How Michael Jordan worked ‘smarter’ and Kobe Bryant worked ‘harder,’ according to their trainer
Published Mon, May 17 2021
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are two of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history.
On Saturday, Jordan introduced Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, at Kobe Bryant’s posthumous Hall of Fame induction. “Thank you for being here. Kobe admired you,” Vanessa said to Jordan.
Jordan and Bryant were constantly compared by commentators and they were great friends. They even had the same trainer.
In 2007, Jordan introduced Bryant to Tim Grover. Grover trained Jordan for 15 years after he had retired from the NBA for the second time, and he trained Bryant from 2007 to 2012.
But the routine Grover used with Jordan was completely different than the one he used with Bryant. “Different body types, different stages in [their] career, different areas that needed to be addressed,” Grover tells CNBC Make It.
In his new book, “Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness,” Grover discusses some of the differences between Jordan and Bryant.
“I don’t like to compare, because to me they were so different and unique that it’s an injustice to both,” Grover writes.
But one thing he will say: “Kobe worked harder. MJ worked smarter.”
Kobe ‘never stopped’
Grover says Bryant “never stopped”; he was always working to improve himself. For instance, Bryant constantly questioned Grover about every aspect of his training — he needed to know why and how everything worked, Grover writes.
Bryant also carried a DVD player to watch game film over and over wherever he was. Breaking down film on every game and on every opponent helped him strategize for every possible scenario before a game, Grover says.
“From 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m., that was Kobe’s focus…unless he was in the gym putting up shots,” Grover writes.
“If there was an open gym at 3:00 a.m. and he wanted to work on something, he’d be in that gym,” writes Grover.
Grover says he would sometimes have to make him leave so Bryant could get some rest. But Bryant would find a way to sneak back (which meant Grover didn’t get much sleep either, just naps).
“Of all the things we worked on, the most challenging was simply getting him to stop,” Grover writes.
Jordan processed things very quickly
Unlike Bryant, Jordan knew when to stop, says Grover.
Jordan also processed things very quickly and would only look at game film to confirm what he had already replayed in his mind, Grover says.
“His head was like an infinite library of images and moments and plays; he recalled every action and reaction, and knew how to prepare for whatever was ahead,” Grover writes.
Jordan also liked to get enough sleep because he knew sleep was part of his training.
“You’d never find him on a court at 4:00 a.m.,” Grover writes.
Instead Jordan trained almost every day at either 5, 6 or 7 a.m., depending on his schedule and time zone, with the occasional night training session, Grover says.
Jordan also never questioned anything. Instead, he relied on “his ability to feel what was working for him,” Grover says.
www.cnbc.com
Phil Jackson Says Kobe Bryant Trains Harder Than Michael Jordan Did
Tony Manfred
Sep 24, 2014
NBA legend and current New York Knicks president Phil Jackson talked about some of the best players he has ever coached in an interview with the New York Post on Wednesday.
One particularly interesting exchange came when Jackson was asked if Carmelo Anthony should model himself after Kobe Bryant. Jackson said that no one can model themselves after Kobe because Kobe trains harder than anyone, even Michael Jordan.
From the NYP:
Q: Is Kobe Bryant the model for Carmelo Anthony?
A: No. No one can approach that. I don’t expect anybody to be able to model their behavior after that, although Kobe modeled his behavior a lot about Michael Jordan, but he went beyond Michael in his attitude towards training, and I know Mike would probably question me saying that, but he did.
The ways in which Kobe replicated Jordan on and off the court are well documented. There's a nearly two-minute YouTube compilation of Kobe doing the exact same moves Jordan did. In a 2013 interview, Jordan said Kobe would be the only guy who could come close to him in 1-on-1 because "he steals all of my moves."
Kobe's notorious competitiveness, though, is too extreme to be a mere imitation of Jordan's. He's one of the hardest workers the sport has ever seen. In high school he was getting up at 5 a.m. to practice and forcing his teammates to play him to 100 points in 1-on-1.
In recent years Kobe has devoted himself to staying in impeccable shape in order to prolong his career. He lost 20 pounds in the summer of 2007. Going into the 2012 Olympics, he dropped 16 pounds to prepare himself for a full year of basketball.
This strategy — losing weight as you enter your 30s in order to extend your prime — has influenced the next generation of NBA stars. LeBron James lost "a ton of weight" this summer after going on a 67-day diet. Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade are reportedly slimmer as well. His dedication to fitness has changed the habits of his peers, which is pretty convincing evidence in favor of Jackson's claim that Kobe is unmatched in his training attitude.
www.businessinsider.com
Published Mon, May 17 2021
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are two of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history.
On Saturday, Jordan introduced Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, at Kobe Bryant’s posthumous Hall of Fame induction. “Thank you for being here. Kobe admired you,” Vanessa said to Jordan.
Jordan and Bryant were constantly compared by commentators and they were great friends. They even had the same trainer.
In 2007, Jordan introduced Bryant to Tim Grover. Grover trained Jordan for 15 years after he had retired from the NBA for the second time, and he trained Bryant from 2007 to 2012.
But the routine Grover used with Jordan was completely different than the one he used with Bryant. “Different body types, different stages in [their] career, different areas that needed to be addressed,” Grover tells CNBC Make It.
In his new book, “Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness,” Grover discusses some of the differences between Jordan and Bryant.
“I don’t like to compare, because to me they were so different and unique that it’s an injustice to both,” Grover writes.
But one thing he will say: “Kobe worked harder. MJ worked smarter.”
Kobe ‘never stopped’
Grover says Bryant “never stopped”; he was always working to improve himself. For instance, Bryant constantly questioned Grover about every aspect of his training — he needed to know why and how everything worked, Grover writes.
Bryant also carried a DVD player to watch game film over and over wherever he was. Breaking down film on every game and on every opponent helped him strategize for every possible scenario before a game, Grover says.
“From 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m., that was Kobe’s focus…unless he was in the gym putting up shots,” Grover writes.
“If there was an open gym at 3:00 a.m. and he wanted to work on something, he’d be in that gym,” writes Grover.
Grover says he would sometimes have to make him leave so Bryant could get some rest. But Bryant would find a way to sneak back (which meant Grover didn’t get much sleep either, just naps).
“Of all the things we worked on, the most challenging was simply getting him to stop,” Grover writes.
Jordan processed things very quickly
Unlike Bryant, Jordan knew when to stop, says Grover.
Jordan also processed things very quickly and would only look at game film to confirm what he had already replayed in his mind, Grover says.
“His head was like an infinite library of images and moments and plays; he recalled every action and reaction, and knew how to prepare for whatever was ahead,” Grover writes.
Jordan also liked to get enough sleep because he knew sleep was part of his training.
“You’d never find him on a court at 4:00 a.m.,” Grover writes.
Instead Jordan trained almost every day at either 5, 6 or 7 a.m., depending on his schedule and time zone, with the occasional night training session, Grover says.
Jordan also never questioned anything. Instead, he relied on “his ability to feel what was working for him,” Grover says.
How Michael Jordan worked ‘smarter’ and Kobe Bryant worked ‘harder,’ according to their trainer
How Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's routines differed, according to their trainer Tim Grover.
Phil Jackson Says Kobe Bryant Trains Harder Than Michael Jordan Did
Tony Manfred
Sep 24, 2014
NBA legend and current New York Knicks president Phil Jackson talked about some of the best players he has ever coached in an interview with the New York Post on Wednesday.
One particularly interesting exchange came when Jackson was asked if Carmelo Anthony should model himself after Kobe Bryant. Jackson said that no one can model themselves after Kobe because Kobe trains harder than anyone, even Michael Jordan.
From the NYP:
Q: Is Kobe Bryant the model for Carmelo Anthony?
A: No. No one can approach that. I don’t expect anybody to be able to model their behavior after that, although Kobe modeled his behavior a lot about Michael Jordan, but he went beyond Michael in his attitude towards training, and I know Mike would probably question me saying that, but he did.
The ways in which Kobe replicated Jordan on and off the court are well documented. There's a nearly two-minute YouTube compilation of Kobe doing the exact same moves Jordan did. In a 2013 interview, Jordan said Kobe would be the only guy who could come close to him in 1-on-1 because "he steals all of my moves."
Kobe's notorious competitiveness, though, is too extreme to be a mere imitation of Jordan's. He's one of the hardest workers the sport has ever seen. In high school he was getting up at 5 a.m. to practice and forcing his teammates to play him to 100 points in 1-on-1.
In recent years Kobe has devoted himself to staying in impeccable shape in order to prolong his career. He lost 20 pounds in the summer of 2007. Going into the 2012 Olympics, he dropped 16 pounds to prepare himself for a full year of basketball.
This strategy — losing weight as you enter your 30s in order to extend your prime — has influenced the next generation of NBA stars. LeBron James lost "a ton of weight" this summer after going on a 67-day diet. Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade are reportedly slimmer as well. His dedication to fitness has changed the habits of his peers, which is pretty convincing evidence in favor of Jackson's claim that Kobe is unmatched in his training attitude.
Phil Jackson Says Kobe Bryant Trains Harder Than Michael Jordan Did
Kobe is unmatched in his dedication to fitness, Jackson says.
www.businessinsider.com
