24>23

Kobe Bryant, yeah, we all know him. Maybe his name is widely spread because of that ‘infamous’ rape scandal way back on 2004. Maybe some know him because he plays for the Lakers. Or maybe he’s known because he was once the ‘sidekick’ of Shaq. We all have different reasons why we know the man. And for me, Kobe Bryant is simply the GOAT (Greatest Of All-Time). I know, maybe it’s kinda pre-mature to tell that he is, because we all know Russell has 11 rings (untouchable), Jordan has 6 and the man has only 4 (maybe 1, cause some other guys thought Shaq won the 3 for him.) Maybe we can’t say that he is the GOAT because his stats aren’t that impressive compared to the stats of LeBron (29ppg, 7rpg, 8apg and he’s not at his peak yet. SCARY!!!), Jordan (at his peak, i think he averaged, 32,8 and 7). Well, if we will based the greatness of a player, then, we can say that the GOAT may be Oscar Robertson (Big ‘O’), because this man is a beast, he completely filled the statsheet, (29,11 and 10) OMG!!! And Kobe’s stats at his peak is (30ppg, 7rpg, and 6apg) And this just proves that stats, aren’t the barometer of one’s greatness. Okay, let’s move on. Want some explanations? Okok. Let’s talk about the championships of this man, Kobe won 3 championships with Shaq, we all know that. And you can say that he might not won it if Shaq’s not there. But did you ever consider the fact that, Shaq won it with the help of Kobe. (*Jordan never won a championship w/out Pippen*) Nobody wins a championship on his own. Let’s go back to the number of championship Jordan earned, he had 6 in a span of, i think 10years. Kobe-Shaq won 3 in just a span of 5 years. Maybe if the Kobe-Shaq tandem never broke-up, they might surpass that 6 of Jordan and Pippen. The Kobe-Shaq tandem, i think is the best 1-2 punch ever created in this planet. Don’t get me wrong the Jordan-Pippen tandem was spectacular, Magic-Kareem was awesome(Showtime era), but i think the Kobe-Shaq was just way-up-there. Shaq (being the most dominant player ever) and Kobe (The uprising star, and the Greatest basketball player said by Shaq.) on that time when they’re still playing together. But suddenly that tandem broke-up and made the Lakers collapse. It just proves that everything ends and perfection never exist. (Like what Shaq said, when his FT shooting is criticized, he just said ‘My FT shooting is bad, because nobody’s perfect.) After that Big Break-Up in LA, Kobe and Shaq had a bad blood on each other. The worst is, it even reach the public. They made bad mouths on each other but when Shaq made a rap about Kobe, saying that Kobe can’t win a championship w/out him. Kobe never made a reply, and i guess his reply to that is the 2009 world championship. Kobe’s maturity i think is the one that separates him from the other great players, like (Iverson, Tmac, VC and etc.) Attitude is one thing you can consider on making a choice of the GOAT. And Kobe has that, just like Jordan, Hunger, Persistence, Patience, and Love for the game. (it never dies) Still not enough???? Hmmm. Kobe’s one of the best Offensive player (averaged 35.4ppg in one season, 2 scoring titles, 81 points in one game, 61 points at MSG, 67 points in 3 quarters alone) but i think, his defense is under-rated. Kobe has been a member of the First-team All-Defense 8 times. That’s why i told you it’s not about the stats. When you look for the Best player, you have to consider the game of a player at both ends of the floor(Offense and Defense, both the intangibles and Tangibles). That’s what separates Kobe and Jordan from the rest. They’re great scorers, but they’re also great defenders. Jordan’s more of a weak-side help defender and Kobe’s a lockdown defender. (Jeff Van Gundy once said that, Kobe’s the best one-possession defender of all-time) All right now, we only have 2 players left to choose on who’s the GOAT. And the icebreaker is this, Do you think Jordan will achieve the same achievements he had on his era, when you put him in this era?? I don’t think so, the game’s different, rules are different, coaches have gone better, player’s are much-much stronger and more athletic. And there’s a lot of better players right now, than before. So i think, this just proves that Kobe, is the Greatest of All-Time. He has the attitude, the game and the pedigree of the Best player. Well, this is from my own perception. And im open to your own explanation guys. Thanks! Go Lakers, seek for the back-to-back. :D