Kobe Bryant: An All-Time Great, but the Ultimate Michael Jordan Copycat

Kobe Bryant is considered by many to be one of the 10 greatest players in NBA history.

The 13-time All-Star guard has been either the best or second-best player on five Los Angeles Lakers championship teams.

Bryant has also won a regular season MVP, two Finals MVPs, four All-Star Game MVPs, two scoring titles and is currently sixth all-time in scoring with nearly 28,000 points.

He even managed to drop 81 points in a single game, which is the most since Wilt Chamberlain's unbelievable 100 way back in 1962. 

With so much success, Bryant has drawn millions of fans across the globe. But while there's an abundance of people out there who love him, there's also a good number of people who simply can't stand him.

Actually, they hate him. 

Why? His arrogance is one reason. Bryant often comes across as if he's God's gift to the National Basketball Association.

Another reason is that, almost every season, his Lakers either win a championship or are favored to win one.   

And another reason is that he tries too hard—way too hard—to be like the NBA's greatest player of all-time: former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan.  

Sure, plenty of players in the league today have taken a little bit from the games of superstars from the past.

On some nights, LeBron James looks like Jordan, and other times, he sort of resembles Magic Johnson. Dirk Nowitzki is Larry Bird-like, and Chris Paul occasionally appears as the second coming of Isiah Thomas. 

However, Bryant's game looks 100 percent like Jordan's. He must have spent a great deal of time watching film of Prime MJ. And he's probably broken quite a few rewind buttons on his VCRs or DVRs as he's pressed them so many times.

"Man, hold up, how'd he do that move? Lemme go ahead and rewind it so I can get it just right."

Those are words that Bryant has probably spoken a ton of times to himself while he watched Jordan tear apart defenses in the 1990s.

Bryant's fadeaway jumper is basically the same as Jordan's. He also talks like Jordan, stands like Jordan, walks like Jordan, drives to the hoop like Jordan, dunks like Jordan, finger wags like Jordan and his championship celebrations are, well, just like Jordan's.

Bryant probably eats and drinks the same things Jordan does and watches the same TV shows and movies as well.

It's amazing that Bryant didn't retire at the age of 30 to pursue a baseball career. Couldn't you picture him playing for a minor-league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers? 

"Now batting for the Chattanooga Lookouts, outfielder Kobe Bryant."

OK, maybe not.

When Jordan ended his brief career on the diamond and returned to the pro hoops scene, he wore No. 45 instead of his world-famous 23.

In 2006, Bryant switched his jersey number from eight to 24, claiming that 24, his high school number, wasn't available his rookie year.

But c'mon, the real reason for the change is that he wanted to be like Mike.

Nobody can imitate Michael Jordan as well as Kobe can—nobody. He's the perfect example of a fake MJ, that's for sure.

Kobe may be a Jordan impostor, but you have to admit that he's one of the greatest and most exciting players to ever dribble a basketball.