Photo Cred: Emily Dickerson, New York Times

How to be Kobe Bryant: Ignore advice from Michael Jackson. Yup.

The New York Times sat down with NBA Lakers powerhouse Kobe Bryant and Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post Media Group. To say the convo between the two very successful people was entertaining wouldn’t do the interview any justice. Jornalist Philip Galanes sat down with the two as they dished on how they achieved and maintained greatness and Kobe shares two stories that may surprise you a bit. Speaking on meditation Kobe revealed:

Phil Jackson introduced me to it. When I was 18, Michael Jackson tried to get me to meditate. He could sit in meditation for seven hours. But I couldn’t sit still for 20 minutes.

Yes, Michael Jackson was not only a dancing machine but he meditated too. When the subject of Bryant’s jump shot came up, things got quite interesting.

When you watch me shoot my fadeaway jumper, you’ll notice my leg is always extended. I had problems making that shot in the past. It’s tough. So one day I’m watching the Discovery Channel and see a cheetah hunting. When the cheetah runs, its tail always gives it balance, even if it’s cutting a sharp angle. And that’s when I was like: My leg could be the tail, right?

And that is ultimately how you become Kobe Bryant; take inspiration from a cat and shrug off advice from the king of pop.