(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
The NBA GOAT debate will never go away.
There would have to be a player so utterly dominant, so unequivocally superior to everything we had ever seen before, for people to finally agree and reach a consensus about the greatest player of all time.
And while some scouts believe Victor Wembanyama has the potential to be that player and his rookie season was one of the most impressive in league history, chances are that’ll never happen.
That’s why, until the end of time, people will continue to go back and forth between Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Recently, Shaquille O’Neal included Kobe Bryant in that conversation, stating that there should be only three players in the debate.
With that in mind, ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith replied to Shaq’s claim.
Talking on First Take, the controversial pundit started his discussion by revealing that he wouldn’t say anything that he hadn’t told Kobe to his face before.
.@stephenasmith responds to Shaq’s recent comments about whether Kobe belongs in the GOAT debate pic.twitter.com/oN44wDhlEm
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 9, 2024
He said that Kobe would’ve loved to go against a prime Jordan because he felt he was as good as him, if not better.
Nonetheless, he thinks people have to consider the fact that Kobe wasn’t the best shooting guard of all time; Jordan was.
He can’t also ignore the fact that he missed the playoffs in the final passage of his career, and that he won three rings with Shaq.
Smith also made a case for Kobe not being the undisputed greatest Los Angeles Laker of all time, as Magic Johnson should also be up there in the conversation.
He’s got some valid points.
Then again, this debate will never be settled, and it’s a matter of perspective at this point.
The post Stephen A. Smith Reveals Where Kobe Bryant Belongs In GOAT Debate appeared first on The Cold Wire.