“Michael Jordan is the Greatest”: Stephon Marbury Refuses to Rank LeBron James Over Kobe Bryant

LeBron James, all of 40 years, continues to play at an unprecedented level. Yet some former NBA greats refuse to give him his flowers. Recently, Stephon Marbury made his opinion on the GOAT debate clear by putting not just Michael Jordan above LeBron, but Kobe Bryant as well.

While discussing on Sports Seriously if Kobe’s legacy is viewed differently now, compared to when he retired in 2016, Marbury stated: “Let’s not make no mistake, I think Michael Jordan is the greatest and best basketball player to ever touch a basketball.” 

The former point guard underlined that he rarely compares others to Jordan, but proceeded to praise Bryant’s identical playstyle. Marbury lauded Bryant’s scoring ability, citing how hard it is to score 40, 50, or even 60 in a game, forget an 80-plus point performance. He then segued into his own ranking of basketball’s best.

“I keep trying to tell people… Jordan, Kobe, and then LeBron,” Marbury said while lowering his hand each time. “It could possibly go a different way with LeBron.” 

At this point, most fans and former players have ceded the GOAT debate to Jordan and LeBron, who has slowly made his way to the top.

Marbury underscored that his opinion did not come from a place of hate toward LeBron. The two, after all, were known to have heated battles. But Marbury has grown to respect the King over the years.

The two-time All-Star’s support of Bryant was unwavering. He went on to share why the Mamba firmly sits above LeBron in his all-time list.

When questioned about the reasoning behind his rankings, the 13-year veteran explained it had to do with the playing style of Jordan and Kobe. Marbury pointed out that the pair were his favorite to watch, and the toughest competition that he faced.

Marbury shared just how good Bryant was

While reminiscing on Bryant’s greatness, Marbury claimed that the Lakers legend nearly surpassed Jordan during his prime years. The most notable accolade that the Mamba added to his resume was his 81-point display in January 2006, a feat the great Jordan never even sniffed throughout his professional career.

MJ did notch a 69-point game in the postseason, but his best regular season performance topped out at 64 points.

Bryant’s unforeseen explosion against the Toronto Raptors in that game is one reason Marbury holds the two Hall of Fame shooting guards right up there.

Ironically, Marbury cited the big and versatile Magic Johnson as his favorite player of all-time. Yet he holds LeBron, who possesses a modern version of his skillset, firmly behind both Bryant and Jordan.