles, takes some real mental strength, and Kobe's toughness grew as he got older to help him become a face of not only the Lakers, but of the entire NBA. There's perhaps no better representation of Kobe's toughness — and MJ's, for that matter — than their cold-blooded mentalities at huge moments in huge games when they would take, and make, the final shot. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, especially when you can equal levels of dominance of the person you're looking to mimic.
The enshrinement ceremony will be televised live by ESPN on Saturday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
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