Kobe Bryant: Barcelona remind me of the LA Lakers

Basketball star Kobe Bryant has compared Barcelona to the Los Angeles Lakers side with whom he won five NBA Championships.

Bryant met up with former Barca striker Thierry Henry in New York to discuss the merits of the two sporting institutions – and believes there are a number of similarities.

“I think they can win it all again [La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey], they have a different style to other clubs,” Bryant said in an interview quoted on the Barcelona website.

“You could compare them with us [LA Lakers] when we won with our offensive triangle, a style of play which brought us success under Phil Jackson as coach – or with [San Antonio] Spurs with the fast movement of the ball and exploiting the space.

“Everyone is synchronised and, when they are in position, your team-mate knows exactly what to do. When you have this flexibility and see the ability of the players, it is very difficult to stop them.”

#NBADiary @KobeBryant & @ThierryHenry chat @FCBarcelona & compare them to great NBA teams! #ThisIsWhyWePlay https://t.co/1MQbMScvR5

— NBA (@NBA) 15 March 2016

Barcelona meet Arsenal in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, with Luis Enrique’s men 2-0 ahead from the first game in London.

And Henry, who also played for the Gunners, as well as Monaco, Juventus and the New York Red Bulls, says Barcelona are like no other football club in the world.

“I played at Barca and I can assure you that it is another dimension,” said the former France striker.

“It is a unique club with a different atmosphere to the rest. To compare them with anyone else would be crazy.”