Few players have ever had higher expectations than 18-year-old LeBron James. The kid who recently graduated with a high school degree came into one of the most talent-studded drafts as the much-anticipated first overall pick. Even then, even when the world was placed on his shoulders, James responded by winning Rookie of the Year, pushing a Cleveland Cavaliers team that had found no other additions to the ninth seed, only missing out on the playoff basketball by one singular game.
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By the time he was 21, he had already finished as a runner-up for MVP and was a two-time All-NBA player. It makes sense why that projection was enough for Kobe Bryant to already place him in the pantheon of greats.
Dwyane Wade was uniquely the middle point of a venn diagram between Bryant and James. He was Kobe’s contemporary, often considered the second-best shooting guard of the mid-2000s, and shared time with Shaquille O’Neal. On the other hand, he was James’ draft mate and is one of his best friends.
When looking back on Bryant’s comments about LeBron when he was just 21, Wade was simultaneously shocked and impressed by the Los Angeles Lakers guard’s willingness to praise his greatest rival for best in the world at the time. Wade shared a clip from the interview on his Instagram story.
In 2006, Kobe was asked to name four players to make the best possible team he could make. Now, Bryant heard it as four current players and picked LeBron, Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, and couldn’t choose between Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, or Kevin Garnett.
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Now, Wade could have shared this on his story for Kobe naming a 21-year-old LeBron as the first guy, or he could’ve shared it cause he was included on that list alongside some of the most legendary players in the game.
While Kobe had immense respect for James and his achievements, he didn’t consider him to be the greatest of all time in 2019. Instead, he answered with a name that no one but him would realistically choose.
Kobe Bryant is his own biggest fan
When it came to self-belief and confidence, no one had Kobe Bryant beat. In a league where confidence is key, Bryant built his brand on being the most self-assured. He nicknamed himself!! That is a move that only someone who knows themselves can pull off.
The GOAT debate passed Bryant by when it became clear that you couldn’t realistically rank him over Jordan because he was simply 99% of Jordan himself. However, that didn’t change how Kobe viewed it himself.
When faced with the question of ranking himself, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James all time on the James Corden show, with the potential punishment of eating raw cow tongue staring him in the face, Bryant initially resisted. However, when the forfeit became too much to bare, he finally gave up.
“OK, fine,” he said. “I’m the best, Michael is second-best, LeBron is third-best.”
While most wouldn’t see it that way, that’s who Kobe was, poised and assertive to the very end.
