In honor of the NBA’s 75th anniversary, ESPN joined the trend of ranking the top 75 players ever. While most of the list is agreeable enough, several placements rubbed folk the wrong way.
Kevin Durant, for instance, was put at 12th All-Time, which is a rather high ranking considering that Hakeem Olajuwon, Julius Erving, and Moses Malone come after him.
Oscar Roberston cracked the Top 10, which is shocking to many people considering he’s only a 1x Champion.
While those are some of the most controversial picks, much of the list is somewhat debatable.
(via ESPN)
ESPN’s Top 10 from the NBA 75 team:
1.) Michael Jordan
2.) LeBron James
3.) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4.) Magic Johnson
5.) Wilt Chamberlain
6.) Bill Russell
7.) Larry Bird
8.) Tim Duncan
9.) Oscar Robertson
10.) Kobe Bryant
Full list: https://t.co/nl8T1lfhq8
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 22, 2022
As expected, the network got roasted by fans on Twitter, who were quick to chime in with their own opinions.
ESPN.. Ima let you finish, buttt we don’t respect any list Kobe isn’t top five… pic.twitter.com/4V2ojUM7JK
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) February 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/sportslandent/status/1495919690010484739
Kobe way too low wtf
— mev 🏀🧸🌹 (@mevvybear) February 22, 2022
Oscar Robertson over kobe is a war crime pic.twitter.com/On1XR2LE8p
— WhoisRuff ☄️🌍 (@RuffsBurner) February 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/Fxiden8/status/1495954421896912907
Sad to see black mamba at 10. The disrespect
— TatumSzn💍 (@Tatumisgoat1) February 22, 2022
This is horrible. There is so much Kobe hate
— Babür Maverick (@BaburRealer) February 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/theBrowsexual/status/1495949349221986310https://twitter.com/JashawnMaddox/status/1495955621874655233
Sorry, but @kobebryant is top 5 in any basketball category to me
— MainoDraino ♏️ (@maseratimain) February 22, 2022
WTF BIG O AT 9 OVER KOBE
— . (@WTHaliburton0) February 22, 2022
Over his 20-year career, Kobe Bryant was an 18x All-Star, 5x Champion, 2x Finals MVP, and 12x All-Defensive player. He’s also the NBA’s fourth All-Time leading scorer with 33,643 points.
While many of the fans seem to have him high on their lists, ESPN isn’t the only network to rank him 10th. Earlier this month, The Athletic released their list, which had Kobe in the exact same spot.
In our list of the Top 75 greatest players, we put Kobe 5th, right behind Magic and Kareem.
The late Kobe Bryant was arguably the most skilled player in the game because he had every move and counter-move in the book. He took what Michael Jordan brought to the game and upped it a notch because Bryant was willing and able to take any shot at any given time. A scorer with a short memory, Bryant retired with 5 NBA championships with one franchise and is ranked 4th all-time in points scored. In terms of impact, skill, and dominance as a shooting guard; Bryant is a top-5 player.
Every ranking is going to look different, and Kobe’s place among the All-Time greats is always going to be a debate. As good as he was, there are plenty of other amazing players who deserve to get recognized.
Regardless, we can all agree that Bryant is one of the best we’ve ever seen. His unstoppable game and relentless drive pushed him to heights of extraordinary levels.
Today, it’s very clear that the basketball world holds him in very high regard.
