Kobe Bryant and D'Angelo Russell - Los Angeles Lakers v Philadelphia 76ers
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Kobe Bryant (#24) and D'Angelo Russell (#1) of the Los Angeles Lakers react in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 1, 2015 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell opened up about the polarizing leadership styles of hoop superstars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, experiencing both in two different stints wearing the purple-and-gold jersey.

In a recent appearance in the Pat Bev Podcast, the 27-year-old described James as the more extroverted leader, being more involved with everybody and everything. The NBA's all-time leading scorer is more friendly, be it in the team bus or plane.

On the other hand, Bryant was much more reserved, preferring to lead by example. The one-time All-Star shared that when he was with Kobe, he always sat next to him on the plane in one of the back seats.

"I sat next to him every time and just watched and studied him and he never talked. He was really to himself, and at the time he was writing the book and the movie and directing and doing all this stuff so he was locked in," Russell said.

Different situations for the two legends

Russell noted the differing contexts of the two greats' careers while being with them. James continues to write his story while Kobe was in the final season of his career then.

Many people shared with Russell that he was lucky that he got Bryant in the twilight of his career instead of his prime because he was a lot more harsh and competitive back then.