“Kobe is the guy for me as my first impression of basketball” – Former NBA champion believes Kobe Bryant is the G.O.A.T, gives credit to Michael Jordan for being the most dominating player ever

Fred VanVleet has a special appreciation for players such as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan who are obsessed with proving critics wrong and winning. The Toronto Raptors point guard is the epitome of the legends he admires the most when it comes to the “no-quit” attitude.

The Wichita State product, who went undrafted in 2016, gave the ultimate compliment to the late LA Lakers legend:

“Kobe is the guy for me as my first impression of basketball. … He’s just the guy for me. The skill set, the drive, the will, the athleticism, the shooting. He’s just surgical.”

Fred VanVleet added that he spent a great deal of time watching Kobe Bryant from 2001 until his retirement in 2016. “Steady Freddy” rued missing “The Black Mamba” by a year as he was sure he could have learned so much playing against the beloved Laker.

Bryant's achievements have often been compared to Michael Jordan's. Although FVV didn’t give Jordan the GOAT title, he still lavished the Chicago Bulls icon with praise:

“I don’t know if there’s anybody that dominated the game, perfected it like him. He was just so good at doing what he was doing, winning at a high clip and doing it so good that people was like literally scared of him.”

It wasn’t surprising that VanVleet has incredible admiration for Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan’s accomplishments. The former patterned his game after “His Airness.” Bryant’s unrelenting drive to win at all costs was formed partly because he wanted to be so much like Jordan.

Picking Kobe Bryant over Michael Jordan as the GOAT isn’t something rare today. Several basketball players who grew up watching “KB24” swear by his greatness over any other player, including the six-time champ.

It’s interesting to note that Fred VanVleet chose Kobe Bryant, someone he hasn’t played against, over a current GOAT candidate in LeBron James. FVV emphasized the importance of going up against another player, but still picked Bryant over “King James.”

It could indicate how big an impression “The Black Mamba” and his approach to basketball left on the Raptors guard.

VanVleet, however, conceded that in his lifetime, no one will come close to replicating James’ 20-year run of basketball brilliance.

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Fred VanVleet patterned his game after Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups instead of Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant may have been the guy for Fred VanVleet, but he had more practical models to pattern his game after. The Toronto Raptors point guard couldn’t replicate the game of those two 6'6" shooting guards with jaw-dropping athleticism.

Allen Iverson became the player that had the most impact on him. Like AI, VanVleet is undersized but makes up for it with the kind of heart and grit that makes them thrive. Iverson, a former MVP, has consistently been in the conversation for the title of the best NBA player below 6'3".

Chauncey Billups was another player that VanVleet seriously studied. Billups wasn’t as undersized and athletic as Iverson but relied more on his positioning and understanding of the game. FVV took careful note of how Billups would often use his wide body and girth to get to his spots and influence the game.

Studying these greats and applying them to his game has certainly paid off for VanVleet. He went from being an undrafted player to an All-Star and one of the leaders of a team that won a championship.