"He's got what he wants, kind of like Miss America" - When Jerry Sloan made an unusual comment about Kobe Bryant

With the Utah Jazz down 0-3 in the Western Conference semis against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010, Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan tried to keep a positive mindset heading into Game 4. Unsurprisingly, Kobe Bryant was inflicting most of the damage in the series, and Sloan couldn't figure out a way to stop "Black Mamba."

When asked for comments, the legendary Jazz coach made a witty comparison and humorously said that Kobe always seemed to get the results he wanted during games, like how a Miss America winner gets to enjoy privileges at everything she does.

"He draws so much attention," Sloan said at the time via ESPN . "You give too much help; somebody else is open. If you don't give enough help, he's got what he wants, kind of like Miss America. She gets what she wants."

How did Kobe and Phil react to it?

Sloan's unique and unexpected remarks reached Bryant and the Lakers . As a report described, the comparison to Miss America "raised Bryant's eyebrows."

On the other hand, the no-nonsense Lakers head coach Phil Jackson believed that Sloan's Miss America comment had a deeper meaning behind it. For Jackson, Jerry might have been implying something that could either be related to Game 4 or how he had been taking the Jazz's three consecutive losses in the series.

"I think Jerry calling Kobe Miss America and comparing him to that is a message," Jackson said. "That is something we will look at."

LA swept Utah

Bryant and Pau Gasol performed well in that series right from the start. Though the first three games were relatively close, the two perennial All-Stars ensured Utah wouldn't steal a win from them.

Come Game 4, it became apparent that Sloan's comment did nothing to faze Kobe. The Lakers shooting guard did what he does best and dropped 32 points, while Gasol exploded for 33 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks. In the end, the anticipation finally happened, and the Lakers eliminated the Jazz in a dominant sweep fashion, 111-96.

Kobe and the Lakers then moved on to the conference finals and beat the Phoenix Suns in six games. They became the eventual NBA champions that year after enduring a hard-fought seven-game series against the star-studded Boston Celtics. As for Sloan, he probably realized that making a bold comparison to Kobe wasn't gonna do anything to impair the Lakers star.

Related: After Jerry Sloan resigned, the Purple Aces tragically perished in a plane crash: “It comes across my mind every morning I go to work”