Dennis Rodman, the NBA Hall of Fame forward and quite possibly the greatest rebounder ever, is one of the luckiest men in the history of Western civilization.
He played three seasons on the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, during which he won three straight world championships. Shortly afterward, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
Before all of that, he started his career with Isiah Thomas’ Detroit Pistons, with whom he won his first two NBA titles.
As a result, Rodman had a front-row seat to witness what creates athletic greatness at its highest level.
During a recent interview with DJ Vlad, he outlined the differences between Jordan and the late great Bryant (h/t Sportskeeda).
“I think Michael was more driven to win,” Rodman said about Michael Jordan. “He hates the fact that, we’re gonna win, we’re gonna win and he took control of that, you know. I give him that credit right there. I give him that it’s like I would say, Scottie had that will, too, but Kobe became like that. Kobe started to emulate his game like Michael and stuff like that.
“I think Kobe was more like a gymnast, you know, when he played, and Mike was more like […] you know a ballet dance because you know what most of the time he plays on his toes. When he does everything it’s always like boom boom of a sudden one-two punch,” Rodman added.
For decades, countless fans and analysts have compared and contrasted Jordan and Bryant. One thing is absolutely true: Both had an iron will to win and a refusal to lose, and that quality drove both to the highest level of athletic greatness.