As a LeBron James fan and a person who was born and raised in LBJ’s hometown in Akron, Ohio, it does take some pride-swallowing to state that Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA.
Bryant is as cold-blooded as a rattlesnake when it’s crunch time and he’s better than Hannibal Lector when it comes to ripping out the opponent’s liver as their championship hopes and dreams hang in the balance.
But that’s where it ends. I began to choke on my own bile when, on the “Sports Reporters,” the Kobe-Jordan comparison was brought up yet again. Kobe wants desperately to be like Mike and be liked by Mike as if he’s his real father. But he is not Mike and he will never be Mike. Moreover, not only is Kobe not the greatest player in league history, he is not even the best Los Angeles Laker of all time. I don’t care how many points Bryant scores in his career. That title, for the time being, still belongs to Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Magic cemented his legacy and legend in his rookie season by doing something that Kobe could NEVER have done. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was injured in the NBA Finals against Dr. J’s Philadelphia 76ers, Magic did something that has not been done before or since: he played all five positions on the floor in the same game, scoring 42 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals in a 123-107 dismantling of Philly. He became the only rookie to win the Finals MVP trophy, something he‘d do again two years later. Kobe could not do that in his first year, nor in his prime, and he most certainly cannot do that now. Magic went on to win five championships out of eight Finals appearances in 10 years and won three regular-season MVP Awards.
Moreover, Magic made the triple double fashionable and hip he did it so often. This simply means Magic excelled as an all-around player during his entire career. Kobe plays an all-around game in spurts. And it is here, in the all-around game category, where Kobe is far inferior to LeBron James.
In fact, Kobe rode on the shoulders of hated ex-teammate Shaquille O’Neal for the first three of their titles as the Big Diesel took away the MVP trophy in all their championships together, and deservedly so.
Could Shaq have won those titles without Kobe? Perhaps not. But without Shaq, Kobe would not have had a chance. In fact, Kobe would not have even been in the Finals without Shaq. Shaq carried the scoring and rebounding and shot-block loads during their time together and was rewarded commensurate with his contributions.
Kobe should not have even won the Finals MVP this year. He was pretty much gift-wrapped the MVP trophy after shooting 6-for-24. It should have gone to Pao Gasol, concurs Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe.
Another thing: had it not been for Jordan’s dad’s murder and MJ’s brief retirement from the game, Jordan and Scottie Pippen may have won eight championships in a row. And let’s not even mention product endorsements. Jordan wins that in a route. Remember that adidas shoe Kobe arrogantly promoted back in the day? [“It’s my shoe, so I can do whatever I want.”] Well, people didn’t want it and the shoe tanked.
Kobe as good as Jordan? Please.
I think I’ll let Jordan’s son, Marcus, close out with the last word on the topic, which he did so forcefully on Twitter;
“NO ONE … And I mean NO ONE should EVER com par [sic] kobe [sic] Bryant to my dad an [sic] say he is anywhere near my dad. He is jagging this game.” –terry shropshire
