When it comes to the discussion of the greatest NBA player of all time, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant tends to be left out of the debate, and Draymond Green understands why.
Speaking with Shaquille O’Neal on “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” Green explained why people tend to leave Bryant out of the GOAT debate.
“Here’s why I think he’s not (in the conversation),” Green said. “Because, number one, he played with you and people hold it against him. Number two, I think Kobe went through a strange time. And what I mean by this is that Mike (Jordan) left the league. When Mike left the league, you all dominated. And then you left the Lakers. When you left the Lakers, they had some tough years, it wasn’t great.
“They didn’t have a big squad. Rudy Tomjanovich, that was an epic fail, like that’s not cool. And although it wasn’t going very well, there was a young man in Cleveland who was starting to make money. And so, in the years that Kobe could have been dominating, which he was from a numbers standpoint, they weren’t winning. So in those years, LeBron (James) was making money and starting to make a name for himself as the best player.”
Green went on to explain to O’Neal that Bryant didn’t spend enough time as the league’s undisputed best player before James began his run of greatness.
“And I think the amount of time that there was a consensus that Kobe was number one in the league, as the best player, I don’t think it was enough for everyone to say let’s put him in that conversation, because Bron then came and put his name in the conversation,” Green explained.
“And that’s why I don’t think he’s accumulated enough people saying he dominated the way that Mike dominated during the time that Mike dominated, and Bron during the time that he dominated. I don’t think Kobe has mastered himself for that long. And I think that’s why people don’t include it in the conversation.”
While Bryant had an incredible career with the Lakers, winning five NBA titles and becoming one of the most prolific shooters in league history, many believe many of those championships were due to the dominant pairing with O’ Neal.
Later in the podcast, Green was asked to talk about the Mount Rushmore of NBA legends, and the Warriors forward made some interesting choices.
“My Mount Rushmore is Kobe, Shaq, LeBron and Steph (Curry), I love you, big friend,” Green told O’Neal.
Given Green’s close friendship with James and his relationship with Curry, those picks make a lot of sense. O’Neal and Bryant’s most surprising choices aren’t too much of a stretch considering the level of success the couple had together and apart. After O’Neal left the Lakers, he won another championship alongside Dwayne Wade with the Miami Heat, while Bryant won two more with Pau Gasol in Los Angeles.
Since Golden State didn’t make the playoffs, Green has been doing the podcast rounds during the postseason, recently picking the Dallas Mavericks to make the NBA Finals in the Western Conference, as well as explaining who his biggest critics are.
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