This is like saying Gene Hackman, a great actor, isn’t quite as great as Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson. It’s not a knock on Hackman or Kobe to leave them off your top five list. It’s just a fact.
Personally, I have Bryant rated as the 9th greatest player in league history. Only LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan are above the former Laker great.
4, 5, 5, 6, 4, 3, 3 & 2. No, I haven’t short-circuited. Those are the number of league MVPs won by those aforementioned eight players I have slotted above Kobe. Bryant won one league MVP.
Right behind Kobe, I have Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaq.
While Kobe did win five NBA Championships, it is inarguable that his first three titles were the result of him playing Robin to Shaquille O’Neal’s Batman.
Kobe might own the title as the greatest player who was never the best player in the league. Something he shares with baseball’s Alex Rodriguez.
Kobe gets overrated by the Lakers’ fan base much the same way that Derek Jeter gets overrated by the Yankees’ fan base.
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Many Yankee fans actually make the claim that Jeter is the greatest Pin-Stripper ever. How laughable. Have they ever heard of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle or Yogi Berra?
It’s as if every media member who covered Kobe and Jeter are too frightened to dare criticize or challenge these iconic, albeit overrated, athletes.
Kobe was generational, transcendent, and inspirational.
He wasn’t Michael Jordan 2.0 but he was 90% as good as MJ.
And, as Shannon Sharpe said, he isn’t one of the top five players in league history.
It’s not that complicated.
John Sapochetti is co-host of the “The Pick & Roll NBA Podcast With Jet & Sap”, which can be heard on Full Press Coverage.
Follow him on Twitter @JohnSap25
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