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Kobe Bryant Feuds With Michael B. Jordan In Spot-On Apple TV Ad

"There’s no decline -- it’s all ascension!"
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By 

The Huffington Post

Welcome to Kobe Bryant Appreciation Week – a week in which the life and legend of the Los Angeles Lakers’ all-time great is celebrated, as we reluctantly wind toward his final game on Wednesday, April 13.

While ex-teammates and decades-old rivals have spent the season honoring Kobe on his 29-city Retirement Tour, actor Michael B. Jordan – no, not that Michael Jordan – apparently missed the Mamba memorial memo.

In a new (and timely) ad for Apple TV, Bryant and Jordan battle over how his career should be depicted in biopic form. Jordan thinks it’s about an aging icon – Kobe, true to form, thinks it’s about his 20 years of heroics – with no missed shot or Achilles heel, literal or proverbial, in sight.

Bryant: See that? That’s the guy you’re playing in this movie. Cold-blooded assassin.

Jordan: Locked in a battle with Father Time.

Bryant: Exactly -- no, what?

Jordan: Like a hero, on the verge of a steep decline. It’s perfect.

Bryant: There’s no decline -- it’s all ascension!

We’ll miss that cool confidence on the court next year, Kobe.

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Before You Go

The Greatest Photo From Every Season Of Kobe Bryant's Career
Rookie Year: 1996-1997(01 of18)
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Bryant eyes the basket during the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend on Feb. 8, 1997. On that day, at age 18, Bryant became the youngest player ever to win the contest. (credit:MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images)
Year 2: 1997-1998(02 of18)
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Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen try to stop Bryant as he leads a fast break in a Feb. 1, 1998, game between the Chicago Bulls and the Lakers. Bryant scored 20 points that night, helping LA to a 112-87 win. (credit:Vince Bucci via Getty Images)
Year 3: 1998-1999(03 of18)
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Bryant elevates for a dunk at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, in the spring of his third season with the Lakers. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 4: 1999-2000(04 of18)
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Bryant gets up high to block a shot by Bonzi Wells of the Portland Trail Blazers during a playoff game on June 4, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 5: 2000-2001(05 of18)
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Bryant throws a pass around the back of the Philadelphia 76ers' Dikembe Mutombo during Game 2 of the 2001 NBA Finals, on June 8, 2001, at the Staples Center. (credit:Nathaniel S. Butler via Getty Images)
Year 6: 2001-2002(06 of18)
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Bryant goes up-and-under for the layup against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 7, 2002. (credit:Noah Graham via Getty Images)
Year 7: 2002-2003(07 of18)
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Bryant dunks over seven-foot-six-inch Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets on Feb. 18, 2003. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 8: 2003-2004(08 of18)
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On June 8, 2004, Bryant hits a deep shot over Richard Hamilton with just ticks remaining on the clock, tying up Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons. (credit:Jesse D. Garrabrant via Getty Images)
Year 9: 2004-2005(09 of18)
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Bryant performs some acrobatics in the lane against Lamond Murray and the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 28, 2004. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 10: 2005-2006(10 of18)
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Bryant shoots a free throw for his 81st point against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. His 81-point scoring total that night was the second highest in NBA history. (credit:Jeffrey Bottari via Getty Images)
Year 13: 2008-2009(11 of18)
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Bryant celebrates the Lakers winning the 2008-2009 NBA championship, on June 14, 2009, in Orlando, Florida. Bryant won Finals MVP honors, as the Lakers easily defeated the Magic in a five-game series. (credit:Wally Skalij via Getty Images)
Year 15: 2010-2011(12 of18)
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Bryant hangs on to the rim after a Jan. 17, 2011, dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (credit:Harry How via Getty Images)
Year 15: 2010-2011(13 of18)
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Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Metta World Peace and Luke Walton laugh on the bench during a game against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 25, 2011. (credit:Andrew D. Bernstein via Getty Images)
Year 16: 2011-2012(14 of18)
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Bryant looks on during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 29, 2012. He had suffered a concussion and a broken nose in the All-Star Game a couple weeks prior. (credit:Noah Graham via Getty Images)
Year 17: 2012-2013(15 of18)
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Moments after tearing his Achilles on April 12, 2013, Bryant somehow manages to sink two free throws before leaving the game. Less than 24 hours later, Bryant had season-ending surgery. (credit:Noah Graham via Getty Images)
Year 18: 2013-2014(16 of18)
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On Dec. 8, 2013, Bryant steps onto the court for his first game since tearing his Achilles the previous spring. Unsurprisingly, he received a huge ovation from the Staples Center crowd all throughout that night's contest against the Toronto Raptors. (credit:Harry How via Getty Images)
Year 19: 2014-2015(17 of18)
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Two of the greatest players ever go head to head, as Bryant bodies up LeBron James on Jan. 15, 2015. The picture is strikingly similar to one taken of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson -- two other all-time greats -- decades earlier. (credit:Juan Ocampo via Getty Images)
Year 20: 2015-2016(18 of18)
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Bryant waves to the Philadelphia crowd, acknowledging their loud ovation, prior to the Lakers' contest against the 76ers on Dec 1, 2015. Philadelphia held a pre-game ceremony for Bryant, honoring his 20-year NBA career. (credit:Mitchell Leff via Getty Images)
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