When it comes to debating who the greatest NBA player of all time — what some might call the G.O.A.T. — one can make a claim for Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. And while there are probably at least a half dozen players with an equal or better claim on such a status, given he is on the list of NBA G.O.A.T.s, his take on who belongs at the top of the list probably ought to carry some extra weight.
And for Kobe, the man he sees as the greatest to lace them up at the NBA level might surprise some, particularly his most dedicated fans given the team Bryant’s G.O.A.T. played for. “Everybody has this conversation about who’s the best,” said Bryant in an interview with the Athletic’s Frank Isola. “The question to ask is, does it matter? No.”
Advertisement
“What matters is what?” asked the five-time NBA champion. “Winning championships. That’s the only thing that matters.”
Feb. 17, 2008; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant talks to Bill Russell during pre-game warm up before the annual NBA Al Star Game at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY NETWORK
“You can sit here and debate until you’re blue in the face about who is the best,” he added. “What you cannot debate is who is the champion at the end of the year. Period. Bill Russell is the greatest.”
When the number of titles is the rubric for the greatest of all time, there is no greater case than Russell’s 11 titles. And while there are plenty of other metrics to measure greatness by (longevity, achievements, and peaks, just to name a few) — but we happen to lean pretty hard in favor of Kobe’s take here ourselves.
Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Spotify: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Why Kobe Bryant’s G.O.A.T. is a Celtics legend