Anytime a Mount Rushmore of NBA players is done by basically anybody who played, coached or simply is just a fan of NBA basketball, there is a more than likely chance that a member of the Los Angeles Lakers family is on that list. Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and the list goes on of the all-time greats who have donned the purple and gold.
Former Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball was no exception when asked about his Mount Rushmore, naming both LeBron and Shaq to go along with Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry. But the omission of Kobe was notable and required a bit of an explanation.
Ball and his brother LiAngelo were guests on the Unapologetically Angel podcast with WNBA star Angel Reese and after giving his Mount Rushmore, explained his decision to leave Bryant off his list:
“I love Kobe Bryant, but he was never the best player to me when I was watching him,” Ball said. “Just because he’s got the most misses ever, you know what I’m saying? I don’t know. But back to Curry—his resume, the way he changed the game—he’s the best shooter ever. Carried USA. There ain’t nothing that he hasn’t done, and he’s got the rings to back it up too. So, I don’t know.”
These lists are always subjective and completely up to what each person prefers and, make no mistake, Ball’s list features four players who are more than deserving of the selection. Many would disagree with the idea that Kobe was never the best player in the league, particularly during those late-2000s runs with the Lakers. But there are some who prefer Shaq and Tim Duncan in the early 2000s and LeBron during the end of that decade.
Regardless of anyone’s feelings, Bryant’s impact on the game of basketball is not arguable and he will forever go down as one of the greatest Lakers, and greatest basketball players ever.
Anthony Davis discusses what Dalton Knecht brings to Lakers starting lineup
The current version of the Lakers is still working out the right lineups and rotations and one recent move was to re-insert rookie Dalton Knecht into the starting lineup. It paid immediate dividends in the Lakers’ victory over the San Antonio Spurs and superstar Anthony Davis talked about what Knecht brings to that group.
Davis immediately mentioned spacing due to Knecht’s elite shooting ability, noting that when they run plays and set screens for him, he can often draw two defenders worried about him. And Knecht is good enough to take advantage of those moments as well with an underrated ability to attack the basket off the dribble or make the right pass.
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