“You Feared Kobe Bryant When You Stepped on the Court”: Former Boston Celtics All-Star Considers Black Mamba ‘The Best’ Over Michael Jordan

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, are all terrific basketball players and have maintained the level of the game after the retirement of the last of its previous generation of stars like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant.

However, none of them are as feared as the players from that generation. Shaquille O’Neal and Garnett were the last of that kind who put fear in their opponents whenever they were coming at them with the basketball.

As strange as it might sound, a fan-favorite former Boston Celtics All-Star who again brought back the Cs to winning ways after they were last dominant with Garnett and Paul Pierce, considers Bryant the most intimidating player who put fear in the opponents.

Also read: “Michael Jordan Has to Earn It!”: Isiah Thomas Once Recalled How Kobe Bryant ‘ruined’ MJ’s Last All-Star Game in 2003

Isaiah has Kobe Bryant over Michael Jordan as his GOAT

Former Celtics point guard, Isaiah Thomas who had the opportunity to play against Bryant not only believes him to be the best player ever, he explained how the Black Mamba instilled fear in his opponents whenever he took the court.

“You feared Kobe when you stepped on the court,” Thomas said in a recent interview with Ballislife when asked about the best player ever.

Something like that for a Lakers legend coming from a player who played in Boston in the prime of his career? You, know the value of it.

Kobe’s fandom knows no bound

The days of those cynical rivalries are gone, the Lakers-Celtics, or any other great ones for that matter have toned down after last they went each other in the 2008 and 2010 Finals.

However, that has nothing to do with how much everyone in Boston admires Kobe. Even all around the country, he has been an inspiration for years to most people who knew him even before his untimely passing.

Even Isaiah’s former teammate and current face of the Celtics franchise, Jayson Tatum, is a known Kobe fan. Probably the biggest one ever. Hence, Bryant did win everything on and off the court.

Also read: Lakers Winning is More Than Just Anthony Davis”: JJ Redick Brings Insight to How LeBron James and Co Have Grown as a Team

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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