Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James are often mentioned among the greatest players of all time, and more often than not, they are considered the three best players to ever set foot on an NBA court. Their work ethic, desire to win and competitiveness made them legendary players.
Right now, LeBron is still chasing Jordan and Bryant in terms of championships, but there’s no doubt he earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as the two best shooting guards of all time.
Charles Barkley recently showered these guys in praise, explaining how incredible they are and putting them in a different category due to everything they achieved in their careers and how hard they fought to become successful.
Charles Barkley Explains Why He Consider Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, And LeBron James “Perfect”
During a recent conversation on The Steam Room, Chuck talked about ‘flawless’ players, mentioning a couple of them that came close to that. However, he believes that MJ, Kobe, and Bron are in a league of their own, and nobody can touch them (31:00).
“When I look at Michael, Kobe, LeBron… I don’t want to leave anybody else out, because Kareem’s (Abdul-Jabbar) in that situation. He’s an all-time great. Bill Russell, rest in peace, is an all-time great, but I never looked at him as a guy going to get me 20 points a night. I don’t think he was a great offensive player. He’s a great winner, rebounder, defender.
“But Michael, Kobe, LeBron, those three guys that I’ve came to close and says, ‘Oh, that’s a perfect player right there.”
Barkley was trying to give a piece of advice to players to push their kids to the next level if they want to be successful. That’s what worked for Jordan, Bryant, and James, three of the biggest legends of the game right now.
Of course, being talented is important here, but these guys always worked harder than everybody else to be at the best level, and proof of that was their longevity. While MJ and Kobe didn’t see much success during their last years in the league, they were still a bucket and could score on anybody. LeBron is still trying to compete for championships at 37, and even though the Lakers are struggling right now, they have hope simply because they have the King on their roster.
