“It’s a Bad List, Kobe Bryant Isn’t a Small Forward”: Stephen Curry Catches Heat from NBA Analyst for His All Time Starting 5

Stephen Curry recently caused a stir on social media with his all-time starting five. The Golden State Warriors leader recently sat down with Buzzfeed and listed the five players on his all-time starting lineup. Initially, Curry was criticized for snubbing LeBron James from the list. Recently, an NBA analyst further pointed out the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player’s incorrect choice of placing Kobe Bryant as a Small Forward on the list.

Stephen Curry kept his name off his all-time starting five. The sharpshooter named Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as his backcourt pairing, and selected Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal for the Power Forward and Center positions respectively. Oddly, the four-time NBA Champ picked Kobe Bryant as the Small Forward for this hypothetical lineup.

Nick Wright criticizes Stephen Curry for his ‘bad’ all-time starting five list

The First Things First panel had an in-depth discussion about Steph’s all-time starting five. Chris Broussard and Nick Wright had differing opinions regarding the superstar’s selections. Addressing the LeBron James snub, Broussard started the conversation. The 54-year-old stated that Curry is never going to give props to a player, irrespective of their greatness, that he is still competing against. According to the Fox Sports analyst, he could easily see Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant making a similar move during their playing days. Broussard told the panel of the FS1 show:

“All of those guys were not from his era. So when you’re competing, you don’t want to give props to the guy you’re competing with. Let him know you think he’s so great. I think this was a shot at a competitor… I could’ve seen a Jordan doing or a Kobe doing something like this.” 

Contrary to his fellow analyst, Wright was appalled by the list. As per the 38-year-old, Curry constructed a “bad list”, and not only because of the absence of King James from the lineup. Wright was surprised that Curry selected Kobe to play SF.

“It’s just a bad list. Kobe is not a Small Forward,” Wright claimed.

Surprised Steph left LeBron off his All-Time starting 5 (Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, Jordan, Magic)?@Chris_Broussard: Steph is competing.@getnickwright: It’s just a bad list. Kobe is not a small forward. pic.twitter.com/cDy3Rlp8Te

— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) July 24, 2023

To be fair, the NBA is as positionless as ever. Additionally, we’ve witnessed Bryant be listed as a Small Forward for the Los Angeles Lakers for a few seasons. There is no doubt that the 6-foot-6 Black Mamba would be able to flourish at the SF position on such a star-studded lineup.

Unlike Steph, James Harden included LeBron James in his all-time starting five

Moments after Steph Curry’s all-time starting five went viral, USA TODAY Sports’ reel also gained traction. In the post, James Harden named his selection of players on the hypothetical lineup. Unlike Curry, Harden did name LeBron James as the Point Guard on his starting five.

 

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However, similar to the GSW Guard, the Beard kept himself off the list. The 2018 MVP’s list had Bryant as the two-guard, Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan as the Forwards, and Shaquille O’Neal as the Center.