Kobe Bryant is arguably one of the greatest players in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers legend racked up five titles and an endless string of individual accolades during his 20-year stint in the league, but some people, like movie star Jamie Foxx, were never really a fan of Bryant’s style of play.
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Foxx recently made an appearance on ESPN NBA Countdown to promote his new film, Speechless, and was asked a question about six particular NBA greats. Those on this list include LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Bryant.
The Speechless star was asked which one of the six NBA greats listed is the worst player. Foxx didn’t hesitate to say, Kobe:
https://youtu.be/_aU93nDi1n4
It comes as no surprise that Foxx’s choice has come with a fair amount of criticism with many fans of the future Hall of Famer taking to social media to bash the actor. Foxx didn’t explain his answer by saying the following (transcription via Chris Yuscavage of Complex.com):
The only reason I’m saying it is because, if we’re trying to build a team, I think the team aspect of the players is a little different than the Kobe Bryant of…
I’ll say this. Let me explain this. I think when Michael Jordan played so well, there was something that happened with every kid that came behind Michael Jordan that it had to be themselves because Michael Jordan made this big thing. So every agent, every manager was like, ‘Yo, you have to be Michael Jordan.’ Which wasn’t necessarily, to the naked eye, the team sport. So if I’m building a team, the guys other than Kobe Bryant are more team-oriented players.
Foxx and Bryant have a little history. Back in 2014, Foxx told our reporter Serena Winters a story about the two doing a little trash talking in Los Angeles:
Everyone has a right to their opinion and Foxx is no different. Debates like these always seem to cause an uproar on Twitter and other social media platforms. If it were LeBron taken off the list by Foxx, Cleveland Cavaliers fans would lose their minds. Same might be said for any of the other players on the list and their respective fan bases.
Regardless of Foxx’s opinion, it is an entertaining discussion. There’s bound to be many more debates involving Kobe Bryant in the future involving the five-time NBA champion and where he stands among the greatest players of all time.