Watch “Jordan Vs. Bryant: Duel of Icons”

Unless you’re living under a rock, you are very well aware that Kobe Bryant is on the verge of passing Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list. In fact, if the Mamba tallies at least 31 points Friday night in San Antonio, the third spot – behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone – will belong to him alone.

The anticipation of the inevitable re-recording in the history books is palpable around the basketball community, even though Kobe seems solely focused on the disappointing season his team is currently facing — as evidenced by his frustrated antics during Thursday’s practice. It’s yet another similarity he shares with Jordan.

Basketball fans were already given an early Christmas present with the NBA’s delightful video portraying the unique relationship the two legendary players have with one another on and off the court. Now, we are gifted with another special vision with a review of the on-court duels the two icons had over the years.

From their first matchup in Chicago when Bryant was coming off the bench and it was “Jordan’s NBA,” to the matchup that featured Kobe on the precipice of his prime and a Wizards-clad Michael in the last stage of his glorious career, their on-court confrontations always appeared to be an ongoing basketball education. The teacher (Jordan) continued to hand out lessons to his pupil (Bryant) either in action or in coverts whispers between plays.

The video is simply beautiful for any NBA fan to watch. The hype surrounding Kobe passing Michael on the all-time scoring list has hit its climax. Now, all we can do is wait for Bryant to score 31.

What do you think?

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