“Kobe Bryant was the last person to average 30 ppg and make an NBA All-Defensive First Team”: Unreal stat underlines how dominant the Lakers legend was during his prime

Kobe Bryant was known for his offensive prowess – but his defense is criminally underrated.

Kobe and MJ are the only two players to be all NBA 1st team for defense, and win multiple scoring titles. While Jordan did it for 9 straight playing seasons, with a retirement in between, Kobe did it twice in 2006 and 2007. Kobe also had a similar record in 2003, although he did not win the scoring title that year, he averaged 30 ppg and was all NBA 1st team then as well.

Kobe Bryant had 2 hall of fame careers with two different numbers with the Lakers. While No.8 was more explosive and in your face, No.24 was cold, cunning and cut throat. The result was the same though – they would run you ragged on both offense and defense.

For a lot of youngsters in the league, LeBron James is THE guy in the league. But for LeBron James, it was Kobe Bryant. Kobe dominated the league like how Michael Jordan did, and it came to a point where people where making YouTube clips of how they were eerily similar. That always involved offensive clips though, but one more area that Kobe emulated MJ was his ability to defend.

Also Read: “Kobe Bryant went off for 20, 25 points in the second half!”: Shaun Livingston recollects his first matchup with the Lakers and facing Kobe

The craziest thing about Kobe Bryant and those seasons – He did not win an MVP in any of those years

It is almost a criminal offense that someone of Kobe’s caliber ended his career with one solitary MVP. There is no way that he should have, with stats like these. If Giannis Antetokounmpo or James Harden averaged those numbers in the current NBA season, they would be crown unanimous MVP – Kobe was just held to a different standard.

Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki may have gotten their teams to better positions in the league, but take away Kobe from those bang average rosters in the 2003, 6 and 7 seasons, and the Los Angeles Lakers do not make it past the first round. Such was the influence of one man on the roster. He single handedly willed a team that had Smush Parker and Kwame Brown into the NBA finals. If that does not deserve an MVP, then nothing else does.

Even if you asked someone who did not play basketball ever, he would for sure know one of the three names -Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq for just his sheer number of endorsements, but the other two for their on court performances translating to real world superstardom.

Also Read: “Kobe Bryant had a legitimate chance to better Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game”: On this day in 2005 Lakers legend Kobe Bryant outscored the entire Dallas Mavericks team all by himself