Kwame Brown on Michael Jordan: ‘No matter what he does, he never cheated the game’

Who are your Top 5 all-time players? Greivis Vasquez: Well, obviously, the first man is Michael Jordan. I grew up watching him, although I was really young. The reason I like Jordan is that he did it both on and off the floor. But he’s a different breed. His mindset was different. He didn’t want to be like anyone else, not even his peers. If you really understand who MJ was as a player, you can see his competitiveness and how far ahead he was from the rest. There were good players, and there were great players, but at that moment, he was the super great player. The second man, my idol, my hero, and someone who means everything to me, is Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, he’s no longer with us physically, but his spirit lives on. The Mamba Mentality is a lifestyle. Kobe’s approach, education, and willpower were extraordinary. He’s the definition of a winner. For me, Kobe is even more significant than Michael in terms of lifestyle. He was a different guy. He spoke three or four different languages and even spoke to me in Spanish a few times. Coming from Caracas, Venezuela, and playing against your hero – money can’t buy that. I don’t take that for granted. -via HoopsHype / September 19, 2024