12 Photos of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant Through the Years

Two of the greatest basketball players to ever live only briefly crossed paths during their NBA careers. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant only squared off in eight regular season games, but the bond between them off the court became one of the most talented, hard-working big-and-little-brother relationships in the history of sports.

Of their 8 matchups, Bryant's Lakers won 5, and Bryant edges out Jordan with a game-high 55 points (in their last matchup in 2003) to Jordan's 36 (in their third matchup in 1997). And though Bryant only put up 5 points in each of his first two games against Jordan (during his '96/'97 rookie season), all but one of the rest of their head-to-head games featured 20+ point games for both players. Though the two never met in the playoffs, they did compete in three All-Star games, including Kobe's first and Jordan's last. In the 1998 All-Star Game, both had team-high point totals, with Jordan scoring 23 and Bryant scoring 18.

Between 1985 and 2020, no two players have been celebrated more than Bryant and Jordan, and episode 5 of ESPN's new documentary series, The Last Dance, which follows Jordan's 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, shows the immense respect and love that was shared between the two greats.

“Michael provided a lot of guidance for me,” Bryant says in the documentary. “Like I had a question about shooting this turnaround shot. So I asked him about it. And he gave me a great, detailed answer. But on top of that, he said, “If you ever need anything, give me a call.”

Of course, he took Jordan up on the call, beginning the close, decades-long friendship they shared, until Bryant's tragic death in January. Here are 12 photos of Jordan and Bryant through the years.