The Lakers legend also praised Vanessa Bryants's strength in the aftermath of her husband and daughter's tragic death.
Magic Johnson is loving The Last Dance just as much as every other sports fan!
"This was so needed during a time when we all have social distancing and stay-at-home and all the things that we're going through right now with the virus," Johnson told ET's Kevin Frazier of ESPN's epic Michael Jordan documentary series during a video chat this week. "Last Dance is really giving us something. The NFL draft gave us something. We're all sports fans, so we would love to just have sports... It's been wonderful."
Sunday's episode of the doc series showed the two MJs sharing an emotional behind-the-scenes moment when Jordan won his first of six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls -- beating Magic's Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakers -- and Johnson said the two shared a lot in common over their storied careers.
"Michael had a lot on his shoulders, but loved the pressure of being the ambassador, just like I loved the pressure of being one of the NBA ambassadors as well," he noted. "We understood our role, not only just with the Bulls and the Lakers, but also in the league and representing the league when we're out in public, and so I think that's why we're such good friends... We understand that we want to be more than just basketball players."
Upcoming episodes of The Last Dance will move forward in Jordan's career, and show him squaring off against another Lakers legend: Kobe Bryant.
"I think this is going to be fabulous for all of us who love Kobe Bryant and all of us who love Michael Jordan," Johnson said of the upcoming eps. "We will get to see the dynamic of their relationship play out onscreen, and we get to see Kobe one more time."
"That's the guy he looked up to, that's the guy he wanted to play like, that’s the guy he wanted to be like and sure enough, today we are still saying that Kobe Bryant is the closest thing to Michael Jordan... So this is going to be great for everyone and especially for Kobe's family and all Laker fans, as well, to see Kobe in these episodes with his hero."
Jordan gave an emotional speech at Bryant's memorial service earlier this year -- after the legendary player, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others were killed in a tragic helicopter crash on Jan. 26 -- breaking down in tears as he remembered his special bond with his dear friend and "little brother."
"Kobe gave every last ounce of himself to whatever he was doing," Jordan shared. "In retirement, he seemed so happy. He found new passions and he continued to give back as a coach and in his community. More importantly, he was an amazing dad, and an amazing husband, who dedicated himself to his family and who loved his daughters with all his heart. Kobe never left anything on the court and I think that‘s what he would want us to do."
Johnson echoed that sentiment, sharing that Bryant's family -- wife Vanessa and their three daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 10 months -- is "doing fine" as they continue to cope in the months since his death. The family friend noted he's been thrilled to see Vanessa and the girls sharing TikTok dances and joyful posts, crediting their resilience to Vanessa's strength and perseverance.
"They are living their life, they are having a good time, and I think Kobe would have wanted that, for them to go on, live a great life and just enjoy yourself," he said. "Vanessa's the reason for that, and I think she's got a great village around her, people around her to give her that support."
As fans look forward to seeing Bryant in the new episodes of The Last Dance, Johnson also confirmed the reports that his fellow Lakers legend will be following in Jordan's footsteps with his own documentary, chronicling his final season with the Lakers.
"That's definitely going to happen," he said. "I think he was smart enough to have a camera follow him, document every movement... so we are going to see a lot of behind-the-scenes things on Kobe and probably let us into his world with his family."
And Johnson will be next! The former pro exclusively shared with ET that he'll be getting his own documentary series following Jordan and Bryant's.
"I'm coming after Kobe!" he was excited to share, noting that the doc will focus on his basketball career as well as his family and business endeavors. "You get the basketball part of it, but then also how I reinvented myself and how I went into business and what I'm doing today, so it will all come into this documentary. I'm looking forward to it."
The Last Dance airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ESPN.
See more on the series in the video below.
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