Former NBA player Quentin Richardson brings to light the disrespect meted out to Kobe Bryant in the GOAT debate, with Kevin Durant chiming in.
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The NBA GOAT debate continues to be an evergreen topic across all media platforms, never failing to give a little boost to the viewership of the respective channels, especially during lull periods. While there continues to be an absence of unanimity over this topic, it’s always interesting to know the player’s perspectives.
The cast of this debate most often stars Michael Jordan and LeBron James, given their historical careers, with the latter still playing at an elite level. The honorable mentions in this debate include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Nonetheless, many feel the late Kobe Bryant deserves to be a part of this debate, given his skill set and list of achievements, something players like Quentin Richardson and Kevin Durant concur with as well, addressing the Black Mamba’s greatness on The Knuckleheads podcast.
Also read: Kobe Bryant, who built a $600 million fortune, revealed the ‘secret sauce’ to being one of the GOATs
Having first-hand experience, Richardson narrates his experience of guarding the Lakers legend. On the other hand, KD states why the Mamba is right up there with Jordan.
“Kobe is constantly disrespected in this GOAT and everything conversation”: Quentin Richardson and Kevin Durant.
Regarded as the closest thing to Michael Jordan, Kobe possessed an unreal skill set. The five-time champion’s competitive zeal and work ethic remain unmatched. Thus many find his name not being in the GOAT debate surprising.
Two such complainants are Q-Rich and the Slim Reaper, who, in an episode of the Knuckleheads podcast, said the following about Kobe’s greatness.
“Kobe is constantly disrespected in this whole GOAT and everything conversation. I literally had to guard him prime, 3-peat all the way to whatever you wanna say,” said Richardson.
“Bruh, you hear me, like, please what are y’all talking about, my top-5 is MJ, Kobe, easy.”
Seated across Richardson, Durant chimed in, saying,
“Easy no.2 ever,” while addressing Kobe in the GOAT debate.
“I don’t even wanna say no.2 he’s just up here, not the greatest but in terms of skill.”
Dissecting Kobe Bryant’s decorated resume.
Though Kobe wasn’t as physically gifted as MJ and LBJ, he did possess an elite skill set, something he upgraded constantly. In his 20-seasons, the Black Mamba achieved almost every single accolade in the NBA history book.
This includes five championships, two Finals MVPs, one league MVP, two scoring titles, 18 All-Star selections, and 15 All-NBA selections, to name a few. With 33,643 points, the late Lakers legend ranks among the top 5 NBA scorers of all-time, etching MJ too.
