3x NBA Champion Reveals How He Didn’t Appreciate Kobe Bryant, Considered Him a Michael Jordan Imitation

It’s rare to find two people who rate their top three NBA players of all time similarly. Add three GOATs like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant into the mix, and the debates get even spicier. Take Danny Green, for example. His stance on these legends might surprise you.

Green, a three-time NBA champion, was asked about ranking His Airness, The King, and The Black Mamba in an appearance on All The Smoke podcast, and after a few seconds of being put “on the spot”, he said something many would agree with. At least the beginning part.

“My GOAT is MJ. I think Bron has had the greatest career of all time. So I’m putting them one and two—MJ first, then Bron.” A solid start, but the problem is that this ranking pushes one of the most iconic scorers of all time, Bryant, down to No. 3. And there was a bizarre reason behind it.

“It’s tough to put Kobe three,” stated Green moments later. “I think I appreciated him more when he stopped playing toward the end of his career.”

He then went on to explain why the Hall of Famer dropped down. Green, as it turns out, didn’t see Kobe as Kobe. He saw him as Jordan 2.0. “I think as a young kid, I always liked Mike so much, just thought Kobe was an imitation of Mike,” he said.

That said, Green wasn’t about to let his last words on the Mamba, at least on this podcast, be negative. “I appreciated him more once I got to the league and played against him. “And seeing how many years he played and then, after, seeing how his mind worked.” 

Not surprising, since when it comes to mentality and work ethic, arguably no one surpasses Bryant.

However, Green wasn’t done there.

The former Laker went on to rank Bryant higher than James and Jordan in a different conversation. “I think he’s probably the most skilled out of all three,” he said. Green cited Bryant’s footwork as his most impressive skill—a high compliment, considering the Mamba was exceptional in nearly every aspect of the game.

Kobe, MJ, and LeBron are all legends, but comparing them isn’t straightforward. They played in different eras, with distinct styles and challenges. Each brought something unique to the game. It’s like picking a favorite song—it depends on the mood.

This was clear when Green placed Kobe ahead of the other two in his latest category of comparison.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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