It happens every single time the Los Angeles Lakers take the floor for a preseason game or a media day session. A photo of Max Christie pops up on the timeline, usually from a side profile or a mid-range shooting motion, and for a split second, the collective Lakers fan base skips a beat. The resemblance is striking. The high cheekbones, the focused glare, the 6'6" frame. It is enough to make any lifelong Mamba disciple do a double-take.
But honestly, comparing a 21-year-old role player to the greatest Laker to ever lace them up is a heavy burden. It’s a bit unfair, really. Kobe Bryant was a global icon by the time he was Christie’s age. Max Christie is a young wing trying to find his footing in a rotation dominated by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Yet, the Kobe Bryant Max Christie connection persists because it isn’t just about the face. It’s about the archetype.
The Physical Echo: Why the Eyes Don't Lie
If you’ve spent any time on Lakers Reddit or Twitter, you’ve seen the side-by-side shots. There is one specific image from the 2024 media day where Christie is looking off into the distance, and the lighting hits his face in a way that is almost hauntingly similar to a young Number 8.
Even Christie himself has had to address it. In interviews, he’s joked about how his own grandparents see the resemblance. He’s mentioned that ever since he got to Los Angeles, the Kobe comments have been the biggest thing he hears. It’s a weird spot to be in—being the "lookalike" of a legend in the very building where that legend’s jerseys hang in the rafters.
But look past the facial features. The physical similarities are actually there in the measurables.
- Height: Both are 6'6".
- Position: Shooting guard/Wing.
- Frame: Slender but wiry and athletic.
In 2023, a clip went viral of Christie flushing a dunk in a preseason game that looked almost identical to a 19-year-old Kobe Bryant throwing it down over Ben Wallace. The timing, the cock-back of the ball, the landing—it was a glitch in the Matrix.
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Learning the "Ancient History" of the Mamba
Here is where it gets a little depressing for those of us who grew up watching the three-peat. When Max Christie was drafted out of Michigan State in 2022, he admitted something that made every 30-something fan feel like a fossil: Kobe Bryant wasn't necessarily his "favorite" player growing up.
Think about the math. Christie was born in 2003. When Kobe was winning his fifth ring in 2010, Max was seven years old. By the time he was a teenager really studying the game, Kobe was in the twilight of his career, and guys like Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant were the primary influences.
To Christie, studying Kobe is basically like a history student looking at the Renaissance. He’s gone on record saying that since joining the Lakers, he has been "watching the past few days" of Kobe’s old footage to learn the history of the organization. He isn't trying to be Kobe; he's trying to understand the standard Kobe set.
The Mid-Range and the Footwork
While he might be a "Zoomer" who grew up on KD highlights, you can see the Mamba influence creeping into his game. Christie has been spotted in the lab with trainer Drew Hanlen, specifically working on those patent-pending Kobe Bryant moves—the baseline fadeaway, the jab-step into the elbow jumper, the precise footwork that allows a player to create space when the initial drive is cut off.
His mid-range game is actually quite polished for a player of his experience level. In a league that has become obsessed with "3 or Rim" efficiency, Christie still loves that 15-to-18-footer. It’s a shot that requires a certain level of audacity to take in the modern NBA, especially when you’re a young guy playing for your minutes.
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The JJ Redick Factor: A New Lens on Christie
Things changed for Christie in 2024. After a somewhat frustrating tenure under Darvin Ham, where his minutes were as inconsistent as a Wi-Fi signal in a basement, JJ Redick took the reins. Redick, a guy who knows a thing or two about being a shooting guard in the league, immediately identified Christie as a "very valuable" piece.
Redick doesn't call him a "young Kobe." He calls him an "old soul."
The Lakers front office backed that up by handing Christie a four-year, $32 million contract. That is a lot of faith in a guy who hadn't even cracked 15 minutes per game the season prior. But Redick’s vision for Christie is less about the scoring outbursts we saw from Kobe and more about the "dog" mentality on the defensive end.
Defensive Clamps and the "Mamba" Mentality
People often forget that before Kobe was a 35-point-per-game scorer, he was an elite perimeter defender. He made 12 All-Defensive teams. That is the path JJ Redick wants Max Christie to follow.
During the 2024-25 preseason, Redick asked Christie to "pick up full-court" and be a disruptor. He wants him to be the perimeter stopper that can take the load off LeBron. It’s a different kind of Mamba Mentality—not the one that takes 30 shots, but the one that makes life miserable for the opposing point guard for 94 feet.
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Christie has the "nose for the ball" that many scouts noted before the draft. He’s 6'6" with a wingspan that makes him a nightmare in passing lanes. If he’s going to live up to the Kobe Bryant Max Christie hype, it’s going to start on that end of the floor.
A Stark Reality Check
Let’s be real for a second. Is Max Christie going to be the next Kobe? Probably not. Kobe Bryants don't just happen. They are once-in-a-generation anomalies. Christie’s ceiling is likely more in the realm of a high-end 3-and-D starter—think prime Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with a bit more "wiggle" on his handle.
The "Lakers Twitter" hype machine can be a double-edged sword. One day he’s the second coming of the Mamba; the next day, fans are complaining because he went 0-for-4 from three and didn't look aggressive enough. The pressure of playing in the purple and gold, wearing that jersey, and looking like that particular guy is immense.
Moving Forward: What to Expect from Max Christie
If you're watching the Lakers this season, don't look for Christie to drop 40. Look for the small things that actually made Kobe great:
- The Screen Navigation: Watch how he fights over screens to stay attached to his man.
- The Shot Selection: Notice if he’s getting to his spots in the mid-range when the shot clock is winding down.
- The Consistency: JJ Redick has stressed that "showing up every day" is the biggest hurdle for young players.
Max Christie is his own player. He’s a kid from Illinois who went to Michigan State and is trying to survive the most scrutinized locker room in professional sports. The physical resemblance to Kobe is a cool quirk for the fans, but for Christie, the goal is to be a winning player in his own right.
The best way to appreciate the Kobe Bryant Max Christie dynamic is to stop looking for a clone and start looking for a contribution. Christie doesn't need to be Kobe for the Lakers to succeed; he just needs to be the best version of himself. And if that includes a few more baseline fadeaways? Well, nobody in Los Angeles is going to complain about that.
To really track his progress, pay attention to his defensive rating compared to other wings in the Western Conference. If he can crack the top 20 in defensive impact, that $32 million contract will look like the steal of the century. Keep an eye on his corner three-point percentage as well—Redick has made that a "non-negotiable" for the offense to function. Focus on the grit, not just the highlights.