Former Lakers Guard Compares Jalen Green To Kobe in Shocking Way

Ricardo Sandoval | May 5, 2025

December 26, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 126-114. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-Imagn Images / Chris Humphreys-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers' season ended last week at the hands of the No. 6 seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a series that not many outside Minnesota expected to go down, yet here we are. 

The Lakers will now sit back, relax, and prepare to contend next season through an 82-game season and beyond. On the other hand, the Timberwolves will now take on the Golden State Warriors. 

The Warriors, who held a 3- 1 lead, were taken to the brink by a young Houston Rockets team, which will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. The Rockets came one game short of advancing to the second round; however, they landed a top-two seed in the loaded West. Night in and night out, they were led by their young guard, Jalen Green. 

While Green was spectacular in the regular season, his playoff debut was not pretty. He was mediocre at best, more often than not, which ultimately led to the team's fall in the first round. 

Green's Game 7 performance was below par, and after the game, he was a hot topic, especially on Fan Duel's Run It Back. The show's co-host, former Lakers guard Lou Williams, spoke on Green. 

Williams said that the Rockets should not give up on Green yet. He compared him to Kobe Bryant and his shortcomings in the 1997 Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz, where he had infamously shot four airballs in a playoff closeout game. 

"Imagine if the Lakers turned their back on Kobe when he played how he played against the Utah Jazz when he was such a young player...there's not a lot of Jalen Green's laying around."

Lou Will defends Jalen Green

"Imagine if the Lakers turned their back on Kobe when he played how he played against the Utah Jazz when he was such a young player...there's not a lot of Jalen Green's laying around."

(🎥 @RunItBackFDTV )pic.twitter.com/iPnFYzyYf5

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 5, 2025

Bryant was only 18 years old in 1997 and was a rookie guard. Green is 22 and in his fourth season in his career. Nonetheless, the comparisons are valid in some way. 

The Rockets guard struggled big time in his playoff debut. Green averaged 13.3 points per game in seven games, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.6 steals while shooting 37.2 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from beyond the arc in 31.3 minutes of action. 

His production and play took a noticeable dip in the postseason compared to his regular-season output. That’s to be expected—the playoffs present a different level of intensity and pressure. Still, the belief around the league is that Green will continue to grow and elevate his game.

Is it fair to draw parallels to someone like Kobe Bryant? Not quite. But there’s no denying Green’s upside. He’s a special talent with the potential to be a dominant presence in the league for years to come.

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