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Lakers Nation > Blog > Lakers News > Scottie Pippen Criticizes LeBron James As ‘Not Even’ Being Same Player As Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant
Lakers News

Scottie Pippen Criticizes LeBron James As ‘Not Even’ Being Same Player As Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant

Matthew Moreno
Published: 02/14/2019
3 Min Read
Lakers News: Kobe Bryant On Not Playing Lebron James In Nba Finals
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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For years Michael Jordan stood on the mountaintop as the greatest player in NBA history. Kobe Bryant was then touted as the next-closest thing to Jordan, and in the eyes of many, LeBron James has overtaken Jordan as the game’s greatest player.

Of course, it’s an endless argument and one that includes the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. While James has been touted in some circles as the best player of all-time, the likes of Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady have pushed back against Bryant being overlooked.

As James and the Los Angeles Lakers went into the All-Star break on a downturn and outside the playoff picture, criticism has continued to mount.

The latest of which came from Scottie Pippen during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, as he did not compare James favorably to Jordan or Bryant:

“When I look at LeBron, he’s not what Michael was as a player. He’s not even what Kobe Bryant was as a player. So, when you talk about trying to compare Michael’s instinct, his ability to take over games, his ability to want to have the last shot. … LeBron doesn’t have that gene. That’s not in him. Kobe has that gene. I see a little bit of it in Paul George. I see a little bit of it in Kawhi, Westbrook.”

It can be reasoned Pippen’s connection to and history with Jordan presumably influenced his opinion of James. Though, in the past there have been cases where he’s lauded the 16-year veteran.

During the appearance on “First Take,” Pippen did clarify he was not denouncing James as a whole. He simply does not believe he has the same clutch mentality as Bryant and Jordan, which has been a common knock on James throughout his career.

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TAGGED:Kobe BryantLeBron JamesLos Angeles LakersMichael Jordan
ByMatthew Moreno
Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com
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