During a discussion on FanDuel TV’s Run it Back, Chandler Parsons boldly claimed that Kobe Bryant is not a top-three player in NBA history . That statement has come back to bite the former forward, however, as the conversation resurfaced on the show, thanks to Lou Williams. While hosting Detroit Pistons head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, Williams revealed that one of Detroit’s assistant coaches wasn’t fond of Parsons’ comment.
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While recalling Parsons’ controversial comment, the former 6th Man of the Year shared that he spoke with an anonymous coach from the team. Williams explained how the coach was taken aback by Parsons’ opinion, stating that the Run it Back crew “need to get drug tested.” Williams took exception to the comment because his opinion of the late Lakers legend couldn’t be farther from Parsons’.
“@ChandlerParsons had a crazy Kobe take yesterday by a lot of people’s opinion. (A Detroit Pistons assistant coach) said we need to get drug tested.” – @TeamLou23
“Sorry coach, we’re not gonna drag you in this.” – @MichelleDBeadle
“I know what you deal with.” – J.B. Bickerstaff pic.twitter.com/u4jRNSSSqa
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 15, 2025
In the original video, Williams vehemently disagreed with his co-host regarding Bryant’s all-time ranking. Considering the former shooting guard spent time as Kobe’s teammate with the Lakers, though, Williams’ opinion is bound to be somewhat skewed. Regardless, he still couldn’t believe the confidence of Parsons, who was undeterred by the coach’s comment.
The former forward immediately responded to the diss, still adamant that the Black Mamba should not be so highly regarded. “Find me one list that Kobe’s in the top three of all-time and I’ll quit,” the 36-year-old continued. Williams pleaded with his co-host not to double down on his brash take. Parsons eventually stepped back, but the damage was already done.
Chandler Parsons is still confident in his Kobe Bryant ranking
After being lambasted for his opinion, it wouldn’t have been too surprising to see Parsons roll over and agree with his co-hosts to avoid any further discussion. The former forward originally listed Shaquille O’Neal as the third name in his top three, so swapping him out for another Laker legend wouldn’t be too far-fetched. However, the nine-year veteran did the exact opposite, challenging Williams and Michelle Beadle to show him an all-time top-three list that does includes Bryant.
Williams didn’t believe that would be a hard task, claiming “every list” worth the paper it’s written on includes Kobe in the top three. The 17-year veteran was stunned to see Parsons continue to ride with his claim so confidently, only backing down when asked to. Beadle apologized to Bickerstaff for the minute-long tangent the crew went on, but the veteran head coach simply laughed and brushed it off, stating he knows what she deals with on a daily basis.
