- KD says he crowned Kobe as the GOAT after watching him torch the Raptors
- Kobe was fearless in battling the NBA’s best defenders
- Bryant’s all-time ranking stirs debate within the NBA community
Kobe Bryant is certainly high on the list of the greatest players ever, but where he ranks compared to other legends like LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kareem Abdul-Kabbar is still highly debated across the NBA.
For Suns superstar Kevin Durant, there was a time when he once thought of Kobe Bryant as the best of the best that the game has ever seen, even over MJ himself.
“I watched that 81-point game live and when he got to cooking in that I was like, ‘This is the greatest player I have ever seen.’ I really thought that that night. I’m like, ‘Man, he’s shooting fades, coming into the lane, and stopping on the dime giving you two pump fakes right before three seconds.’ All the best defenders in the league coming up, he was going at them every night and he was really trying to punk them.”
Kevin Durant when he watched Kobe drop 81 points: “This is the greatest player I’ve ever seen.” pic.twitter.com/4BSHlsvTdz
— LEEZUS (@AndrewLeezus) September 3, 2023
Kobe was just built differently than the average star of his time. While others were busy playing for paychecks and partying on the weekends, Bryant was completely dedicated to his craft, and he took every opportunity to perfect his game.
In 20 years in the NBA, Kobe built an amazing career and retired as one of the biggest stars the sports world had ever seen. And while there are countless stories that fans will remember about Kobe, his 81-point performance is probably the defining moment of his NBA run.
Kobe’s 81-Point Game Was A True Masterpiece
On January 22nd, 2006, one of Kobe’s all-time greatest performances happened live against the Toronto Raptors. What started out as an ordinary regular season matchup became a historic spectacle after Bryant managed to drop 81 points, which stands to this day as the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.
Scoring in myriads of ways, Bryant finished the night shooting 21/33 for two-point shots, 7/13 for three-pointers, and 18/20 on free throws. It was part of a masterful season from Bryant, who somehow missed out on MVP despite averaging 35 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 45% shooting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9NILK4OXpo
Sadly, the Lakers were actually pretty average that season and fell down to 7th in the standings with a 45-37 record before losing in the first round to the Phoenix Suns.
Is Kobe The Greatest Player Of All-Time?
As an 18x All-Star, 5x champion, and 1x MVP, Bryant’s resume holds up against the best of them, especially when you consider where he ranks (4th) on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list.
Even so, the argument for putting Kobe at the top is relatively weak. Unlike Kobe, Michael Jordan never lost in the Finals and he was able to win six championships as opposed to Kobe’s five. MJ also never played with Shaquille O’Neal, a guy who many claim carried Bryant to his first three championships.
You must also consider LeBron James, who has elevated his status among the game’s top legends. As a 4x champ, 4x MVP, and 19x All-Star, James has surpassed Bryant in almost every countable category.
If you ask most fans today, Kobe ranks somewhere between fourth and eighth on the all-time list, but the answer will always be different depending on who you ask.
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