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.
Source: HoopsHype

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Shaquille O’Neal: “When I first got to Miami, I said to D-Wade, ‘You heard a lot of stuff about me, but that’s not going to happen here. This is your team. I’m here to help you get a championship.’ I didn’t want the same issues I had with Kobe. I told Wade, ‘I came here because of you, and I need your help to get one more ring.’ We never had a problem. When we went down 0-2 in the Finals, we jumped on him. We said, ‘No, don’t look for us. You go to work.’ And he did. He took over the next four games and led us to the championship. That’s the difference between Wade and others. He had it from the beginning, and I respected him for it.” -via YouTube / September 17, 2024
Shaquille O’Neal: “When I was playing with Kobe, people called him ‘Showboat.’ He came in trying to take over from day one, and we tried to slow him down. But he was relentless. Eventually, I realized, ‘Okay, I can’t slow him down, so I’ll use him.’ He was like a puppy that shows you his teeth when you spank him. That’s the kind of player I needed. I used to say things to make him mad on purpose because I knew that’s when he’d play his best. I’d tell him things like, ‘You’re not Michael Jordan,’ or ‘They got this kid LeBron in Cleveland who’s better than you.’ It wasn’t about hating him; I was motivating him. And when we won that first championship, people thought we hated each other. But look at the footage—who’s the first person I’m jumping into the arms of? Kobe.” -via YouTube / September 17, 2024
Antoine Walker on Michael Jordan: “Everything that man went through was all with the fellas, with the guys, working out, getting our bodies together, even to the point where we drink. He had a rule: ‘Look, we’re going to drink, no juice, all straight vodka. Like, ‘We ain’t going to mess these workouts up.’ You know what I’m saying? If you want to drink, if you want to have your drink, we’re going straight. No juice. Drink or don’t drink. You know what I mean? That’s what made it special. Everybody got held accountable. On the weekends, you do what you’re going to do, but Monday through Thursday, it’s check-in time. Everybody put that work in. You were going to be at the gym all day long.” -via YouTube / September 19, 2024
O’Neal went on to reveal how he intentionally employed motivational tactics that referenced both Michael Jordan and LeBron James to fuel Bryant’s competitive fire. “I used to say things to make him mad on purpose because I knew that’s when he’d play his best,” O’Neal shared. “I’d tell him things like, ‘You’re not Michael Jordan,’ or ‘They got this kid LeBron in Cleveland who’s better than you.’” Despite the intensity of their relationship on the court, O’Neal emphasized that the dynamic was never about personal conflict but rather a strategy to bring out the best in Bryant. “It wasn’t about hating him; I was motivating him,” he explained. Their bond was apparent, particularly during their first championship win. “When we won that first championship, people thought we hated each other. But look at the footage—who’s the first person I’m jumping into the arms of? Kobe.” -via Clutch Points / September 18, 2024