The Los Angeles Lakers have been home to many of the greatest players to ever step foot on an NBA floor. Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor and many others have worn the purple and gold, but in the eyes of many it is Kobe Bryant who is the greatest player to ever put on a Lakers jersey.
Not only is Kobe one of the greatest Lakers ever, but he is one of the best NBA players, with many proclaiming him as their GOAT (greatest of all-time). But amongst many basketball commentators and analysts, Bryant is further down the rankings with most debates now focusing primarily on Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
That’s a sentiment O’Neal has grown tired of. The Lakers legend recently appeared on the “Stephen A. Smith Show” and called out the ESPN analyst, and other media members, for leaving Bryant out of GOAT debate:
Talking Kobe Bryant with @SHAQ pic.twitter.com/ds40evH7WD
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 6, 2024
The analytics might not always go in Kobe’s favor, which often leads to some unfair criticism. Bryant is also knocked for O’Neal being his teammate for the first three championships with the Lakers, even though all of the other players in GOAT conversations had Hall-of-Fame teammates in their prime when winning championship rings as well.
O’Neal’s argument is simple in that even if you don’t consider Bryant the greatest player ever, he at least deserves to be mentioned and too often he is simply cast aside. It should be noted, however, that this is mostly commentators and analysts.
Current and former players themselves almost always make it a point to mention Bryant amongst all the other greats, and usually above most.
There is perhaps no greater gap in perception from players to analysts than there is when it comes to Kobe. Those who faced off with him never downplay anything he accomplished, and Shaq wants to make sure that no one forgets the impact Bryant had and just how good he was.
Allen Iverson: GOAT debate is between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan
Fellow Hall of Famer and one of Bryant’s greatest individual rivals, Allen Iverson, recently gave his thoughts on the GOAT debate as well.
During his interview with Rachel Nichols, Iverson said the debate should be between the Lakers legend and Jordan and has everyone else, including James, after those two.
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