Kobe Bryant’s legacy at the Lakers helped him enter into the foray of the ‘GOAT debate, a debate that is reserved for only the most elite players.
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Michael Jordan led that debate during the 90s, when he mesmerized the NBA with his panache, grace and the ability to fly and glide with the ball.
He put the sport and the league on the global map and his legacy helped popularise the sport in a way that hadn’t been mustered before.
With the turn of the century, Kobe Bryant made headlines as a contender for that ‘GOAT throne’ that Michael Jordan was so firmly sitting on.
And in the last few years, it has been LeBron’s chance to grab all the eyeballs in that ‘GOAT debate’, with fans gunning for the King to be the heir to MJ’s throne.
Kobe Bryant recently spoke about the debate on Barstool Sports podcast, labelling people who indulge in such talk as ‘immature’.
He said this when he himself was asked as to who he thought was the GOAT.
Bryant made it clear that the ‘GOAT debate’ is what the regular fans talk about and he did not want to get sucked into that discussion.
“See, that’s the type of immature question people are asking,” Kobe laughed.
“I know this is what regular fans talk about.” he added.
Dan Katz, the host of the show then went onto ask Kobe if his non-answer somehow signified that he believed that he indeed was the greatest of all time?
“What I’m saying is regular people ask really simple questions.” Bryant said.
Asking Bryant to weigh in on the LeBron vs MJ debate, Katz reminded Bryant that LeBron had 6 losses in the NBA finals, the same number of finals that MJ won.
“I don’t care,” Bryant emphasised
Bryant was asked about the Lakers fans have taken to LeBron’s trade and if they will be able to shower him with the same love as what Kobe received when he was playing in LA and winning championships for the franchise.
“My impact on this organization is to look forward,” Bryant said.
“If I have taught this fan base anything, it’s that we want excellence. We want championships. And it’s about the purple and gold. It’s not about one player. I came in here with Magic, and Magic embraced me with open arms, as did Kareem and Worthy and everybody else. It’s our responsibility to do the same thing for the next generation that comes in, and I take that stuff dead seriously.” he added.
Kobe has won 5 NBA championships, two finals MVP, one league MVP and made 18 All Star appearances.
Comparing MJ and LeBron with those stats, there can easily be a debate as to who has been or currently is the greatest of all time.
Michael Jordan has won 6 NBA championships, 6 finals MVP, 5 league MVPs and made 14 all-star appearances.
LeBron on the other hand has won 3 NBA championships, 3 finals MVP, 4 league MVPs and made 14 All-Star appearances.
Who do you think is the greatest of all time?
