![be like mike commercial be like mike commercial](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2sN4jk819Fc/mqdefault.jpg)
It was during that year’s All-Star Game where the upstart Bryant finally caught the attention of the legendary Jordan, who made it a point to give the youngster the game of a lifetime, as told by the man himself in Episode 5.īryant took the challenge well and finished the game with 18 points in 22 minutes on 7-of-16 shooting.
BE LIKE MIKE COMMERCIAL FULL
In his sophomore season, he took full advantage of the 26 minutes a night given to him and doubled his scoring average to 15.4 points from 7.6 in his rookie year.įor comparison, starting shooting guard and fellow All-Star Eddie Jones normed 16.9 markers with a much longer leeway of 36.4 minutes per game. In 1998, Bryant’s flashy style of play earned him his first All-Star nod at the tender age of 19 despite starting only one game out of 79 appearances for the team that season. Safe to say, the results were more than satisfactory. He had to work even harder than ever before to even get close to the level his idol was at.Īnd sure enough, Bryant dedicated his life to perfecting his craft in Jordan’s mold. Believing he was clutch like Jordan was obviously not enough. Humiliated and dejected, Bryant knew that he could only go too far with idolatry and imitation. The Jazz handed the Lakers a 4-1 gentleman’s sweep on their way to facing the Bulls in that year’s finals. With 7 seconds left, the 18-year-old former high school star fired one last triple for the tie.Īnd that was it. Utah’s Jeff Hornacek then fumbled what would have been a dagger layup, but Bryant decided to drive it home himself. Bryant again pulled up from downtown with 43 seconds left.Īt this point, the Jazz fans, bewildered and amused at the mess unfolding for their visitors, had risen to a crescendo of jeers and applause. Time was winding down, but the Jazz were not out of the woods yet. “The Mailman” Malone then responded by delivering a pair of mid-range jumpers to bring the Jazz up 3 points, 96-93.
BE LIKE MIKE COMMERCIAL SERIES
Overtime in Utah with the series on the line for the visiting Lakers.Īt the beginning of the extra period, Lakers guard Nick Van Exel found Bryant wide open near the corner for a tone-setting three. With the game tied at 89, a young Bryant brimming with confidence held the ball for the last shot and pulled up from deep at the buzzer. The Jazz, led by the legendary duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton, were up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series heading to the May 12 matchup, one win away from eliminating the Lakers featuring the dominant Shaquille O’Neal and a rookie Bryant.
![be like mike commercial be like mike commercial](http://www.stacksmag.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/be-like-mike.jpg)
![be like mike commercial be like mike commercial](https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/390144/w640xh480_GettyImages-1180631892.jpg)
The Los Angeles Lakers were facing the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals while Jordan’s Chicago Bulls were terrorizing the East on their way back for another title repeat. It didn’t really start in Philadelphia where he was born, nor in Italy where he grew up. It always has and it always will be.Įver since he was little, Bryant idolized “His Airness” and worked harder than anyone else to literally imitate everything Jordan did on the court.Įveryone knows now that his career transformation to the “Black Mamba” had been a complete and tremendous success, but it always had to start somewhere.Īnd indeed, there was one particular day in history where Bryant decided to stop fooling around and start working to be one of the greatest of all time. MANILA, Philippines –The docuseries The Last Dance took a sharp emotional turn at the start of Episode 5 when it flashed the words “In Memory of Kobe Bryant.”Īfter 4 adrenaline-filled episodes featuring the seemingly immortal Michael Jordan, those words at the start of the fifth became a quick reminder that even the most seemingly untouchable icons are just human, and they can be taken away in an instant.īryant, who was interviewed for the docuseries just a week before his tragic death, clarified that there was no doubt on who was the better player between him and Jordan.