Reggie Miller Taught Kobe Bryant His Step Back Jumper and Then Got Nothing in Return

Reggie Miller said Tuesday on The Dan Patrick Show that Kobe Bryant had him to thank for his step back jump shot. Miller recalled how he taught Bryant the shot during the down time while filming an episode of The Real World.

"He's like, 'Well show me that step back move,'" Miller said. "Ok, I'll show you that step back move if you show me that crossover, because I always loved his crossovers."

Miller detailed how he showed Bryant the intricacies of his step back and what to look for in the defender to execute it. Then he asked Bryant to show him his move.

"And I was like, 'So show me that crossover,'" Miller said. "He's like, 'What are you talking about?' Never showed me the crossover."

That sounds about as quintessential of a Kobe story as you can get. He got one of the best players in the league to give him his best move and then just dipped. But that's why he was great. I guess you can forgive Reggie for not knowing what a competitive psychopath Kobe was since he had just entered the league, but giving moves away to a guy like that is solely the fault of whoever chooses to do so.

There just aren't many guys left today who had the competitive spirit Kobe did. All the dude wanted to do was win. And that's not to say athletes today don't want to win, but everybody who ever met Kobe talks about how different his will to win was.

RIP to a legend.