Lamar Odom recalls Kobe Bryant telling them he exceeded Michael Jordan

In a road game against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2009, Kobe Bryant hit a game-winning shot to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 107-106 victory. Indeed, it was a sight to behold and as the crowd and Bryant's teammates erupted in cheers, his confidence unsurprisingly soared to new heights.

Former Lakers forward Lamar Odom still vividly recalls how Bryant gushed about his clutch play from the locker room to the team bus. According to L.O., Kob' was boasting about being better than Michael Jordan the entire time.

"I'm gonna keep it real with you. We were on the bus one night, I think this was after he hit his ninth game-winner, against Milwaukee. [Kobe] came on the bus and in front of me and Phil [Jackson], he was just like, 'Yo, I'm better than Mike,' " Odom said on the LADE Podcast this past March. "I said 'What?!' He said 'Yo, I'm better than Mike.' I was like 'Bean, you're going a long way with that.' I was like 'What, you're better than Mike? That's how you're feeling?'"

Kobe really felt he was better than MJ

That shot against the Bucks was undeniably a testament to Bryant's intense competitive spirit and unwavering self-confidence. While that wasn't the first time "Black Mamba" knocked down a clutch shot, Odom said Bryant nailed about nine game-winning shots that season.

Looking back, Lamar reckoned that perhaps, that's why Bryant genuinely felt he was superior to Jordan at the time.

"If he really said that, you know he felt it. He hit nine walk-offs that season. Nine walk-offs, 'Three, two, one…' He hit nine in one season," Odom added.

Kobe ranks himself, MJ and LeBron

Bryant was known for his relentless work ethic and unparalleled drive to succeed. He viewed every game as an opportunity to prove himself and push the boundaries of what was possible on the court. Over time, many were convinced that Kobe's approach mirrored that of MJ.

However, even though Bryant was undoubtedly the closest thing to Jordan, some believed he never really reached MJ's level. Regardless of what people say, Kobe always knew he was better than Jordan .

"You know what I'm going to answer, but I'm not going to answer it, because then everybody's going to sit there and debate about it," Bryant once said when asked to rank him, Jordan and LeBron James. "All right, fine. I’m the best, Michael’s the second best, LeBron’s third-best."

In retrospect, this is one of the reasons why Kobe was different.

Related: "I'd like to think that we were a little bit smarter" - MJ refuted Kobe's claim that the 2012 USA Squad would beat the Dream Team