Former NBA player Matt Barnes appeared on the latest episode of Gil’s Arena, where he delivered some interesting takes on Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. Barnes believes James is the greatest ever when you factor in on- and off-court activities, but he added that Jordan and Bryant are ahead of him if you focus solely on basketball.
“I feel the three greatest players of all time are MJ, Kob, and Bron,” Barnes said. “So to me, you can throw any of those three up, and however you slot them I don’t have an issue with. It’s weird that I feel like the non-athlete media always kind of leaves Kob out of the top five or sometimes the top 10.
“And it’s crazy, because the guys that played with him or against him understand what he was about, understand that drive and that killer he had,” Barnes stated. “But again, to me, that’s not knocking because I think Kobe is ahead of Bron. That doesn’t mean I dislike Bron.
“I think Bron is f***ing incredible, and for him to still be doing what he’s done, and the doors he’s opened. He’s got his son on the team, and he’s going to be the owner of the Vegas franchise when that s*** happens,” Barnes continued. “He’s done s*** that we normally don’t get opportunities to do.
“So, I think as far as on and off the court, I think Bron is probably the all-time GOAT,” Barnes added. “But I just think when it comes to basketball, I think it’s MJ, Kob, and then Bron as a respectful third.”
That’s an interesting way to look at this debate. You would give Jordan the edge over James purely from a basketball standpoint. The Chicago Bulls icon won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his career. That’s a ridiculous resume and LeBron has not been able to better it yet.
James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title in his career. If he is to surpass Jordan, he is going to have to win another title or two.
While James may have a lot of work to do to pass Jordan, many believe he has already surpassed Bryant. Kobe won five titles, two Finals MVPs, an MVP, and two scoring titles in his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Bryant’s resume does not stack up favorably with James’, many former players like Barnes still consider him to be the greater of the two. He reckons those who played against Kobe realize how great he truly was. Considering so many former players have made statements along these lines, it’s clear he left quite a mark on them.
Getting back to James, Barnes wanted to make it clear he doesn’t dislike the Lakers star. He applauded him for all that he has achieved off the court and all that he looks set to achieve in the coming years.
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