Kobe Bryant: Michael Jackson Was My Mentor

Kobe Bryant spoke about his relationship with Michael Jackson recently with Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.

Bryant, who had spoken about Jackson shortly after the singer's death in 2009, described the King of Pop as a mentor and credited his tough mentality to Jackson's teachings.

"It sounds weird, I guess, but it's true: I was really mentored by the preparation of Michael Jackson," Bryant told Yahoo!, adding:

"We would always talk about how he prepared to make his music, how he prepared for concerts. He would teach me what he did: How to make a 'Thriller' album, a 'Bad' album, all the details that went into it. It was all the validation that I needed - to know that I had to focus on my craft and never waver. Because what he did - and how he did it - was psychotic. He helped me get to a level where I was able to win three titles playing with Shaq because of my preparation, my study. And it's only all grown. That's the mentality that I have - it's not an athletic one. It's not from [Michael] Jordan. It's not from other athletes. It's from Michael Jackson."

After Jackson died, Bryant wrote a tribute for TIME, saying that Jackson encouraged him to be different and offered to let him host his wedding at Neverland Ranch for privacy.

"Beyond the genius of what he was, he was just a genuinely, genuinely nice person," Bryant wrote of Jackson. "He was just a genuinely nice person who was exceptionally bright, exceptionally bright, and driven and talented. You mix those things together, man, you have Michael Jackson."

Bryant also described Jackson as "extremely misunderstood" in another interview:

Comments

[Bryan C Alexander]

02:50 PM on 11/30/2010

This is WAY too confusing. In you comments please stop referring to anyone as "MJ" or "Mike" or "Michael". Are you talking about Jackson or Jordan?

[Gavin Saunders]

07:34 PM on 11/28/2010

You probably know that isn't true and if you don't, since you have a computer, try doing some real research before you make such horrific statements or you will continue to be regarded as a stupid person.

[veritas88]

09:19 PM on 11/28/2010

nice!

[veritas88]

09:20 PM on 11/28/2010

It sounds like you're talking about 2 of your relatives. Harsh.

[Adam Sheets]

12:49 PM on 11/27/2010

True.

[veritas88]

06:14 PM on 11/27/2010

You have no points of any value which is why you call people who disagree "wild-eyed crazies, with even wilder "Ideas"". You're too weak and dim to back up anything you say with a shred of credible evidence and instead resort to ad hominem attacks. You're pathetic. And to top it off you don't even know how to write a complete English sentence. What are all those extra ellipses supposed to be for? Do you even know how they're supposed to be used??

[BrotherOrchid]

07:00 PM on 11/27/2010

The last resort?. . . . correcting or attacking spelling, and/or punctuation is the last resort of a debate loser !!!!.. .you post about civility?. . . then attack mercilessly ?. . . .you post about facts?. . . .and offer few?. .. . . .you claim some "inside" knowledge?. . . . are you kidding me?. . . . .annd you say that you do "research"?. . . . .surfing a fan-site is not "research.

[whirledgonecrazy]

02:19 PM on 11/26/2010

For the first time, I like something Kobe said. I've never been a fan of Kobe or of the Kobe Bryant era Lakers because they play against my team in the western division. But I'm a huge MJ fan and think it's really cool that Kobe drew inspiration from him.

[RVU]

04:17 PM on 11/25/2010

Kobe Bryant is of the most over-rated team sports athletes in the last 25 years. He is not in the same league of Michael Jordan. He would not have won those championships in the middle part of last decade with Shaq. Last year, any center for the Celtics would have stopped the perpetually soft Gasol from those easy fourth quarter lay-ups in game 7 of the finals.

Kobe is a major talent in the history of the NBA, the same way Walt Frazier Dr. J or George Gervin was. But he is not in the top 3 guards in the history of the league-MJ, Magic, Oscar. He is on the second rung with Iverson and Jerry West.

[jazzman]

06:13 PM on 11/25/2010

5 Championships! I should be so over-rated.

[Adam Sheets]

07:07 PM on 11/25/2010

Maravich.

[vegipasta]

03:15 PM on 11/25/2010

Here is someone who knew Micheal personally telling us how Micheal helped him to become the player he is and you have people trying to tell him it cannot be true. lol Having a negative opinion of someone (because of the media) does not mean everyone does.

[veritas88]

05:22 PM on 11/25/2010

thank you.

[appacom]

06:57 PM on 11/25/2010

ditto

[Djacquuleen Majulie]

11:25 PM on 11/25/2010

Well said! ~ I really don't know why people wanna denigrate others all the time,
Like they are transferring their badness! There is no denying that Michael Jackson was a
wonderful and inspirational Human being !! And may his poor tortured soul rest in peace!
Shame on you people! How are we gonna make this world a better place if you carry on like
that?

[BrotherOrchid]

10:33 PM on 11/27/2010

Famous killers on death row get love letters from their (pitiful) fans?. . . .MJ's fans seem just as sane, and as reasonable as the lonely sad sacks that write to serial killers.

[NevadaLib]

01:43 PM on 11/25/2010

michael jackson was different to say the least, but I never thought accusations against him were valid. and this is coming from a guy who doesnt listen to pop music.

[Clevelandinwi]

10:03 AM on 11/25/2010

Did michaeljackson tell you to go to Colorado? By the way, how much did that cost you? I've always been interested in putting a price on that kind of activity.

[Sandmanj]

09:55 AM on 11/25/2010

I didn't know Michael Jackson played professional basketball.

[Paul Finley]

04:59 AM on 11/25/2010

"Jhn 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

[Gavin Saunders]

08:07 PM on 11/24/2010

These comments appear to have been made even before the Staples Center memorial.

It's very telling when positive comments about Jackson like this one take a year and a half to be picked up by the media.

Thanks to the Murdochs of the the world, most of us are sheople to be duped into giving them our hard earned cash in return for lies or to be silently offered up as fodder for the war machines that our politicians support and enrich.

[veritas88]

08:38 PM on 11/24/2010

what??

[Clevelandinwi]

10:06 AM on 11/25/2010

Well put.

[Puller58]

02:53 PM on 11/24/2010

So was Kobe's tongue in his cheek?

[Gavin Saunders]

08:18 PM on 11/24/2010

Try asking yourself why black stars are taken down so unequivocally, most often for behaviours that their white counterparts would be thought of as studs?

[Whoozthaboss]

08:55 PM on 11/24/2010

Preach.

[hope61]

09:57 AM on 11/26/2010

Goode ole Ben springs to mind.

[veritas88]

08:38 PM on 11/24/2010

you're disgusting.

[sweetwhine]

10:28 AM on 11/25/2010

He's more than that.

[JonW]

02:27 PM on 11/24/2010

Yawn!

[DimpleH]

02:12 PM on 11/24/2010

MJ was probably the most influential artist to ever exist. He's influenced people from all over the world, including the most remotes places where they don’t even speak a word of English.

[Adam Sheets]

02:21 PM on 11/24/2010

You're right. Apparently Elvis Presley and the Beatles, both of whom influenced Michael Jackson as well as any other artist to follow them, never existed.

[veritas88]

08:40 PM on 11/24/2010

what does that have to do with anything?

[DimpleH]

02:32 PM on 11/25/2010

Sorry no..go to the most remote villages in India and the only western artist they could name you is MJ. Same goes for China. An these are the most populated nations on Earth!

[veritas88]

08:39 PM on 11/24/2010

wrong.

[duffmt6]

11:18 AM on 11/24/2010

explains a lot...