As the Oklahoma City Thunder have gone on their run to the NBA Finals, their superstar and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has received a couple of comparisons to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. And as the Thunder sit only two wins away from an NBA championship, the comparisons start to make some sense.
Both are incredible two-way shooting guards that excel in the midrange and found success very early on in their careers. Both are MVPs and both have been praised for the mentality that they bring to the game, even if Gilgeous-Alexander’s isn’t viewed quite the same as Mamba Mentality.
But one person who vehemently disagrees with the comparisons is Gary Payton. A former teammate of Bryant’s at the later stages of his career with the Lakers in 2003-04, Payton saw up close the meteoric rise of a young Kobe. And he does not see the comparisons between the two, via Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe, Chad Ochocinco and Joe Johnson:
“Nowhere near Kobe, man. There’s going to be one Kobe, that’s it. I don’t care what y’all say, it’s only one Kobe… Don’t y’all compare people to people, especially somebody like Kobe Bryant. Let Shai be Shai, i dont think he’s Kobe yet, I dont think he ever will be Kobe. He’s a great basketball player, but you guys, slow down. It ain’t gonna be no more Kobe’s. Kobe was a different beast, you know what I’m saying? So don’t compare him to that.”
Of course, cross-generational comparisons such as this one are always going to be met with pushback from players who played in that era. At the same time, it’s fair to say that maybe it’s a bit early to give Gilgeous-Alexander the Kobe comparisons. Bryant is one of the greatest players in basketball history and won five championships along with countless other accolades.
But, the Thunder star has now had three consecutive seasons averaging 30 or more points per game and finishing top five in MVP voting. He is strong defensively — though not to Kobe’s level — and is arguably more efficient in the midrange and at the basket.
Payton may have a point about being too quick to throw out those types of head-to-head comps, but it’s not a baseless claim.
Paul Pierce saw Michael Jordan when guarding Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to five NBA championships during his Hall of Fame playing career that spanned two decades.
Bryant guided the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2008-2010, which included two matchups against the rival Boston Celtics.
Kobe led all scorers with 30.1 points per game during the 2008 NBA playoffs, but the Lakers ultimately fell short to the Celtics. Bryant would get his revenge two years later, when L.A. knocked off Boston in seven games en route to earning Finals MVP honors.
Celtics great and Lakers nemesis Paul Pierce was often tasked with guarding Bryant when the two teams played and he recently offered high praise for Kobe and said he was the closest player to Michael Jordan.
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