In a recent appearance on ‘The Basketball Archive,’ 7x NBA champion Robert Horry gave his opinion on the greatest NBA players in history. After being asked to rank the top three, Horry didn’t hesitate to list Jordan, LeBron, and Kobe Bryant, with Jordan being put at the very top.
“MJ is one, Kobe is two, and LeBron is three. I don’t think that MJ had a flaw in his game,” said Horry. “People say he couldn’t shoot threes but he could shoot threes when he wanted to shoot them he just didn’t need to shoot threes… Kobe is the same way. And I think LeBron is a great player. I’m not knocking LeBron, he’s still 1C and Kobe’s 1B and Mike is first. I know the body of work these guys put in but is there a flaw in LeBron’s game? Yes. Was there a flaw in Kobe’s game? Yes. Was there a flaw in Michael’s game? No.”
The GOAT debate is one that will never end and the criteria for that title varies from person to person. But for a guy like Robert Horry, who won titles playing alongside Kobe Bryant and other all-time legends, he knows more than most about what separates these players from the rest.
Michael Jordan Had No Flaws?
Somehow, being Kobe Bryant’s teammate during a three-peat still wasn’t enough to rank him above Jordan and it’s no mystery why. Unlike every other player, including LeBron, Kobe, and the rest, Jordan really had no flaws in his game and he could do everything on the court at an elite level. No matter your feelings on Jordan or the Chicago Bulls, Michael’s status as one of the all-time best is inarguable at this point. He could do it all on the court, whether it was scoring in the paint, rising for a mid-range jumper, or defending the opposing team’s best player. By the time he retired for the third and final time in 2003, Jordan had career stats of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 49.7% shooting.
Even so, Jordan’s career was far from perfect. Before he was winning titles in the 90s and cementing his legacy as the GOAT, he was still an unproven star in the league trying to take down the Bad Boy Pistons. There were years of failure with the Bulls before Pippen’s arrival sparked a run for the franchise and they never looked back. So while Michael’s career remains the epitome of excellence, it’s not without blemish and not as flawless as some might have you believe.
Kobe Bryant Over LeBron James?
As a 6x champion, 5x MVP, and 14x All-Star, Michael Jordan was the consensus NBA GOAT for many years before LeBron James changed the conversation. Kobe Bryant is typically ranked somewhere below those players, but Horry feels differently. He was right alongside Bryant as he won his three-peat with Shaquille O’Neal and he bore witness first-hand to the kind of player Kobe was on both ends of the floor.
While not as accomplished or as complete as Michael, Kobe is arguably the closest thing to Jordan in terms of skillset, work ethic, and approach to the game. Of course, to many, that pales in comparison to LeBron’s career, which is still going strong after 20+ years. All-in-all, LeBron’s career is only topped by Jordan in terms of accolades, achievements, and sheer dominance in the league but guys like Horry always provide a new perspective and it’s a debate that will probably never end.
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