For many Lakers fans, Kobe Bryant is the greatest player in the history of the franchise. Besides his five championships, it was 20 years of greatness helped establish a permanent bond between Bryant and the City of Los Angeles. But according to NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith, he cannot qualify as the greatest Laker ever for one simple reason: his time running second fiddle to Shaquille O’Neal.
“He’s not the greatest Laker of all-time,” said Smith on First Take. “Three of those titles came with Shaq!”
Stephen A says Kobe isn’t the greatest Laker ever bcuz “3 of those titles came with Shaq”.
How many of Magic’s titles came with Kareem? @stephenasmith https://t.co/vbXoHmQImZ pic.twitter.com/62XciwwHGO
— Who’s Better Than Kobe? (@MarkIII824) November 8, 2023
Interestingly enough, Shannon Sharpe noticed the flaw in Stephen A.’s case and pointed out how the same argument can be made for Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Don’t duck. Talk about it…@stephenasmith @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/k4viVnEfAb
— Who’s Better Than Kobe? (@MarkIII824) November 8, 2023
When it comes to comparing Lakers, the franchise has such a deep and rich history that it can be hard to pick one star over the other, especially when those stars include legends such as Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain. Now, even LeBron James is in the mix as an iconic Lakers legend. What separated Kobe from the rest, however, is the way he made the franchise his own and embraced the ultra-high expectations set before him.
How Good Was Kobe During Lakers’ Three-Peat?
Shaq’s presence is usually one of the first ways that critics will try to discredit Kobe’s original championships. It’s no secret that Shaquille O’Neal was the team’s best player at the time, and his three Finals MVPs prove that he was the alpha dog from 2000-2002. Meanwhile, Kobe was still just a youngin’ in the league with just a few years of experience under his belt. Despite this fact, Bryant more than fulfilled his duties on the roster. Heading into the 2000 playoffs, Bryant was averaging 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game on 46% shooting. By the same time in the next year, his numbers bumped to 28.5 points per game.
In the postseason, Kobe didn’t have any type of drop-off and averaged 22.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, on 42.5% shooting during the three title years. Those stats are obviously far from what they were during his last two championships, but Kobe’s shooting and shot-making relieved the pressure from Shaq, who was putting up 36 points and 15 rebounds in the postseason. Without his young co-star, it’s unlikely that the Lakers would have won those three championships and the truth is that no superstar can do it on their own, not even Shaq, who needed Dwyane Wade to help him win in 2006.
Every Lakers Great Has Played With Stars
As an 5x NBA champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 15x All-NBA player, 18x All-Star, 2x scoring champion, Bryant’s legacy should not be tainted because he got to play with Shaq at the peak of his powers. In fact, pretty much every Lakers great has played with some type of All-Star talent, including Magic Johnson, who played with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy during his title wins. Even LeBron, who has only been a Laker for five years, isn’t an exception to this rule, considering his longtime partnership with Anthony Davis.
No matter where you look, the evidence will show that most superstars need proper talent around them before they can start winning under pressure. For Kobe, he was fortunate enough to land in a good situation early on but you have to give him credit for making the most of it and never letting an opportunity pass him by.
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