Jordan Clarkson shares an interesting view on the leadership styles of Kobe Bryant & LeBron James

During a recent episode of CavsHQ, newly-acquired guard Jordan Clarkson sat down with hosts John Michael and Rafa Hernandez-Brito for a wide-ranging interview. Amid their discussion, Clarkson compared the support he received from Kobe Bryant during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and now LeBron James as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Support to shot the ball

The hosts of the podcast were wondering how players get an opportunity to get any shots up when they are playing alongside superstars like LeBron and Kobe. The support to shoot the ball matters a lot when playing with ball-dominant players like these two, so Shumpert disclosed what it's like in real-game situations. 

“Yeah,” Clarkson replied. “During my rookie year, Kobe was always on me to get in the gym early with him getting shots up and stuff like that. When we got on the court, he was not as vocal as LeBron is in terms of being encouraging with everybody. You know, Kobe had his own way of encouraging guys, but it was something similar.”

Different approach to practice

Clarkson was then asked to describe the differences in practicing with LeBron and Kobe.

“Two different styles of leadership,” Clarkson replied. “LeBron is very encouraging, bringing everybody along. And Kobe, he’s testing you, seeing what you’re gonna give him. He’s gonna get at you, he’s gonna scream at you, he’s gonna cuss, he’s gonna do whatever it is. He had his own way of leading guys as well. It was two different sides. I’m just blessed to see both of them.”

It will be very interesting to see how Clarkson will progress with the Cavaliers in the coming months. He’s still in the early stages of his tenure with the team, so they could still be feeling each other out. In six games with the Cavs, the 25-year-old is chipping in 14.2 points per game on 52.3 percent shooting in just 21.3 minutes of action.