Kobe Bryant is about to pass Michael Jordan for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) all-time scoring leaders. In a recent interview, Bryant spoke of Jordan's strong impact and inspiration to his own game.

In a week or two, Bryant is set to pass Jordan's scoring record. While it did take him more weeks, more games, and more teams to get to that position, Bryant is unapologetic.

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Quite the opposite, Bryant's feelings are the exact opposite as he is proudest of his 19 year marathon-like career.

The comparisons between two of the NBA's best players never stop, but Bryant actually has a fond admiration for Jordan.

At the top of his head, when Bryant thinks of Jordan, he thinks of aggression. He says that it takes a lot of work, conditioning, skill, and thought to be that aggressive and assertive all the time.

He said that since he joined the NBA, he was unafraid of meeting Jordan as all the other players were. Instead, he was looking forward to meet the greats of the league. It was a huge honor for Bryant to match up and see all of these players so close.

The admiration was always at the forefront of Bryant's career as he wasn't shy about going up to players like Jordan and asking about how to better his game.

"I'm not scared of anybody," Bryant said. "It's more curiosity and such a respect that I want to learn. I want to learn. I'm so curious to learn-still to this day. Just a constant learner.

Throughout the years, Jordan was like a big brother to Bryant. He even says that he doesn't know whether Jordan opened up to him more, or if other players even had the gall to ask the great things, but they have a really good relationship.

One thing that irks Bryant is how he is constantly compared to Jordan. Fans and critics always say that Jordan taught him everything he knew.

However, this fact irritates him. He attributes his skills to others like Hakeem Olajuwon, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson.

When finally asked what Jordan taught him that helped the most, Bryant said that there were a lot.

He didn't share the specific ritual that made his game better though, saying that, "To get that kind of information, to me it's like climbing Mount Everest and speaking to a Buddha at the top of the mountain. You want that information? You've got to climb that mountain yourself."

TagsLos Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, All-time scoring record