Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman appeared on N3on’s latest stream, where he was asked who is the GOAT between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Without any hesitation, Rodman went with Jordan and stated that Kobe Bryant should be in the conversation, too.
“We know who that is,” Rodman said. “Jordan all day long… People forgot about that one guy. That one guy, that’s called Kobe Bryant. People forget about him. They talk about everybody else. They don’t talk about Kobe for some reason.”
Rodman joins a growing list of former players who want to see Bryant’s name included. Shaquille O’Neal has stated on numerous occasions that the Los Angeles Lakers icon belongs in the GOAT conversation. Like Rodman, O’Neal also believes that Jordan is the GOAT.
One could accuse Rodman of being a bit biased here, as he and Jordan won three titles together on the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998. Still, it’s not like the latter doesn’t have a great case to be regarded as the best ever.
Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his career. He made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams, and has the highest career scoring average in the regular season and playoffs.
Jordan helped the Bulls completely dominate the NBA in the 1990s. Before winning those three titles with Rodman, he had led the team to a three-peat from 1991 to 1993 as well. Jordan then briefly retired in 1993, and one wonders if the Bulls would have won eight in a row if he hadn’t stepped away.
As for James, he has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title. He has made 21 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams, and is the league’s all-time leading scorer.
James made eight straight trips to the NBA Finals from 2011 to 2018 and has been a dominant force for over two decades. His longevity is unparalleled, and the records he is setting will prove almost impossible to break.
Rodman has never been his biggest fan, though, and James fired a shot at him during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show in March. These latest comments made on the stream certainly aren’t going to bring these two any closer.
As for the late great Bryant, he had a pretty special career, too. He won five titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles in 20 seasons with the Lakers. Bryant made 18 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 12 All-Defensive teams. He is often viewed as the closest thing we have seen to Jordan, with some believing he was better than his idol.
People are entitled to their opinions, but Bryant’s resume isn’t as impressive as Jordan’s or James’. NBA analyst Nick Wright caused a bit of a stir by breaking down why Bryant doesn’t belong in the GOAT conversation.
Wright thinks Jordan has Bryant beat in every single category. He believes someone who is not the very best at anything cannot possibly be the greatest player ever. Stephen A. Smith had a similar argument when he dismissed Bryant’s case.
A large portion of the media seems to be of this belief, but good luck trying to convince so many of these former players that Bryant does not belong in the conversation.
