The Answer believes Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant deserves more respect in terms of the GOAT discussions.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had plenty of great players suit up in the purple and gold. With respect to “GOAT” conversations, the debate will probably never end.
While many consider Michael Jordan the baddest baller ever, there are two players that consistently get compared to Jordan. That pair is LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
However, the latter tends to not be given as much credit nowadays. Because Bryant is retired, it is a lot easier to focus on making Jordan-James comparisons.
Michael Tanenbaum of PhillyVoice.com recognizes this sad, unfortunate truth. In his piece, he goes on to say that legends before Bryant’s era are generally forgotten about as well.
"It tends to be a modern discussion because 1) we have short memories and 2) legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in what’s considered a different era."
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There is no denying that former centers such as those are among the best to ever lace them up. In spite of that, they’ve casually been pushed aside because they are seemingly old news.
Philadelphia 76ers icon Allen Iverson does not endorse this idea one bit. In a recent interview with UNGUARDED, Iverson was not afraid to speak his mind about the GOAT debate. He firmly believes Bryant does not get enough respect in the debate.
According to Christian Rivas of SB Nation (originally via UNGUARDED), Iverson shared why he thinks Kobe is worthy of more love.
"“What bother me is when they do talk about [the greatest of all time], Lebron is great first of all … when they talk about comparing him to Mike, I don’t understand how they don’t have the debate with him in Kobe,” Iverson said. “You forgot? They forgot?“I really think they forgot. The Mamba, man … certified serial killer, man.”"
Iverson understands how great Kobe was given that he saw it firsthand. Via Rivas’ article, the two faced each other in the regular season 29 times. Bryant’s Lakers won 16 of those games.
That statistic alone sheds light on Iverson’s “certified serial killer” comment. The Black Mamba was known to go to extremes to help his team come out on top. The mindset was basically part of Bryant’s DNA.
Iverson’s 76ers, of course, faced the Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals. On that note, The Answer understands that Kobe knew how to shine when it counted the most. Thanks in large part to Bryant’s efforts, L.A. earned back-to-back world championships that year.
Iverson is not attempting to take anything away from LeBron. His “all-around game,” based on what Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation reports, is unquestionable. A.I. just does not grasp why the relentless debate often ends with Jordan and James.
Many do not grant Bryant with as much attention since his primary skill was scoring. Those critics insist that scoring was all Kobe was capable of. However, accolades such as his nine All-Defensive first team selections suggest that such a claim is utterly ludicrous.
While the GOAT debates will never subside, Iverson’s defense of Kobe is encouraging. Iverson played against Jordan and James as well, so his views on the Lakers’ legend should not be taken lightly.
Next: Kobe Bryant's Top 10 Games Of All-Time
The GOAT conversation is opinionated for sure. However, Iverson is far from the first to praise Kobe. Guys like Magic Johnson have deemed this “certified serial killer” as the best Laker ever. That in itself says a lot due to the Lakers’ rich history.