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Former Lakers Rival Believes Kobe Bryant Should Be in GOAT Discussion

Gabe Smallson|
Apr 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) smiles as he addresses the crowd after the Lakers defeat of the Utah Jazz in the final game of his career at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Apr 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) smiles as he addresses the crowd after the Lakers defeat of the Utah Jazz in the final game of his career at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

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Nobody in the basketball world can agree on who the greatest of all time is.

The only thing all basketball fans can agree on in the GOAT conversation is that there is no one right answer. 

The debate is much easier in the NFL world, where the long-standing GOAT was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.

He and his four Super Bowl rings, plus three Super Bowl MVPs were seen as the pinnacle of football success—until Tom Brady entered the scene.

Brady started to earn his GOAT status after surpassing Montana in Super Bowl rings, winning his fifth in 2016. Brady didn't stop there; he won another two Super Bowls, increasing his total to seven, and he secured five Super Bowl MVP awards. 

Basketball is infinitely more complicated.

Hall of Famer Michael Jordan was widely seen as the greatest in the history of the sport securing six NBA championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and five league MVPs.

He was seen as the greatest for years up until LeBron James started to encroach on that title.

James has two less NBA championships and Finals MVP awards with four a-piece, but last season became the NBA's all-time leading scorer. 

James also factors longevity into the equation, as he is averaging 23.7 points, 8.8 assists, and 7.6 rebounds per game at 40 years old. 

Jordan, after three seasons of retirement, averaged 22.9 and 20 points per game, respectively, in his age 38 and 39 seasons. 

On Gil's Arena Podcast, a show hosted by Gilbert Arenas, Kobe Bryant's case for the GOAT was also thrown into the ring.

Kenyon Martin, another NBA alumni, staked his claim on the show, boldly stating why Bryant was the best.

“Kobe has never been out of the best basketball player of all time debate, ever. He was a bad a** man with the ball in his hands, competitive as they come, 5 rings. My 15 years of playing basketball Kobe Bryant was the best basketball player in the NBA.”

Kobe is not a wildly unpopular pick.

Bryant played 20 NBA seasons, won five NBA titles, and earned two Finals MVP awards. He finished his career with a career-high of 81 points, more than both Jordan and LeBron.

Bryant also ranks fourth on the NBA all-time scoring list, right about Jordan, who is fifth.

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Gabe Smallson
GABE SMALLSON

Gabe Smallson is a sportswriter based in Los Angeles. His focus is sports and entertainment content. Gabe has previously worked at DodgersNation and Newsweek. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2020 and is a Masters Candidate at the University of Southern California. You can get in touch with Gabe by emailing gabe.smallson@lasportsreport.com. You can find him on X @gabesmallson

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