(AUDACY) There's 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 this Saturday. Much like Jordan's tribute to Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant at their memorial after their tragic deaths in a helicopter crash in January 2020, his upcoming speech is sure to be full of tears, laughs and everything in between to fully honor the Lakers legend Bryant's legacy and celebrate his life.
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And if the final text messages that Jordan and Bryant 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 those messages to ESPN reporter 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 Bryant affirmed that his family was also doing well. It was then that basketball found its way into the conversation, as Jordan asked about Bryant'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."
Jordan commented that he loved that text "because it shows Kobe's competitive nature." 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 noted.
"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."
It's worth noting that Bryant started his road in the NBA without any college experience, stepping into a professional role at 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 mental strength, and Bryant'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 Jordan's toughness — and Jordan's for that matter — than their cold-blooded mentalities at huge moments in huge games when they would take -- and often make -- the final shot. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, especially when you can equal the levels of dominance of the person you're looking to mimic.
The enshrinement ceremony will be televised live by ESPN on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT.
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