The GOAT conversation has boiled down to just two players in recent times, with most fans claiming Michael Jordan is the best ever, while some say it’s LeBron James. But there is one man that often gets forgotten in this discussion.
Kobe Bryant won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and defined the 2000s with his greatness. Will Barton, who played against him a few times during his career, has now called Bryant the best basketball player ever.
“Never seen someone that relentless, but that good at the same time,” Barton said. “Could you imagine guarding the most talented player ever, the best player ever, with a super green light? And he’s always just trying to use that green light every time. You can’t guard it.
“6’6″, strong, athletic, shoots threes, mid-range game, his footwork is crazy, he could post you. It was like, he was a skilled passer. It was like, his handles was crazy. What do you do with that? Everything. Everything is 10. it’s crazy like, I laugh thinking about how can somebody be that good.”
Will Barton says Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player of all-time. Yet another pro breaking down the real. pic.twitter.com/htjEwLC4Jo
— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) June 30, 2023
Will Barton played in the NBA starting in 2012, so he didn’t even truly face Kobe Bryant at his best. But the fact that the Mamba left such a huge impression on him goes to show how great he was. Bryant played in seven games against Barton, who was considered a solid defender, and in those games, he averaged 27.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. No wonder Barton thinks he’s the greatest of all time.
Kyrie Irving Has Also Called Kobe Bryant The GOAT In The Past
In terms of achievements and accolades, Kobe Bryant falls short of Michael Jordan, and that’s a big reason why his GOAT case gets dismissed. But to a lot of players from the current generation, Bryant was the greatest to ever do it. Kyrie Irving said as much, outright dismissing statistics and other measures for comparison.
“He said, ‘Nah man, I think Golden State is going to win the championship this year’. And you know, you have a few responses that you could get back at the greatest to play this game. By the way, when I say ‘greatest to play the game’, it doesn’t mean I’m knocking everybody else. The greatest to play the game to me, I don’t give a f**k, I don’t care about your stats, I don’t f***ing care. The greatest to play the game to me…”
Paul George also called Kobe Bryant his GOAT, so this is not an unpopular opinion. Likely, a lot of people might never have Kobe up there as the greatest to ever do it. But he did enough to get himself into the conversation, there’s no denying that.
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