Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and all-time defender Tony Allen are forever linked. Allen was a member of the Boston Celtics team that faced Bryant in the NBA Finals twice in three years, then went on to amass six All-NBA Defense selections in seven seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Allen developed a reputation as the “Kobe Stopper” over those years, as he was the only defender that seemed to be able to slow down Bryant in the slightest. Their matchups were hard-fought and highly competitive, but there was an obvious mutual respect between the two. Bryant gave Allen his props whenever he could, and to this day, Allen sings Bryant’s praises.
“The best scorer to ever play the game… Kevin Durant I would say, he’s neck and neck with Kobe,” Allen said on To The Baha.
Allen’s claim is one that many NBA fans — especially Lakers fans — agree with. Bryant averaged 25.0 points per game over 20 seasons and is currently fourth on the all-time scoring list, behind only Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James.
And perhaps no opponent got a better view of Bryant and what he was capable of than Allen. The two faced off 34 times over their careers, with Bryant averaging 25.7 points in those matchups. They not only split their 34 meetings evenly, they also evenly split both their regular season matchups (24) and playoffs (10).
While Allen may not always get the respect he deserves for being one of the greatest defenders ever, there clearly was a mutual respect and admiration between him and Bryant, even when they were competing against each other.
Devin Booker puts Kobe Bryant in all-time starting five
One of the things that Bryant did best in the later stages of his career — and after his retirement — was connect with the next generation of superstars. Bryant and Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker developed a good relationship, with the latter looking up to the Lakers legend.
Booker was recently asked about his all-time starting five, and he gave an answer that is likely shared by many people. He had Stephen Curry at point guard, Bryant at the two, followed by James at small forward, Kevin Durant at power forward and Shaquille O’Neal at center.
This lineup includes three Laker greats in Bryant, O’Neal and James, as well as a tandem that won two titles in three seasons together with Curry and Durant.
Booker has always been a huge admirer of Bryant, trying to model his game after him.
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