By-Brandon Williams
WASHINGTON D.C.,- This debate will probably never end, and basketball fans are totally fine with that. When we talk about who the greatest basketball player of all time is, we must take into consideration two things, and those things are stats and championships. The main name that comes from everyone is Michael Jordan, and rightfully so. However, there are some who will say names like Kobe Bryant, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabar.
See what I mean? It’s a never-ending conversation that has been transcending the game of basketball for years now, and will continue to do so until someone comes along that just totally shatters all the records of some of the most notable players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers.
As we all know Kobe Bryant just recently had his jersey numbers #8 and #24 retired on December 18th by the Los Angeles Lakers, after he spent all of his 20 year career with the team. He delivered 5 championships to the franchise, but gave so much more than what the average fanatic is allowed to see. His killer instinct, talent, and basketball IQ made him a defenders worst nightmare. After all, he wasn’t called the “Black Mamba” for no reason.
He’s inspired some current players like Stephen Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and much more.
“He’s that guy” said James.
“His preparation to win is as good as anybodies, ever!” said Mike Krzyzewski.
“Playing with Kobe is like playing against a Grizzly Bear” said Kevin Garnett.
Anytime someone stepped on the court against Kobe, they knew they were in for a dog fight. He brought out the best in every single player or team he went up against.
Kobe’s Career Stats:
PTS-33,643, TRB-7,047, AST-6,306
18x All-Star, 5x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 4x NBA All-Star MVP, 2x NBA Scoring Champion
Then there’s Lebron James. Straight out of Cleveland, Ohio this man was destined for greatness once he set his eyes on a Spalding basketball. It’s not everyday you meet a talented young man who has the NBA “it” factor right in high school, but Lebron was a different bread of baller than what people were use to seeing in Cleveland.
He had the size, speed, and stature that not only drew eyeballs from local fans, but garnered the attention of NBA scouts, right out of St. Vincent-St.Mary high school.
Arguably Lebron is the most dominant player in the game right now. The impact he has had on not just the game, but his teammates and the community is nothing short of amazing.
He’s now in his 15th NBA season, and looks to be in better shape than he has ever been in before. Even though he has three NBA championships under his belt, he is still chasing the ghost that wore 23.
“Obviously as a basketball player, dudes amazing” said Stephen Curry.
“Lebron James is by far the best player in this league” said Larry Bird.
Lebrons’ Career Stats:
PTS-27.2 , TRB-7.3 , AST 7.1
13x All-Star, 3x NBA Champion, 4x MVP
Last, but certainly not least we have Michael Jordan. The only man to win three straight NBA championships, retire to go play another sport, and then come back to the NBA to win three more championships with the same franchise.
In short, he’s “the goat!”
He is the soul reason why the NBA has so many African-American representatives, and why more African-American men are in positions of power in sports organizations. He’s also the reason why Air Jordan’s are the most popular shoes worn by African-Americans, and why every young boy grows up wanting to be like mike.
There are many words that people use to describe MJ. Words like passionate, hardcore, intense and driven. He had a will to win that was unmatched by anyone he came across during his career, and most importantly, he hated losing with a passion. Not to say that James or Bryant didn’t have the same winning spirit, but Mike was just on another level. However, there is a phrase that puts the exclamation point on his whole career, and that is “undefeated in six NBA finals!”
The only other person to have more rings than Jordan is NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell, but he is a story for another time.
Michael Jordan Career Stats:
PTS-32,292, TRB-6,672, AST-5,633
14x All-Star, 6x NBA Champion, 3x MVP, 6x Finals MVP, 10x NBA Scoring Champion
The ongoing debate surrounding these three all-star players may never end, and like I stated earlier that’s ok. Fans will have their own biases as to who is better and why, but the important thing about this debate is to recognize what each of them brought to the game of basketball.
BWILL MEDIA TV 